Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/858916
VOL. 54 ISSUE 31 AUGUST 8, 2017 P119 Harley-Davidson supplied most of the items on display. We felt it was a wonderful opportunity to tell the story of a longtime Indiana family business." Walking the hallways of the exhibit, IHS took many of South- side H-D's historic photos and blew them up into larger-than-life size wall displays. One room featured a range of motorcycles associated with the dealership over the years, including a re- cently restored Harley-Davidson KR750 road racer raced by Hoosier racers Lowell Rettinger and Larry Roberts. Having a motorcycle-related business showcased at one of downtown Indianapolis' premier visitor destinations is a testimony not only to the good relationship the dealership has had with the city over the years, but also the wider acceptance of motorcy- cling by the general public. "I get great pleasure shar- ing each day with family and watching them grow and carry on a family tradition," says Bob Schulteti, George Schulteti's son and second-generation owner of Indianapolis Southside Harley- Davidson. "We feel honored to be recognized by the Indiana Historical Society and given the opportunity to display some of our family history." The story of Southside Harley- Davidson starts in 1922 when a 16-year-old George Schulteti stopped by Harley-Davidson's Milwaukee factory in search of a replacement part for his Harley- Davidson bicycle. There was a spirited discussion when he was told he would have to go to a dealership to buy the part. Wil- liam A. Davidson, one of Harley Davidson's founders, happened to hear the conversation and told the teenager if he ever wanted a job at the factory, he had one. Two days later, Schulteti was sweeping floors at the factory. Schulteti gradually worked his way up the ranks at the Motor Company and worked in vari- ous positions, but always hoped someday to own a dealership. After World War II, Schulteti's job was to inventory the Harley military motorcycles in service. In the process, he rode over 50,000 miles in a year travel- ing across the country. During his travels, he met Illinois dealer Max Colville. The pair pooled their resources to buy John Mor- gan's Harley dealership that had been operating in Indianapolis since 1919. For better than six decades, Southside Harley- Davidson on South Meridian Street, just seven blocks from the center of downtown, served as the heart of the Indianapolis motorcycling community. Not only were rides coordi- nated out of the building nearly weekly in the summer months, it also became a hangout for local racers. The Schulteti's all raced, and backed dozens of Indianap- olis-area racers over the years in just about every discipline of motorcycle racing. The dealership became a sec- ond home to hundreds of mo- torcyclists, and the building that housed the dealership had an in- teresting history of its own. Built in 1906, the building housed several other businesses—a dry cleaners, shoe shop, barber shop and restaurant. The upper floors served as flats, where railroad men stayed overnight. In 1919, it became the home to the John Morgan-owned Harley dealership. In 1947, George Schulteti took over the shop. By the time the dealership moved to its current location in the southern suburbs of India- napolis, in 1998, the number of employees had risen to 32. The exhibition, The Harley Shop: Seventy Years of In- dianapolis Southside Harley- Davidson, runs July 22 through September 9, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis. If you happen to be in the area, the exhibit will give you an opportunity at a glimpse into the 70-year history of an iconic motorcycle dealership. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives