Posted on Jul 11, 2011

A new exhibit at the Harley-Davidson Museum

The Milwaukee motorcycle maker is about much more than its classic hogs. This is the message of the just-opened exhibition at the Harley-Davidson Museum.  

An all-leather motorcycle made in Japan, prototype bikes, a 1978 liquid-cooled motor-cross bike, an experimental three-wheel vehicle from the 1980s and a Cyclone Motor-Sled, a 10-foot-long canvas-covered spruce snowmobile. These are some of the gems that have been hiding in the Museum's climate-controlled storage area and that could only be glimpsed at by museum-goers on special, behind-the-scenes occasions.

According to an MSNBC.com report, Harley-Davidson has 500 vehicles in its archive storage, as well as 150,000 photos and 7,000 pieces of clothing and accessories, dating back from the company's foundation in 1903.

Selecting the ones that would make up the Collection X: Weird, Wild Wonders of the Harley-Davidson Museum must have been a challenge, and fun. Bill Davidson, the great-grandson of Harley-Davidson co-founder William A. Davidson, said of the vehicles on display, "It's very rewarding for me to see these and remember back when we were actually testing them, riding them...very exciting." Bill Davidson is the museum's vice-president.

The exhibit runs through August 21.