Harley-Davidson Museum rocks Milwaukee
We made a pilgrimage for Lisa’s dad to the Promised Land for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee. He is a huge Harley dude.
The Harley-Davidson Museum sits on a campus of 20 acres. It shares the space with the local plant and restaurant/store. The museum is located along the Menominee River, a short drive from downtown Milwaukee.
Harley-Davidson is celebrating its 110th anniversary in 2013. It started in 1903 when William Harley teamed with the Davidson brothers- Arthur and Walter – to produce the first three motorcycles. Less than 10 years later, they produced about 200,000 motorcycles. Harley-Davidson is the standard-bearer for quality motorcycles worldwide today.
The cool thing about Harley bikes is that each one is built when a customer has ordered it. The company does not produce them en masse and then wait for people to buy.
The museum displays a motorcycle from each of the 110 years of production. The neat thing is they feature them is different exhibits. Instead of having them all in groups, beginning in 1903 and including this year’s model, the museum separates them into different areas.
The very first motorcycle, serial number 1, sits enclosed in a glass case, to be admired. The room it’s in highlights the early days of the company.
Along the way, you move on to different displays with other years highlighted. Harley-Davidson actually produced bicycles at one time, in addition to motorcycles.
There is an interesting military section on the top floor of the museum. A shore patrol bike is displayed for the US Navy.
Harley-Davidson developed a motorcycle that the US Army could use in its desert battles during World War II. The bike had two seats and a passenger car seat. There were sheaths near the handle bars for rifles to be stored.
While Harley-Davidson put in the research and development of the desert bike, it never saw action. The Army went with Jeeps to use for desert battles.
Milwaukee’s police department had its own Harley patrol. The department used the company’s bikes for its motorcycle unit.
Harley-Davidson also developed motorcycles that could service business functions. Some bikes had units attached that could be used to help deliver mail (for the postal service) or carry food or ice cream treats for some businesses.
The top floor of the museum has a special attraction. When you look at one motorcycle from the side, it appears as a functioning bike. But, if you move slightly to the front or back, you can see that it actually has major parts standing alone. It was cool to see.
There is an Evil Kneival bike hanging from the ceiling. Kneival was a daredevil, who made death-defying jumps with his motorcycles.
A room highlights the history of the mountain bikes. Another section highlights racing motorcycles. In one corner, a TV monitor showed clips from motorcycle-based movies, including “Easy Rider,” “Starsky and Hutch” and “The Wild One.”
A bejeweled bike sat nearby. It was “unique.” Red, white and blue jewels with US flags along the bottom of it.
One motorcycle that made me feel like a little kid was the “Captain America” exhibit. The motorcycle used in the movie is on display, with the movie poster in the background. I wished they had had the Captain America shield on the wall. That would have sealed the deal for me. Who am I kidding? I loved it!
An interesting display was a Harley that was en route to Japan when that country suffered the massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The bike was still in the trailer hauling it. It was recovered and eventually given to the museum.
One of the dark periods of Harley-Davidson history was when it was owned by AMF. Yep, the folks who made bowling alley gear. Apparently, AMF lacked a strong interest in motorcycles, so Harley-Davidson suffered in quality and reputation during that time.
Eventually, some of the pre-merger employees decided to try to buy the company from AMF. They had no idea if they would succeed or the company would fail. They succeeded. And the quality of Harley-Davidson came back.
For people who may not solid motorcycle riders (like me!), there are bikes on display that you can sit on. I tried out an old bike. Lisa grabbed a green one (her favorite color) and then a three-wheeler.
Outside the museum, people can sit on a bike and run through the gears. It was nice to watch and listen to, but I passed on doing it.
The museum has two restaurants on site. One is open a casual café. The second is a casual restaurant. The latter – Motor – has a great bike atmosphere.
Whether you are a Harley or bike fan, the Harley-Davidson Museum is a must-see when in Milwaukee.
For more information, please visit www.harley-davidson.com.
