Museum News and Press Releases

« See All News

Born 2 Ride: America on Two Wheels

March 12, 2007

For Immediate Release
Contact: Alan Edstrom at 518-587-1935 x 22

SARATOGA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES OPENING OF UNPRECEDENTED MOTORCYCLE EXHIBIT

ìBORN 2 RIDE ñ AMERICA ON 2 WHEELSî OPENS MARCH 18, 2007
No one knows better than the Saratoga Automobile Museum the impact cars have had on the world! But with their new exhibit, Born 2 Ride ñ America on 2 Wheels, visitors will come to understand that it was not the automobile that first put America on wheels powered by internal combustion engines, it was the motorcycle.

Americaís interest in motorcycles and the fascinating mix of heroes, celebrities and compelling personalities who ride them goes back a century. And oh, what motorcycles the Museum is going to roll into the Saratoga showroom! Developed by internationally renowned curator and motorcycle journalist Ed Youngblood, whose background includes the Guggenheimís The Art of the Motorcycle, the exhibit shares the stories behind two-dozen of these fascinating machines and the men who owned, rode, raced and loved them. The bikes run the gamut from Evel Knievelís Jump Bike to Peter Fondaís Captain America Chopper from Easy Rider, from Steve McQueenís Military Indian 741 to Cal Raybornís land-speed-record Bonneville streamliner.

Coming fresh on the heels of three spectacular car exhibits - Supercars: Expensive, Exotic and Fast, John Fitch: An American Racing Hero, and Head of the Class ñThe Cars of Skip Barber, the motorcycle theme offers an unprecedented but welcome change of pace. The lure of the motorcycles in this unique exhibit, anything but subtle, is best explained by the museumís Executive Director, Steve Potter.

ìNo one needs to own a motorcycle, at least not in the same sense you own a car or a refrigerator. People own and ride motorcycles because they want to, and they want to because motorcycles bring so much joy, relaxation, and satisfaction. Besides the amazing collection of machinery, itís these emotions which will resonate with people.î

Besides the exhibit, a number of programs and lectures will get enthusiastís motors running. This includes a special salute to motorcycles joining the hundreds of cars at the Saratoga Automobile Museumís Spring Auto Show presented by Keeler Motor Car Company at the Museum and the grounds of SPAC on Sunday, May 20th. Americade founder Bill Dutcher will be one of the Spring Auto Showís Grand Marshalls and hundreds of local motorcycle owners will get the chance to show off their rides at the Spa State Parkís ultimate car show.

Born 2 Ride ñ America on 2 Wheels runs through July 22nd. Once you have explored the exhibit, weíre sure you will understand why so many Americans believe they were . . .Born 2 Ride!

The Saratoga Automobile Museum is located on the grounds of Saratoga Spa State Park at 110 Avenue of the Pines. For more information, guests can also visit the Museumís website at www.saratogaautomuseum.org, call (518) 587-1935 x 22, or e-mail alan.edstrom@saratogaautomuseum.org

MOTORCYCLES ON DISPLAY

Cal Raybornís XR750:
This is the Harley-Davidson that Cal Rayborn rode in England in 1972. It is on loan from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. Rayborn was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. . Rayborn won the Daytona 200 in 1968 and 1969, but his real opportunity to perform came in 1972 when he was selected for the American team to race against Englandís best. With no experience on the British circuits, Rayborn won three of the six races, tied for top score and set a new lap record. He was an instant hero with the British fans, especially since he rode a Harley-Davidson, which was a novelty outside of the United States.

Arthur Fonzarelli:
The Taming of the American Biker

This Triumph Trophy, owned by Dave Mungenastís Classic Motorcycles LLC in St. Louis, is similar to the motorcycle ridden by the Fonz in Happy Days.

Arthur Fonzarelli, simply known as ìThe Fonz,î was so effectively played by Henry Winkler that he evolved from a minor player to the de facto star of the television sitcom Happy Days (1974 ñ 1984), modeled after the big screen hit American Graffiti (1973). The Fonz was a leather-jacketed, motorcycle riding, high-school dropout who earned a living as a mechanic. In short, he had all of the qualities of the much-feared 1950s juvenile delinquent, characterized by Marlon Brandoís outlaw biker Johnny in the motion picture The Wild One (1953).î But Fonz was anything but threatening. He was imposing, but not dangerous. He had common sense and workaday wisdom that set him apart as a sage not only among his peers, but even with the adult characters in the series.

