Harley-Davidson Museum facts for kids
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| Established | July 12, 2008 |
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| Location | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Type | Transport museum |
| Collection size | Harley-Davidson motorcycle and artifacts |
| Public transit access |  MCTS |
The Harley-Davidson Museum is a cool place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It celebrates over 100 years of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. This huge museum has three buildings on 20 acres (about 8 hectares) of land. You can find more than 450 Harley-Davidson motorcycles here. There are also hundreds of thousands of items from the company's long history.
Contents
History of the Museum
The museum first opened its doors on July 12, 2008. It was built in an old industrial area of Milwaukee. Before the museum, the land was used by different companies. To make the land ready, a special layer of soil was added. New plants were also put in to help the area look natural again.
In 2006, the plans for the museum were shown to the public. Famous designers like James Biber and Abbott Miller helped create the museum. They worked on the project for eight years.
Construction began on June 1, 2006. It was a big project costing about $75 million. Instead of using a shovel, a legendary dirt track racer named Scott Parker started the building work. He did a "burnout" with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle! The museum site has lots of parking for both motorcycles and cars. A giant 17-foot (5.2-meter) steel Harley-Davidson sign stands proudly on the outside.
Awesome Exhibits
The museum has many cool things to see. There are permanent exhibits that are always there. They also have special exhibits that change over time. You can also find the company's old records and items. The museum complex also has a restaurant, a cafe, a shop, and places for special events.
You'll see many historic Harley-Davidson items. These include old photos, posters, ads, clothes, and trophies. There are also videos of old and new motorcycles. You can even sit on 10 different motorcycles!
The Motorcycle Gallery
On the top floor of the museum, you'll see a long line of motorcycles. They are displayed down the middle of the main hall. Other exhibits are on both sides of this hall.
The Harley-Davidson Journey
This part of the museum tells the story of Harley-Davidson in order. It shows how the company started in a small 10 by 15-foot (3 by 4.6-meter) wooden shed. Now, it's the top motorcycle maker in the U.S. They make over 330,000 bikes every year!
The most special item here is "Serial Number One." This is the oldest known Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It's kept safe inside a glass case. The glass case sits in a glowing outline on the floor. This outline shows the shape of the small shed where the company began.
The Engine Room
The museum's second floor starts with the Engine Room. Here, you can see a "Knucklehead" engine taken apart. This shows you all its different pieces. The Engine Room also has touch screens. You can use them to see how Harley engines like the "Panhead" and "Shovelhead" work.
Clubs and Competition
This gallery is all about Harley-Davidson's racing history. It has a part of a wooden board track. This track is hung in the air at a steep angle. You can watch old videos of real board track races. There are also 1920s Harley-Davidson racing motorcycles attached to the track. These bikes raced at speeds of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Racing on these tracks was very dangerous. This led to them being banned for motorcycle races.
Tank Gallery
The top floor also has the Gas Tank Gallery. This exhibit shows 100 of Harley-Davidson's most famous gas tank designs. These designs cover 70 years of history. The company's designers picked them out. They are shown on "Fat Bob" gas tanks.
Custom Culture
The Custom Culture gallery shows how Harley-Davidson has influenced American and world culture. A main attraction here is "King Kong." This is a huge 13-foot (4-meter) long motorcycle. It has two engines and was customized by Felix Predko.
You can also see exact copies of the custom Harley-Davidson bikes from the 1969 movie "Easy Rider." These include the "Captain America" chopper ridden by Peter Fonda. There's also the "Billy Bike" ridden by Dennis Hopper. Two of each bike were made for the movie. One "Captain America" bike was destroyed during filming.
Company Archives
The Harley-Davidson Motor Company keeps its old records and items at the museum. These archives provided over 85% of the things you see on display. Since 1915, the company's founders decided to save one bike from the production line each year. This was to keep a record of their history.
One amazing motorcycle on display was found on a beach in British Columbia. It had traveled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) across the ocean! It was swept out to sea during a tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.
See also
- The Hill Climber outdoor sculpture
