Page 66 - 2019 Laconia Rally News

TSTURGIS MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM HALL OF FAME
“Gold Wings and BMWs Dream and weep he mission of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and This high mile Harley
Hall of Fame is to provide the public with a diverse collec- Ain’t gonna sleep.”
tion of motorcycles and memorabilia to preserve and inter- pret the history of motorcycling; honor the men and women who have made a positive and significant
impact within the motorcycle community
In 1902, Joseph Merkel, a self-taught engineer, established a workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His goal was
and pay tribute to the legacy of the Sturgis Rally.
to produce single-cylinder, belt-driven motorcycles with a sturdy cradle style
The museum now features an expansion that
was completed the summer of 2018 allowing
more space for our continually growing col-
lection. Featuring some amazing motorcycles and art, the new expansion is a beautiful addition to the museum. The Hall of Fame is currently being updated and remodeled. Once completed it will feature interactive displays and biographies of inductees. All of this would not be possible without donations from our generous supporters. With con- stant fundraising efforts and continuous donations, we hope to continue to grow and expand in the future while being a resource and inspiration for future generations.
frame. By 1905, he was entering race events with different models of his products. In 1906, he patented a sprung front fork that
We have many amazing motorcycles in our museum. Following are a few examples.
Stop in and see us when you are in Sturgis!
pension using a mono-shock design and began promoting his motorcycles with the slogan, “All roads are smooth to The Flying Merkel”. His many other engineering accom- plishments included the use of ball bearings in place of bronze bushings, a lubrication system that delivered oil based on throttle position and the use of frame tubes for the exhaust system. Other manufacturers were quick to adopt Mr. Merkel's innovations. In 1911 a "Flying Merkel" broke a world record on the Vanderbilt Course by covering a measured mile in 41.4 seconds, just under 87mph (140kph). This 1912 "Flying Merkel" has the original motor cases, magneto and carburetor. The motor cases were found at the Oley swap meet a number of years ago. After about ten years of sourcing parts, this motorcycle was assembled over a period of two years.
The 1982 Harley-Davidson FXR Super Glide 2 was dubbed the bike that would "separate the men from the boys". The boys that the manufacturer was referring to were "foreign" motorcycle riders. It promised to have the ability to handle like the sport bikes from overseas while having the power and torque of the American v-twin. Thirty-seven years after its inception the FXR has a die- hard following of riders who claim the FXR is the best bike Harley-Davidson ever produced.
The term “Harley Hummer” is used to loosely describe all antique Harley-Davidson, American-made, lightweight two-stroke motorcycles manufactured between 1948-1966. In all actuality the hummer was only produced from 1955 until 1959, labeled the “Model 125”. The original design for the Model 125 was developed by a German motorcycle manufacturer DKW. As a result of reparations during the
Senator Dave Zien definitely separated himself from the “boys”. Dave rode his 1991 FXRT over one million miles setting 119 world records along the way. During his travels the Senator had put on over 100 rear tires, 60 front tires, 9 driver’s seats and had the motor rebuilt 9 times, along with 2 new crate motor installs. Still sporting evidence of Dave's journeys including an empty beef jerky bag and tons of stickers collected along the way, the side of Dave's tour-pack still proudly reads:
conclusion of WW2, DKW was forced to forfeit engineer- ing designs to the allies.
paved the way for modern telescopic front suspension. In 1907, he developed rear sus-
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Equipped with three hummer motors, Cabana Dan’s Triple Lindy is a sight to behold. With all three motors mated to a custom built primary, a big twin transmission and air shifter, the Lindy sits in a class of its own. Of course, the most common question Dan is asked, “How fast does it go?” The answer, we don’t know yet. Hopefully Dan will be able to better answer that question in the near future. H