December 5, 2006 > Hog heaven

by Jill Ellwanger

What do you do with a racing legend so famous that even an entire history book can't hold it? You build a steel-reinforced museum that can. The Harley-Davidson Traveling Museum, an 18-wheel semi trailer packed to the axles with 10 of the greatest bikes in Harley-Davidson's 100-year racing history, will open to the public at Harley-Davidson of Fremont on December 8. Leave the almanac on the shelf because this exhibit is a rare chance to come face-to-face with the trophies, riders, and machines that defined era after era of American motorcycle racing.

"It's a really special event," said local dealer Harley-Davidson of Fremont. These are more than just classic models; they're also a timeline of the engineering innovations that totally redefined racing for decades at a time. If you want to learn about the history of motorcycle racing, this is pretty much the last word."

The Harley-Davidson Traveling Museum rolls across the country every year and stops with its celebrated cargo at only a handful of selected dealerships. With exhibits including the 1927 Peashooter, which led an incredible 14-race sweep of the 1935 National Championships, as well as the Wrecking Crew, a team of racers whose impressive performances "demolished" their opponents' hopes of victory, and even the FL Dragster that broke three world records in the 1990s, the Traveling Museum is bound to impress.

Harley-Davidson Traveling Museum
Friday, December 8
10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Harley-Davidson of Fremont
41315 Albrae St., Fremont
(510) 657-7200
www.cycle-center.com
Admission is free.