We were at an out of state family wedding a few weeks ago (of course I took the motorcycle there) and many uncles and aunts were there as well. We had been talking for a long time about going to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame museum with my Uncle Dave and Aunt Ruth as they live fairly close to it. We decided at the wedding we had to do this and make it a reality. Following through, arrangements were made.
I woke up insanely early and was left pondering work stuff while hoping to fall back asleep. Annoyed in this state on a Saturday, I got up and read a magazine and putzed around the house until a more human hour. The weather was forecast to be nearly perfect and the morning was gorgeous.
We left a little before 8:00 and headed north and west, eventually making our way to near Columbus. Being an early Saturday morning, traffic was light and we made great time. As we neared the I-270 loop we got turned around. There was considerable construction in the area and my 10-year old GPS was woefully inadequate as there were several new roads not in the database. I am really going to need to get a new one soon.
With an acceptable level of aggravation, we made our way to my Uncle and Aunt's house. We visited with them for a few hours as with the exception of the noisy and brief wedding reception, we hadn't seen each other in over 10 years. We had a very pleasant lunch while we visited.
Then it was off on to the museum. Uncle Dave and Aunt Ruth rode their Honda Reflex scooter and we followed on the Goldwing. Construction in downtown Columbus was painfully annoying, but we soon got through. While I had a decent idea where the museum was, we likely would not have found it without the printed directions. Without those, I would have had to consult my phone or the like to find it as it sits back near a residential area. The AMA headquarters are in a tranquil and park-like setting.
The museum itself is really nice. One of my major criticisms of the AMA is they are heavily dirt-oriented. More specifically, they are heavily dirt race oriented. That is their bread and butter, but I can't believe their bread and butter isn't paid for by street riders. With or without the dirt influence, the number and variety of motorcycles was amazing.
Two motorcycles that stuck out were the Terminator Police Bike. It is mocked up to be a Kawasaki police bike, but is actually a two-cylinder Suzuki dual purpose. There are two extra "exhaust" pipes connecting nothing to nothing to give the look of a four-cylinder.
Another stand-out motorcycle was Dave Barr's Sportster that he rode around the world despite being an amputee. While I have dreams of someday riding through South America, I'm doubtful it will ever happen. His story is inspirational - with or without legs.
Likely because of the heavy dirt presence, I took very few other pictures in the museum. Other interesting bikes were the only Velocette motorcycle I've every seen, a Vincent, and many older BSA and Triumph bikes I've always thought were interesting. There was also a motorcycle which had an engine containing only three moving parts (piston, connecting rod and flywheel) - I bet my GL1800 has over 10x that before the combustion chamber. In retrospect, I wish the camera would have been made busier.
Near the end of the museum was a "garage" area which contained many motorcycles without explanation, and with some in a stage of repair. Each has a story I'm sure. Hanging from the ceiling, was a large winged unicycle that has to be just a piece of art, I hope (alas no picture to post).
I'll definitely need to return to the museum some day. What I'll probably do is keep an eye on the exhibits until a suitable street-oriented exhibit comes up - which I'm sure will happen in due course.
We rode back through Columbus before parting ways on the east side of the city. The ride home was warm but uneventful. The museum was interesting, and seeing it with my uncle and aunt made it even better. We shouldn't have waited so long to do this.