Erwin ìCannonballî Baker:
King of the Endurance Riders

This is the Indian motorcycle that Baker rode to victory at Indianapolis in 1909. It is a production racing model, typical of the kind of bike amateur and privateer riders would have ridden in the era. It is owned by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Cannonball Baker was legendary for his cross-country endurance records with both cars and motorcycles. Later, he made a career of endurance and economy runs, setting many records with both cars and motorcycles.

Dot Robinson:
Trail Blazer for Women in Motorcycling

Robinson always rode Harley-Davidsons, custom painted in pink. Over her career she logged more than 1.5 million miles in the saddle, and when she became too old to manage a large touring bike, she attached a sidecar and continued to ride. Dot Robinson paved the way for women in American national championship competition by entering the grueling two-day Jack Pine Enduro in 1934. Some AMA officials tried to bar her from their ìmanly sport,î but she persevered and won acceptance through her popularity with rank-and-file riders. She won the Jack Pine sidecar class in 1940 to become the first woman to earn an AMA National Championship title, then repeated the feat in 1946. In 1941 she became a co-founder of the Motor Maids, an all-womenís organization dedicated to improving the public perception of motorcycling, and she served as its president for many years.

Robinson was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. She died in 1999 at the age of 87. This is her last motorcycle. It is owned by Dotís daughter Betty Falk, who is also an active motorcyclist and a life-long Motor Maid.

Doug Domokos:
Forerunner of the Extreme

Doug Domokos had a knack for showmanship and an uncanny skill for riding a motorcycle on its rear wheel. He parlayed these talents into a career as a professional stunt rider, performing not only in North America but in Europe, the Orient, South America and Australasia. He executed the ìworldís tallest wheelieî on top of the Empire State Building, did a command performance for the Emperor of Japan and earned notoriety in the Guinness Book of World Records by maintaining a wheelie for 145 miles at Talladega International Speedway. He appeared in the motion pictures Cannonball Run, On Any Sunday II, and Megaforce. Domokos was killed in an ultralight aircraft crash in 2000 and was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002.

As a stunt rider, Domokos, known internationally as ìthe Wheelie Kingî. This display of Domokosí special wheelie Honda and his riding gear was donated by his family to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum on the occasion of his induction in 2002.

Easy Rider:
The Biker Flick that Ended an Era

These are accurate replicas of the Captain America chopper, ridden by Fonda, and the Pan Billy Bike, ridden by Hopper in the film. They are on loan from the Guggenheim Museum.

Effie Hotchkiss:
First woman to cross America on a motorcycle

The first person to cross the United States aboard a motorcycle was George Wyman, in 1903. He nearly destroyed his little single-cylinder Marks in the process. By 1915, motorcycles had greatly improved in power and reliability. That is the year that Effie Hotchkiss became the first woman to cross America on a motorcycle. Not only did she travel from New York to California, but she did it with her mother in a sidecar, and she made the return trip too, stopping in Milwaukee to visit the factory where her Harley-Davidson was made.

This 1918 Harley-Davidson with sidecar is similar to Effieís. Her 1915 model would have been painted gray, and she selected a wider sidecar to provide more capacity for the arduous trip. This motorcycle is owned by Bob McClean of Blue Grass, Iowa.




Elvis Presley:
The King of Rock ëNí Roll

Elvis Presley was a motorcyclist in both real life and on the silver screen. His first motorcycle was a 1965 Honda Dream, similar to the bikes he rode in Blue Hawaii (1961) and Roustabout (1964). He was also famous for his Harley-Davidsons, and appeared on the cover of the Motor Companyís official magazine. Motorcycle sales boomed in America during the 1960s, and it certainly did not hurt that the huge and affluent Baby Boom generation saw Elvis, their idol, riding motorcycles, regardless of their brand or style. His famous Harley K still exists and is owned by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company Museum. This example, owned by Alice Gerhart, of Boyertown, PA, is an accurate twin, even down to its color scheme.

Evel Knievel:
Ultimate Showman

Evel Knievel was perhaps the most flamboyant showman of the 20th century. He formed a promotional alliance with Harley-Davidson in 1970, using slightly modified versions of the companyís XR750 dirt-track racing machines. One of his most spectacular performances was in 1975, before 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium and a world-wide live television audience, he jumped 13 London buses. This is an accurate replica of Knievelís London jump bike. It was painted by Knievelís painter George Sedlack, in a fashion identical to the original machine. It is owned by Ed Vanaman of Northfield, Ohio.

