Plenty of 'Harley Happenings' at the HD Museum this summer
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58)--With so much happening at the world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum, you’ll need more than one visit to cover it all. And luckily, the H-D Museum campus – including MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant and The Shop – is now open seven days a week, as of the beginning of the month. Hit up new installations, check out the latest menu items at MOTOR Bar and Restaurant and take home some fresh designs from The Shop.
Bike Nights make their triumphant return every Thursday evening from 5-9 pm. Enjoy free live tunes from Milwaukee-area artists, miles and miles of rolling eye candy, and food and drink (including the Bike Night koozie specials) in the great outdoors.
IRONe™ Demos will be available to ride in Motorcycle Plaza every Saturday. If you’re loving the Saturday Demos on the big toys, including the all-new Pan America™, be sure to bring the kiddos down for a spin around the track with the IRONe electric balance bikes. It’s an ideal way to introduce that feeling of two-wheeled freedom to the next generation. After a day in the saddle, fuel up at MOTOR with the kids menu and a complimentary IRONe coloring sheet.
On Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13, stop by The Garage for savings up to 70% on Harley-Davidson® MotorClothes® merchandise and select official licensed products.* Gear up with select authentic Harley-Davidson riding gear, including helmets and jackets. Don’t miss this chance to stock up on T-shirts, sweatshirts, outerwear and so much more.
Check out the sale for fun gear for dear old dad on his special day, or gift him the H-D Museum’s all-new Annual Pass. Whether he’s looking for an afternoon with the family or with the guys, he’ll love this memorable gift again and again. Purchase one in 2021 and enjoy perks – like discounts throughout campus and free admission – through 2022.
EXHIBITS / INSTALLATIONS
Clubs & Competition (on display now)
In the early part of the 20th century, motorcycle culture was a homegrown phenomenon. It grew out of the passion of riders for their evolving sport. The camaraderie that developed around riding and attending competitive events led to the formation of motorcycle clubs that hosted destination rides, family picnics with motorcycle games and other riding competitions.
The newly reinstalled display case in the Clubs & Competition gallery highlights clothing from club members from primarily the 1930s and 1940s. The clothing selections on view include full dress uniforms, shirts, sweaters, jackets and caps, customized by the owners with their club name and logo, and pins or patches indicating membership in the American Motorcyclist Association. The H-D Archives collection includes Motorclothes apparel sold in H-D® product catalogs but also non-H-D produced clothing items that have been proudly customized by riders.
Harley Fox (on display now)
Gail Anderson’s 1986 Softail® Custom motorcycle, “Harley Fox,” built by her partner Bob Burrows, took top prize at the first Ladies of Harley® (LOH) ride-in show during Daytona Beach Bike Week in 1987. With her custom bike and themed riding gear, Anderson presented a striking image that fit the growing visibility and exciting new options for women riders in the 1980s.
Alfonso Sotomayor’s 1957 Model FL (on display now)
The Harley-Davidson Museum is proud to announce its collection has recently grown with the addition of a 1957 Model FL that was ridden by famed Mexican stunt rider and racer Alfonso Sotomayor Canales.
Harley-Davidson’s history in Mexico dates back to at least 1913. In the 1920s, the brand was more frequently spotted throughout Mexico City as the motorcycles proved popular with the local traffic police who would also perform stunts with their Harley-Davidson® bikes. After racing from the 1930s into the 1960s, Sotomayor launched his own stunt riding career by performing the famed “Salto de la Muerte” or Jump of Death. Learn more about Sotomayor’s feats of derring-do and Harley-Davidson’s early entry into Mexico with this new display located in the Custom Culture area.
“Off-Road Harley-Davidson” (open now)
In the decades before America paved its highways, early riders had to be prepared for all sorts of terrain: sand, clay or dirt – and wandering those makeshift byways were Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. Today, it’s called off-road or adventure touring; back then it was just called riding. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson motorcycles proved their toughness by riding over wooded hills, through stone-choked creek beds and up mountain sides. “Off-Road Harley-Davidson” tells the history of motorcycles designed for rough roads, the people who rode them and the adventures they shared.
“Building a Milwaukee Icon: Harley-Davidson’s Juneau Avenue Factory” (open now)
A recently recovered cache of architectural drawings includes plans for the original Juneau Avenue facility. The pencil drawings, along with archival photographs, demonstrate the whirlwind pace of the company’s early growth. While building an international business—going from producing just over 1,000 motorcycles in 1909 to manufacturing 27,000 motorcycles in 1920—the company’s Milwaukee factory experienced near-constant expansion. Construction through this relatively brief period created the buildings that today, a century later, are still the proud home of Harley-Davidson.
“Building a Milwaukee Icon” provides a snapshot of Harley-Davidson’s formative years and illustrates a chapter of Milwaukee history when the city was known as the “Machine Shop to the World.”
Google Arts & Culture, “Touring Around the World” (available now)
Join Harley-Davidson on this trip around the world, and through history, with then-and-now comparisons of international locations found on the covers of "The Enthusiast™" magazine.
