Harley-Davidson Museum News
The Harley-Davidson Museum is running wide open throttle into 2016 with plenty of high-octane exhibits, events and programming that turn the spotlight on Harley-Davidson’s roots in the world of racing.
Starting this week, two new exhibits will go on display beginning Friday, January 22. The Bridge Gallery will be showing Race Day: Photos from the Flat Track, which features dozens of photos from one of flat track racing’s leading photographers, Dave Hoenig.
Alongside that exhibit will be the public’s first opportunity to see the revamped Design Lab. Racing Machines from the KR to the XR illustrate how designers created the iconic HD lines that we all have come to know and more importantly, how the world’s foremost racing team began. Due to the excitement around these events, The Harley-Davidson Museum will also have extended hours on January 22 (10 a.m. – 9 p.m.) as part of Gallery Night.
In the coming months, the Museum’s special summer exhibit will open on June 17 with a special media preview scheduled on June 16. Drag Racing: America’s Fast Time will allow guests to take a trip through drag racing’s most humble beginnings, from the back-roads and often illegal, homebrewed racing to the high-tech world we know it to be today.
With new exhibits comes a new menu from MOTOR Bar & Restaurant, which will be revealed on January 27. Parties, events and so much more are in store for this coming year and the Harley-Davidson Museum is on a mission to show the world that #SpeedThrills.
Following are some highlights of the Harley-Davidson Museum:
Race Day: Photos from the Flat Track, Jan. 22-Sept. 5
The Museum will throw some fine roosts on January 22, when Race Day: Photos from the Flat Track a photo exhibit featuring dozens of images from flat track racing’s preeminent photographer is unveiled. Dave Hoenig walks you through pit tow, the grandstands and out onto the track to see all of the thrills of life on two wheels. Hoenig has captured more than 1,000 races in his lengthy career, showcasing the gallantry, emotion, and camaraderie on the track.
Racing Machines from the KR to the XR
The Museum’s Design Lab, which has been newly renovated, will also reopen on January 22. The installation focuses on the role of Harley-Davidson’s hardscrabble engineering team played in creating some of the most iconic bikes that ever graced the race tracks of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. This exhibit shows how man and machine come together to make Harley-Davidson racing the giant that it is and how HD became no stranger to victory.
Also on display is the newly acquired 1947 WR Harley-Davidson racer, believed to be one out of twenty ever produced. The bike was also discovered to have Wisconsin ties, as it was owned by legendary racer Ray Tursky out of Madison, Wisconsin.
Drag Racing: America’s Fast Time summer exhibit; June 17-Sept. 5
Guests will be right under the hood with the scientists of speed, to see just how much energy was poured into the machines crafted by hot rodders – two wheeled or four. See the sport make tracks from the modest beginnings on back roads and under darkened streets to the bright lights of the winner’s circle as speed permeated pop culture.
Confirmed artifacts and exhibit details will be shared this spring.
For more, visit the Harley-Davidson Museum.
