"Those of you who have come to expect great things from this Museum will not be disappointed," said Mark Mendell, chairman of the board of directors of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, in welcoming visitors to the official opening.

No ribbon-cutting here. Sarah Harley unbuckles a signed, leather belt to open the exhibit, along with Jean Sifton, Vaughn Beals, Ronnie Rall, Dave Estep (hidden) and Mike Kidd.

A Grand Opening

The opening ceremony of the "Heroes of Harley-Davidson," presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, was a living example of the camaraderie motorcycling creates.

Inside the museum, pictures of 106 of the people who made names for themselves on Harley-Davidsons are on the walls, surrounded by classic bikes. And some of those heroes, from corporate leaders to racers, mingled casually with the hundreds of ordinary motorcyclists who came out to see the museum's most comprehensive exhibit ever and help celebrate Harley's centennial year.

Mark Mederski (left) and Mike Kidd, Ronnie Rall and  Dave Estep.

"The thing about famous motorcyclists is they look just like the rest of us," said Mark Mederski, executive director of the museum, in explaining why the Heroes honored in the exhibit, and in attendance for the opening, would have to raise their hands when they were introduced.

And both famous and ordinary motorcyclists tend to like to look at cool old motorcycles and photos. At Saturday's opening, they all could imagine the early days of the Motor Company by strolling through the re-creation of the shed where it all began in 1903. That's just one of the highlights of the exhibit, which follows Harley-Davidson from its earliest, single-cylinder bikes to today's V-Rod.

But as much as everyone loves the bikes, the focus of the day — and the exhibit — is on the people and not the machines. One of those people was 1960s dirt-track ace Ronnie Rall.

"Aw, I'm not a hero, I'm just an old kid," said Rall. But then you learn that he's still racing vintage machines at age 64 and you consider that "hero" is not such an inappropriate description after all.

"I didn't really have time to come down here today, but I feel like I owe at least that to motorcycling," Rall said. "It's my whole life. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do the same, only I'd do better!"

Also quietly moving through the crowd was a distinguished-looking man who nobody might have noticed much — except that he is one of the key individuals who ensured Harley-Davidson would live to see its 100th birthday.

Former CEO Vaughn Beals was among the group of Harley executives who bought the company from former owner AMF, and saved it from bankruptcy by the narrowest of margins in the 1980s.

"We put every nickel we could get our fingers on into it," Beals recalled. "Interest rates were high and the economy wasn't helping. It was not a good time to do it, but it had to be done then or the company would have gone under."

From that risky buyout, when production dropped to 30,000 bikes a year, Harley-Davidson has roared back to become one of the nation's greatest corporate success stories, selling more than 235,000 motorcycles last year alone.

That success can be attributed not just to the Harley workforce, but also to the thousands of people who have coveted the machines over the years, and those were the same people who turned out for the exhibit's opening ceremony.

For example, there was Dr. John F. Patt of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, who was showing off his unrestored 1930 flathead in the parking lot. He was chatting with Steve Rosenstiel, of Columbus, Ohio, who rode in on his shiny, restored 1957 Sportster, which is no coddled show bike.

"I rode it to the dirt-track race at Springfield and got a lot of compliments on it," Rosenstiel said.

That's the same spirit reflected in "Heroes of Harley-Davidson," an exhibit about the people who rode, raced, tuned, designed, built and sold the motorcycles made by the only company in the world that's been doing it for a century.

Visitors verdict?
The exhibit's a winner!

"Heroes of Harley-Davidson" presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance is the most ambitious exhibit ever displayed at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. Two years in the making, the exhibit commemorates the centennial of the founding of Harley-Davidson.

The exhibit is already drawing rave reviews from the motorcycling public.

"I was quite impressed," said Stan Krumpelman, a motorcycle enthusiast from the Cincinnati area.

"The shed was really impressive" Krumpelman said, referring to the re-creation of the original workshop where  William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson created their first motorcycle. "It was interesting to see the line shaft that powered the lathes and other equipment."

John Apotsos, a motorcycle shop owner in Cleveland, said, "It was very, very impressive. There's a ton of information here. It's well worth the $5 to get in, I'll tell you that."

© 2003 Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum

Part of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame sign.

Tank art at the Museum Circle Motorcycle show.

"Crazy Carla" Bigham, of Kingston, Ohio, won a Museum leather jacket for wearing the best biker garb.

One corner of the museum is dedicated to the art that has followed Harley-Davidson.

A 100th Anniversary model, in the foreground, among the sea of V-twins.

A smiling sidecar.

Not quite stock...

Ed Youngblood, curator of the exhibit, leads a tour.

Visitors pose in front of the re-created shed.

An 883R Sportster looking a lot like the type of flat-tracker Mike Kidd used to race.

Hall of Famer Mike Kidd.

Visitors film the hero banners hanging in the Museum's stairwell.

A Panhead chopper on display at the Museum Circle Motorcycle show.

As opening time drew near, motorcyclists filled the parking area.

A leather belt with an AMA 2003 Great Destinations Belt Buckle served as the  grand opening ribbon. Jean Sifton, Vaughn Beals, and Sarah Harley (left) watch the proceedings with Mark Mendell.

Take a stroll through the Heroes of Harley-Davidson without leaving your keyboard! Click here to begin.

Note: Tour requires free Apple QuickTime plug-in