Many of the earliest covers featured photos submitted by readers highlighting unique touring destinations from all over the globe. Many of these landmarks still exist along the same roadways today. We thought it would be fun to take a trip back in time and compare a few of these select covers with how they look from the same location, current day, courtesy of Google Maps.
PROGRAMMING / EVENTS
Bike Night Concert Series, Thursday, 5 – 9 p.m., through Sept. 16
All bikes unite every Thursday at the Harley-Davidson Museum. Grab your bike. Join your fellow riders (and non-riders) for free live music from some of Milwaukee's favorite bands, fun, drool-worthy rolling sculptures and outdoor food and beverage. Bike Night Koozie Special all-season long. All wheels welcome.
Join the fun on June 10 for a Meet & Greet with H-D Racer Kyle Wyman & Special Announcement.
Powered by Budweiser® King of Beers and Bulleit® Bourbon.
- Thursday, June 10th: Doozey
Saturday Demos, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., through Sept. 25
Demo Rides available at the world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum! Visit the H-D Museum campus Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and throw a leg over a 2021 motorcycle to experience the fun and freedom of a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle.
Visitors with their motorcycle endorsement (and who bring their own helmet and riding gear) will be able to choose from a dozen of the latest and greatest #FreedomMachines from Harley-Davidson, including Touring, Softail® and Sportster® models. Plus, the all-new Pan America™ motorcycle will be available on a limited basis. A pre-determined scenic route through the Menomonee Valley will give riders the chance to explore the Museum’s surrounding neighborhoods.
Sunday H-D™ IRONe™ Demos, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., through Aug. 29
Head down to the Harley-Davidson Museum for Sundays Fundays with H-D™ IRONe™ demos. Designed for the pint-sized set, these electric balance bikes are a great introduction to two-wheeled freedom. Kids ages 3-7 (under 75 lbs. and under 42 inches tall) are invited to take a few laps at the world's only Harley-Davidson Museum in the Motorcycle Plaza. Visit the H-D Museum™ campus Sundays* from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and take a spin on an electric-powered balance bike for kids with parents who want to share their love for riding. See website for complete details.
Harley-Davidson® Merchandise Sale*
On Friday, June 11 through Sunday, June 13, stop by The Garage for savings up to 70% on Harley-Davidson® MotorClothes® merchandise and select official licensed products.* Gear up with select authentic Harley-Davidson riding gear, including helmets and jackets. Don’t miss this chance to stock up on T-shirts, sweatshirts, outerwear and so much more.
*Valid for onsite use in The Garage only at the H-D Museum on purchase of select, discontinued men’s and women’s Harley-Davidson® MotorClothes® merchandise and select official licensed products. Not valid for online purchases; not valid in The Shop at the H-D Museum. Prices as marked in The Garage. Sale prices valid from June 11-13, 2021. While supplies last. Offer not valid on previously purchased merchandise. Cannot be combined with any other offer, discount or promotion. Offer is subject to change without notice. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Annual Pass
Looking for interesting things to do and ways to fully enjoy our programs and exhibits? The Harley-Davidson Museum’s new Annual Pass offers individual, family and VIP levels to fit your lifestyle. Just some of the perks of the new Annual Pass include: admission discounts, Virtual Gallery Talks, free admission for children under age 18, merchandise discounts at The Shop, dining discounts at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant and more.
Plus, if you purchase an Annual Pass in 2021, those passholder perks can be enjoyed all of 2021 and 2022. Visit H-D Museum.com to see complete ticket details for exclusions and other terms and conditions.
Engines 101 (Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.)
Study the heart of Harley-Davidson motorcycles: the engine! Join us for a classroom experience covering the gritty details of how Harley-Davidson engines roar to life. No mechanical skills necessary! Leave with an exclusive Engines 101 pin, a $5 coupon for The Shop and a newfound knowledge of how Harley-Davidson engines are created.
Scout Virtual Engineering Merit Badge (Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.)
This new 90-minute online program is open to scouts from all over the country. Our program facilitator will guide the troops and explore the role an engineer plays while creating a Harley-Davidson® Motorcycle. Nine requirements for the Engineering Merit Badge will be discussed during this virtual, interactive program. Advance registration is required. Program Fee: $20 per Scout, which includes an activity booklet used during the program and a special H-D® patch upon completion of the program.
MOTOR® BAR & RESTAURANT
MOTOR® Bar and Restaurant is now open seven days a week! It’s the ideal time to check out new menu items or just enjoy the vibes on our waterfront patio. Carry-out, delivery and contact-less payment options are available.
1903 EVENTS
Looking for an iconic venue to host your special event? Dates and spaces are available for 2021 and 2022. And if you haven’t heard, Milwaukee’s newest event space on the H-D Museum campus will break ground later this summer. Contact 1903 Events to learn more.
SAVE THE DATES
Hometown Rally, Sept. 2-5
The Hometown Rally weekend will take over the 20-acre campus of the Harley-Davidson Museum and will host the party of the summer, with free live concerts on three consecutive nights, food-and-beverage sites, stunt exhibitions and skills demonstrations, 2021 Harley-Davidson® motorcycle demos, and motorcycle showcases hosted by Born Free and V-Twin Visionary. The Museum will remain open for general admission during the event.