Even though it’s only been open for about three years, the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee has become as much of a shrine to non-riders as it has with owners of these legendary machines.
The 130,000-square foot edifice in the city’s downtown is not your regular style museum. Its total focus is on the chromium history, streamlined traditions and roaring power that the famous brandès machines represent in the psyche of the motor-cycle world.
There are more than 450 Harleys housed in the museum, and each one has a story behind it. From the distinctive lines to the powerful chest-pounding exhaust, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have become a prominent part of highway landscapes, not only in North America, but around the world.
A quiet presence against a buzzing backdrop
Located on 20 acres of land, the modern concrete, steel and glass museum was completed in 2008, and was designed to echo the industrial might and technological advances that surround Milwaukee’s history and the creation of the Harley-Davidson legend. Set in finely landscaped grounds along the Menomonee River, the museum presents a quiet presence against the buzzing urban backdrop.
In the parking lot, which is reserved strictly for motorcycles -“No Caged Vehicles’’ says the sign – a massive bronze sculpture of a biker racing his machine skyward – dominates the scene. The line-up of visitors’ bikes, almost all Harley-Davidsons, awaits the return of their owners who are touring the museum.
The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Peter Wilson
The bikers are busy, on the lookout for their favourite Harley specimens. Many of the exhibits are arranged chronologically, beginning with Serial Number One, the oldest known Harley-Davidson in existence. The machine was the wide-eyed hope of company founders William S. Harley and Walter and Arthur Davidson who built it in the original 10 feet by 15 feet Milwaukee shed, where they began operations in 1903. From this machine, visitors travel a journey leading them to the latest production models crafted today.
One of the newest pieces of inventory in the museum is the World War II era replica used in the recently released Captain America movie, starring Chris Evans and Tommy Lee Jones. Harley -Davidson worked with film maker Marvel Studios to painstakingly recreate five of the bikes used in the movie.
There’s even a replica of this bike in the museum’s foyer, where visitors can climb aboard to get their picture taken next to the movie poster.
There are some powerful exhibits, including a series of machines celebrating bike customization. One of the most dramatic is the “King Kong,’’ a whimsical creation by Felix Predko, who built the 13-feet long motorcycle with two in-line engines, and added numerous decorative details.
For lovers of country and western music, there’s a machine completely fitted with glittering rhinestones planted over its entire surface. The female owner of one of the bikes on display introduced an eye-catching steel bike rest to her bike. Shaped like an elegant leg clad in a fishnet stocking, the steel bike support grabs more attention than the Harley.
Elvis’ Harley is on display
Filling the exhibit rooms, police bikes, U.S. military service motor bikes, complete with serious looking machine guns, and grocery delivery bikes show how the company market strategy developed much further than purely servicing individual consumers. This museum tells not only the stories of its products, but of the extraordinary people involved in H-D’s history and its culture.
One of the most famous bikes in display is the 1956 Model KH, which Elvis Presley purchased in 1956, just before he was about to release his number one hit “Heartbreak Hotel.’’
The exhibit even has the original purchase agreement signed by the King himself. The $1,400 or so he paid out for his shiny machine must have trimmed his wallet pretty good in those early days.
It’s estimated that about 350,000 people visit the museum annually, many of them repeat customers. The place is particularly popular with families, who, by introducing their offspring to the Harley-Davidson experience are no doubt kick-starting new generations towards the love of motorcycling.
Harley-Davidson Museum
400 Canal Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Region: Downtown
•Open:
• Sunday – Wed 9am – 6pm
•Thurs 9am – 8pm, Fri – Sat 9am – 6pm
•Adults $16, Children (5 -17) $10, Children (under 5) Free, Seniors $12
Phone: (877) 436-8738
Website:
www.h-dmuseum.com
For more information on other attractions in Milwaukee:
www.visitmilwaukee.org
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Harley-Davidson Museum a shrine to bikers and non-bikers alike
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