Page 33 - RidingOn Winter2022

DR: About 40 years, Unfortunately, it takes that long. comparable collection is actually in the museum itself in
Milwaukee. Would I be close in that approximation?
RE: Now, the obvious questions I have are “how many have
you got” and “what is your favourite” and “what is the most DR: Again, the Milwaukee collection is fabulous and it’s far
valuable”? broader and generally of stock machines. Where this is,
you know, we were a dealer for 40 years and this is just
DR: I think there’s about 50 of ours here and there’s probably what appealed to our taste. We were also into customizing,
eight or nine of other peoples that leave them here. It was chopping, riding, racing and so those were the bikes that
never a numbers game; it was purely about finding unique appealed. And if they were modified that didn’t matter too
machines and mainly machines that are unique to Harley’s much. And we generally left them in as-found condition.
history.
RE: And (the premises) is beautifully presented, you’ve got
RE: Well, I think by any measure you’ve been successful in brand new premises here, you’ve got wonderful photos on the
that endeavor. There must be a favourite somewhere amongst wall and all sorts of memorabilia all around the place. How can
here? the public see this?
DR: Not really. I always say the favourite is the one you are DR: They can go to our website harleycitycollection.com.au and
riding at the particular time. Look, there are some that are open days are posted on there.
more desirable, more valuable than others. But, you know,
they are all hand-chosen just fitted our eclectic taste. Apart from these two outstanding collections, it’s worth popping
in to see Rod Hadfield’s outrageous hot rod collection at
RE: Looking at them, many are kind of standard, but there are Chewton and the ferocious chopper he built on a whim. On our
obviously a lot of heavily modified racers particularly from the – tour of the region, we also stopped for excellent pastries at the
am I guessing here if I say the ‘20s and ‘30s? Harcourt General store only to learn that proprietor and chef,
DR: That’s the era we ended up being focused on. Probably Annette Larsen, is the custodian of her late father’s collection
of vintage motorcycles, mainly BSAs. We’ve left with full bellies
started on bikes from the ‘50s and ‘60s that we related to. But but not before encouraging Annette to bring a couple bikes in to
then we worked our way down and Harley have a really rich enthral passing riders.
history of building really cool racers in the ‘20s and early ‘30s.
And that was the area that we sort of concentrated on. And When you’re done with motorcycles, there are a multitude of
it was also in that period that period-modified started, so the wineries to explore (learn to spit) and great accommodation to
really cool bobbers and all that originated from that era. And if keep you in the region. I bet you didn’t know that Bendigo is
you were lucky enough you started with a race bike to build the actually a UNESCO City of Gastronomy, so if you do decide to
ultimate bobber, and we are fortunate enough to have a couple stay over, there’s plenty of foodie fetishes to delight you.
of those.

RE: Excellent. Well, I can see there’s some pretty exciting Roderick Eime #68221
machines here. I think the only time I’ve ever seen a

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