The Harley-Davidson Vehicle Collection: Care and Preservation The Harley-Davidson vehicle collection can be divided into two distinct groups: vehicles that have been preserved to document the production history of the Motor Company and vehicles preserved as used to document an important event, activity, or trend. The first group is a continuation of the founders’ original activity: vehicles saved as they came off the production line. The second group includes prototype and test vehicles preserved to document the research and development process, vehicles purchased from collectors and enthusiasts to illustrate personalization and customization trends, and bikes that tell interesting stories of their owners or builders. Were Harley-Davidson to have saved one of each model vehicle from each model year, several buildings the size of its Juneau Avenue facilities would be required to house them. Production vehicles selected for preservation were primarily those deemed historically significant at the time of their manufacture. Over time, other vehicles that weren’t selected at the time of manufacture have attained historic significance. When a vehicle is later deemed important to the collection, the Archives acquires the best available example of that vehicle. These acquisitions, if not accurately restored, are completely disassembled, and proper finishes and plating are then applied, incorrect parts are replaced, and the vehicle is reassembled. The Archive collection of photographs, manuals,
bills of materials, and same-era reference vehicles ensures the accuracy of the restoration. As a rule of thumb, full restoration is only used as a last resort, for a vehicle is original only one time yet can be restored many times. Vehicles preserved as originally manufactured or originally used make up the vast majority of the collection. When deemed necessary, vehicles are disassembled for cleaning, with each piece meticulously cleaned by hand using nonabrasive cleaning agents so as not to degrade original pinstriping or other cosmetic details, such as decals and appliqués. At no time are parts replated, painted, or replaced. Items that deteriorate over time, such as rubber handgrips, tires, and seats, are repaired or replaced as required, although most of the collection vehicles retain these original items. Motorcycles such as King Kong, the Ray Tursky WR, and the 1939 Servi-Car, for example, have been retained in their as-acquired condition, aside from superficial cleaning. To restore these vehicles would remove the patina acquired over time, and they would not be original anymore. The process of vehicle conservation can at times be tedious, with days spent cleaning one cylinder and similar time spent conserving original sheet metal with its varnish top coat. Yet, every once in a while, as staff disassemble an early model, the past speaks to them. One such moment occurred while disassembling a 1925 JD that had not had a wrench put to it for more than eighty years. As the tank halves were unbolted, it became a rather solemn moment.
The job required two pairs of hands, and you can imagine the reaction when the tanks were split, revealing a clear, distinct thumbprint on the inside-left tank half. There were a couple of trial paint stripes on the inside as well. One can’t help but wonder who the person behind this thumbprint was. How old was he? Was he married? Did he have children? For an instant, the team was taken back to another time and briefly touched the hand that was the first to assemble this piece of history.
The Harley-Davidson Museum Since the very beginning, Harley-Davidson has been headquartered in a part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known as Concordia/Merrill Park, the latter named after one of the early city’s fathers. The famous “shed” was located on the southwest corner of what is now 38th Street and Highland Boulevard. Tracing the history of motorcycle manufacturing in the United States across the boom and bust cycles of the twentieth century, it is amazing that only Harley-Davidson has remained in continuous production. Reflecting on the last hundred-plus years, one wonders: Why didn’t all the others make it? What formula did Harley-Davidson have that the others lacked? 10
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Harley-Davidson executives and managers were and are great savers of everything pertaining to the business. In the Harley-Davidson Archives resides literature dating back to 1905, as well as more than one hundred thousand negatives and images dating back to the company’s early days. The Archives also houses advertising pieces that chronicle the design and development of Harley-Davidson products to this day, miles of early racing and motorcycle-club event footage, vintage clothing and race gear, trophies, awards, signs, clocks, and American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) memorabilia, not to mention motorcycles including Serial Number One, the first V-twin from 1909, military vehicles, police vehicles, dragsters, factory customs, and prototypes, all part of a rich heritage. The document collection itself dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century and consists of millions of pages, including customer communications with the factory as well as personal diaries and scrapbooks, a true mosaic of the company’s early development. The Archives houses not only company history, but also dealer and rider history. For, in the end, were it not for loyal Harley-Davidson dealers and customers this book would not have been possible. The Harley-Davidson Museum was conceived and designed as a fitting place to showcase the collections, using this material to create experiences that INTRODUCTION
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