There are new plans in store for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle that turned up on the shores of western Canada after being lost in the Japanese tsunami last year. After being swept away from Miyagi prefecture, the bike spent over a year at sea floating in a cargo container, eventually getting discovered by Peter Mark, 32, in British Columbia. The owner, 29 year old Ikuo Yokoyama, identified by the motorcycle’s license plate, was found and told the incredible story of what happened to his 2004 FXSTB Softail Night Train.After being told that Harley-Davidson offered to pay the bill to both fully restore the bike and then ship it back to Japan, Yokoyama has instead requested that the bike be preserved and displayed at theHarley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the U.S. Yokoyama, who lost three family members in last year’s disasters, says that he wishes the motorcycle, and its incredible tale, to serve as a memorial for all the victims of the March 11th tragedies. Bill Davidson, the vice president of the museum, says the owner’s wishes will be honored, and he hopes to bring Yokoyama to the unveiling.Yokoyama has stated his heartfelt appreciation to Peter Mark, and regrets that he has yet to meet him in person and offer his gratitude. After finding the motorcycle, Mark contacted the Japanese embassy in Vancouver, who then began the process of locating Yokoyama. The bike is currently at a Harley-Davidson enthusiast’s bike shop in British Columbia, preparing to be shipped to motorcycle museum.
History of Harley-Davidson Museum
The museum opened to the public on July 12, 2008, on a 20 acres (81,000 m2) site in the Menomonee Valley. The museum was built in an historically industrial area of Milwaukee. Prior to Harley-Davidson’s purchase of the land from the city, the site was formerly used by the Milwaukee Department of Public Works, Lakeshore Sand Company, and Morton Salt.In late February 2006, designs for the museum were unveiled. The designs were created by James Biber, a partner at Pentagram, his team, and Michael Zweck-Bonner, an associate at Pentagram. Abbott Miller, a partner at Pentagram, designed the museum’s permanent exhibitions. The firm designed the museum over a period of 8 years.On June 1, 2006, Harley-Davidson began the construction of the $75 million complex with a groundbreaking ceremony that included legendary Harley-Davidson dirt track motorcycle racer, Scott Parker, breaking ground by doing a burnout with a Harley-Davidson XL883R Sportster, instead of with the traditional golden shovel. The site includes parking spaces for 1,000 motorcycles and 500 cars. The Museum’s facade also features a 17-foot (5.2 m)-tall, steel Harley-Davidson sign.
The Engine Room
The museum’s second floor galleries begin with the Engine Room. A Knucklehead engine is displayed disassembled into several pieces. The Engine Room also features several interactive touch screen elements that show how Harley motors, including Panhead and Shovelhead motors work.
Clubs and Competition
The Clubs and Competition gallery includes displays and information about Harley-Davidson’s racing history. The gallery includes a section of a replica wooden board track, suspended in the air at a 45-degree incline. Harley-Davidson Museum is a Beautiful Place For Vacations.The wooden track features vintage video footage of actual board track races, and attached 1920s-era Harley-Davidson racing motorcycles; the bikes that raced on board tracks at 100 miles -per-hour. Fatalities were common, which led to the banning of wooden board tracks for motorcycle racing.
Custom Culture
The Custom Culture gallery covers Harley-Davidson’s impact on American and global culture. The centerpiece of the Custom Culture Gallery is “King Kong”, a 13-foot (4.0 m)-long, two-engine Harley-Davidson motorcycle customized by Felix Predko. The exhibit also features exact replicas of the customized Harley-Davidson bikes ridden by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in the 1969 American movie, “Easy Rider”, including Fonda’s “Captain America” chopper and Hopper’s “Billy Bike”. Two of each of the two choppers were created, and one “Captain America” was destroyed in the film’s production. Travel Advice in USA is Place for Adventures.
Corporate Archives & Collections
The Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s corporate archives are also housed on the museum’s grounds. The archives supplied more than 85% of the items on display in the museum. Since 1915, the company’s founders decided to pull one bike from the production line to be preserved in an archive.