Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Behind this wall of engines are photos of some of the "Motor Maestros" who have played a tremendous role in Harley's performance prestige, including Bill Werner, Dick O'Brien and Tom Sitton. (Center of page) A cutaway of the Knucklehead, the engine that distanced Harley from its American competition in the mid '305. record of over 265 mph in 1970, and the Sportster on which Leo Payne became the first man to top 200 mph aboard a conventional motorcycle. Along with Payne's fuel-burning Sportster are displayed his helmet and leathers. "Power and Glory" features both vintage and modern dragsters and hill climbers, honoring men such as Jim McClure, Ray Price, Pete Hill, Dud Perkins, Lou Gerencer, Tom Reiser and James Large. Championship machines ridden by Reiser and Price are on display, as are antique trophies and clothing belonging to Dudley Perkins. Heroes of Harley-Davidson also includes a fine art component that displays bronze sculpture by Steve Posson and Jeff Decker, painting by David Uhl, What is the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum? The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, located on the 23-acre wooded campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, is a 26,000 square foot facility managed by the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit public foundation created in 1982. The Museum was first opened in 1990 and was then called the Motorcycle Heritage Museum. In 1998 the establishment of a Motorcycle Hall of Fame coincided with relocation to a larger facility, and at time the name was changed to reflect the expanded mission of the Foundation. The AMHF is governed by a volunteer board of dedicated motorcycle historians and enthusiasts, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is managed by a staff of individuals who are both motorcycle enthusiasts and museum professionals. It Is the mission of the organization to: preserve the heritage of motorcycling and educate the public thereto; create and maintain an archive of periodicals, photographs, books, and other documents important to our motorcycling heritage; create and maintain a hall of fame to honor and record the individuals who have contributed in a significant way to our heritage; and cooperate with other high-quality museums, archives and projects that are consistent with the mission of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation. The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum rotates exhibits on a regular basis in an effort to entertain and educate its guests and to depict accurately the true diversity of motorcycling. Its major exhibits have included "Excelsior: The Lost Legends," "Seventy-Five Years of Excitement," "Dealing Motorcycles in America," "A Century of Indian" and "Heroes of Harley-Davidson, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance." The Museum's outreach program includes traveling exhibits, the most popular of which has been "Women £, Motorcycling." For information on location, hours, admission and special events, go to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum's website at www.motorcyclemuseum.org. (Top right) The fuel tank gives away that this is one of Evel Knievel's XR750 jump machines. Something museum-goers are not likely to notice, however, is that it is hand-signed by the "Evel One" himself. (Above) Street scene: High-performance Harley models, including the hot rod KHK, the nCR Cafe Racer and the ill-fated VR1000 and its spawn, the V-Rod, can be spotted in this photo. stained glass by Ron Rae and photography by A.F. Van Order. Although the exhibit contains hundreds of historical photographs and thousands of words of text, even more information is available through Internet technology. Throughout the exhibit, small blue "info" icons indicate that additional information and photographs are available in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame's database, which visitors can access through two computer stations within the exhibit hall. For those unable to attend the exhibit, the same information is available by accessing www.motorcyclemuseum.org. The idea of telling the story of Harley-Davidson through the exploits of individual men and women was conceived by Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum director Mark Mederski, who c is developing a reputation for taking the institution to a higher level of design and quality with each successive exhibit. Heroes of Harley-Davidson, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, officially opened on May 3rd, will remain open through December, 2004, and is apparently the only major museum exhibit honoring the Motor Company's centennial. A 156-page, large format hard-cover catalog with over 200 photographs, edited by exhibit curator Ed Youngblood, is currently on the press at Motor Books International and will be available by mid-July. For a virtual tour of the exhibit, plus more information about the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, including hours, location, and special events, go to www.motorcyclemuseum.org.