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Building the Heroes of Harley-Davidson exhibit

Feb. 21, 2003 – Even before the first Indian motorcycle was put on display last year for "A Century of Indian" presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, the Harley-Davidson exhibit was already being crafted.

Two years in the making "Heroes" is the most involved exhibit ever staged at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

With much of the construction and fabrication handled off-site, a quick transition of about a month was all that was needed for the final assembly.

Here's a look at how everything came together.


As the Indian exhibit came down, museum officials took advantage of the extra space to photograph the incoming Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Then came the heavy lifting as the black walls came in for the Harley exhibit.

There are 52 motorcycles on display throughout the exhibit. In these before-and-after photos, we see a fraction of the bikes that were rolled into place, along with some of the graphics that were attached to the walls. In the background and below is a display on the land-speed record attempts at the Bonneville Salt Flats, including a realistic looking salt surface for the motorcycles to sit on.

The heyday of Class C Racing display celebrates H-D's influence in the world of Grand National Dirt Track racing. This part of the exhibit also features a realistic looking racing surface. The graphics and display were put in first (left), then museum workers place the bikes.

One of the more difficult tasks in the assembly was the board-track racing display. Click on either of the movies below and you'll see why.
Movie 1	Movie 2

Certainly one of the more popular draws will be a detailed look at Harley-Davidson's engines over the years. On the right, Museum Director Mark Mederski explains the Knucklehead engine era.

Walking through the completed exhibit, visitors will enjoy the in-depth displays and graphics that guide you from area to area.

In the H-D Women area (left), Mederski talks about Tammy Kirk, the first woman to earn championship points in AMA Grand National Dirt Track racing. He then sat down at a computer kiosk to show how visitors can use these terminals to get more information to enhance their museum experience. Related story: "Heroes of Harley-Davidson" presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance comes alive!