West Coast preview of Malcolm!

About 500 people gathered at Malcolm Smith Motorsports in Riverside, California, on June 7 for a sneak preview of the new exhibit, Malcolm!, presented by Tucker Rocky Distributing, that will open at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum on July 26, just in time for AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. The subject of the exhibit, Hall of Famer Malcolm Smith, opened the doors of his dealership to give his many West Coast fans and friends a chance to see the same motorcycles, photos, and other items that will go on display later at the Museum at AMA headquarters in Ohio.

All the items that will be part of the full exhibit at the Museum were also on display at the California preview event.

Smith's modern dealership was a perfect site for the event, with the exhibit mounted a floor above the sales area.

Tom White (left), curator of the exhibit, and the man himself, Malcolm Smith, enjoy the preview. The exhibit itself will run for one year at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum's Hall of Legends.

Most people know of Malcolm Smith through his starring role in "On Any Sunday," the iconic 1970s movie about motorcycling made by Bruce Brown, who attended the preview and will also join the exhibit opening.  Sponsors of the exhibit will receive one of 12 prints of this painting (left) by Tom Fritz. The work was commissioned by famed helmet artist Troy Lee (above).

An auction at the preview raised $8,000 for the Museum. Items up for bid included a helmet donated by Supercross legend Jeremy McGrath (left) and autographed posters from the "On Any Sunday" reunion.