Honda Super Cub:
The Bike of the Beach Boys

Hondaís arrival in America at the end of the 1950s brought an entirely new concept of motorcycling which reached a new kind of customer and eventually caused the market to explode. It did not hurt Hondaís prospects among Baby Boomers that The Beach Boys rode these bikes onto the stage during their concerts. This is the Model CA102 which features an electric starter, unheard of at this time on motorcycles ten times its price. It is owned by Dave Mungenast Classic Motorcycles LLC in St. Louis, MO.

Joe Petrali:
The Best of his Era

Unquestionably, Joe Petrali was the greatest and most versatile motorcycle racer of his era. He won 49 AMA National Championships, was both track-racing and hill-climbing national champion in 1932, 1933, 1935 and 1936, and in 1937 set a new land speed record of 136.183 mph. This is Petraliís Harley-Davidson factory speedway motorcycle, a 500cc single designed for use on small cinder tracks, circa 1934. It is owned and on loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.


Ricky Carmichael:
The Best in His Field

Ricky Carmichael holds the all-time American Motorcyclist Association record for individual national championship wins and series championship titles in motocross. He has won over 100 individual national championship races, and he is the only rider ever to have produced a ìperfect season,î meaning he won every single race he entered. This is an example of the Suzuki on which Carmichael competes today, on loan from American Suzuki.

Rollie Free:
The Iconic Vincent

Perhaps the most reprinted photograph in all of American motorcycling history is that of Rollie Free, naked save for tennis shoes, a bathing suit and a tight-fitting cap, stretched out prone, roaring across the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948 on a Vincent in excess of 150 mph. The British Vincent was the most legendary marque of its era, known for speed well beyond that of any other production motorcycle. The bike on which Free made history is owned by Texas collector Herb Harris. This Vincent Rapide is a production model, similar to the modified Series C Vincent ridden by Rollie Free.

Steve McQueen:
Motorcyclist and Collector

One of the most enduring images from Steve McQueenís motion picture career was when he jumped the barbed wire fence during The Great Escape(1963). McQueen was in fact an accomplished motorcycle rider, as demonstrated in On Any Sunday (1972) when he raced over the sand dunes with off-road racer Malcolm Smith and AMA Grand National Champion Mert Lawwill.

McQueen became a motorcycle collector, building up a large, diverse collection which once included this Model 741 Indian WWII military model. It now belongs to Classic Motorcycles LLC, a museum in St. Louis, Missouri.

Tammy Kirk:
Fast Woman in a Manís Sport

Tammy Kirk, of Dalton, Georgia, earned her professional dirt track license in 1978, then became the first woman to qualify for an AMA Grand National Final in 1983. Two weeks later at the Syracuse Mile ñ a track where riders have been clocked at 140 mph on the back straight - she became the first woman to earn national championship points in professional dirt track racing. This is the Harley-Davidson XR750 on which Kirk campaigned the AMA Grand National dirt track circuit.



America Takes a Roman Holiday:
Audrey Hepburn and her Vespa

In the 1950s, America was experiencing a cultural awakening. The War had forced women into situations previously reserved for men, and GIs were bringing home new ideas from Europe. What better expressed these changing times than Audrey Hepburn and her Vespa in the motion picture Roman Holiday (1953)? The Vespa soon became a symbol of youth, optimism, freedom and mobility for both men and women. This 1955 Model VL1 is owned by Luther Rochester of Scooterworks in Chicago.

Von Dutchís Triumph:
The Emergence of Hot Rod Style

From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, an eccentric young painter named Kenny Howard worked at the motorcycle shop of legendary off-road racer Bud Ekins in Sherman Oaks, California. Applying flames, pin striping and bizarre and macabre cartoonish images to cars and motorcycles, he became one of the defining influences of Americaís unique hot rod culture, known far and wide as Von Dutch. This 1958 Triumph Thunderbird was customized, painted and ridden by Von Dutch, a fact that has been verified by Ekins himself. It is owned by John Parham and on loan from the National Motorcycle Museum, Anamosa, Iowa.

Willie Gís FX Super Glide:
Defining a New Niche

Born in 1933, William G. Davidson ñ known as Willie G. - joined the Motor Company in 1963 after studying art and design in California. His first great contribution was the FX Super Glide, introduced in 1971. The design defined a new profile style known as the ìCruiserî which has become the largest market niche in America. Beyond his prowess as a designer, Willie G. has become a leading celebrity in motorcycling. This third-generation member of the family is seen by his fans as the personification of the Motor Company and a role model for the casual biker life style. This FX Super Glide is owned by Tom McKee of Terra Alta, West Virginia.