National Motorcycle Museum Closing Its Doors(nationalmcmuseum.org)
nationalmcmuseum.org
National Motorcycle Museum Closing Its Doors
https://nationalmcmuseum.org/
68 comments
What made it the "national" museum? Just their decision to call it that? As Wikipedia lists fourteen US motorcycle museums. Including one in Sturgis, where you'd expect one, but seemingly not Daytona Beach, which is surprising. edit it has the "Motorsports Hall of Fame of America" which probably features motorcycles.
You’re all welcome to come visit the National Museum of Technical Debt. It’s located in [checks atlas] the Perforce repository at my previous employer.
Pretty much. There is a “National Harbor” in Maryland which is a…real estate development? Well, it does have some boat parking too. But nothing is “officially” “national” about it.
There is a National Aquarium in Baltimore. Confusingly there was a now-defunct National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. According to Wikipedia, the two had no common origin. I say the one in D.C. had a more legitimate claim to “National” as it had some federal government roots.
Then there’s the Washington Nationals baseball team. And the Virginia neighborhood bogusly renamed “National Landing”.
So pretty much anything can call itself “national” if it wants to.
There is a National Aquarium in Baltimore. Confusingly there was a now-defunct National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. According to Wikipedia, the two had no common origin. I say the one in D.C. had a more legitimate claim to “National” as it had some federal government roots.
Then there’s the Washington Nationals baseball team. And the Virginia neighborhood bogusly renamed “National Landing”.
So pretty much anything can call itself “national” if it wants to.
> And the Virginia neighborhood bogusly renamed “National Landing”.
It's called crystal city. Amazon renamed it when they announced HQ2 there. Nobody from here calls it national landing
It's called crystal city. Amazon renamed it when they announced HQ2 there. Nobody from here calls it national landing
Yes but the national aquarium in Baltimore has puffins and that's good enough claim for me.
I'm surprised it's not the "World Motorcycle Museum" seeing how the USA likes to do that.
Petition to change this website's name to National Hacker News.
Like the NBA world champions.
Or Miss Universe!
MLB World Series?
It is because the best players are recruited from around the world to play on those teams.
The same way the Federal Reserve is federal?
Is its existence created by Federal law and its management appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate?
If not, no, it’s nothing similar.
If not, no, it’s nothing similar.
Here's a youtuber picking over the auction. You'll get to see the outside of the repurposed Walmart 'national museum', auction process and some really unique bikes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnX7hkZzLQ0
I get the feeling bikes in the last 5 years have turned into investment vehicles (pun intended) like rare bottles of wine and art. Often by people who have no personal interest in the chosen market, just a place to park money (again with the puns)
I get the feeling bikes in the last 5 years have turned into investment vehicles (pun intended) like rare bottles of wine and art. Often by people who have no personal interest in the chosen market, just a place to park money (again with the puns)
Always weird to me what goes up in value, and what does not.
1968 Porsche, low-end model? 300k. Dakar winning motorcycle? 15k.
Steel Rolex with scratches? 30k. Early digital quartz watches? 300.
Personally I am waiting for a few things to blow up. Palm Treo and Blackberry phones, Nokia fashion phones (think 7260), and weird Sony cameras (dsc-f828). Immensely hard to predict, but fun nonetheless.
1968 Porsche, low-end model? 300k. Dakar winning motorcycle? 15k.
Steel Rolex with scratches? 30k. Early digital quartz watches? 300.
Personally I am waiting for a few things to blow up. Palm Treo and Blackberry phones, Nokia fashion phones (think 7260), and weird Sony cameras (dsc-f828). Immensely hard to predict, but fun nonetheless.
I was blown away to hear the other day that some VHS tapes are going for a high price!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/09/15/vhs-tapes-cl...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/09/15/vhs-tapes-cl...
"is selling for", "is currently being sold for". The journalist should've looked at actual past sales. All links I clicked are still unsold.
https://www.ebay.com/str/wunderbid lists many VHS tapes for $1000s. But when I look into the past sales I see any price over $1000 is crossed through (best price accepted, not the asking price). Still some VHS went for $300-$600.
https://www.ebay.com/str/wunderbid lists many VHS tapes for $1000s. But when I look into the past sales I see any price over $1000 is crossed through (best price accepted, not the asking price). Still some VHS went for $300-$600.
> I was blown away to hear the other day that some VHS tapes are going for a high price!
Apparently old video game things are going nuts, too. My brother says our family's beat-up copy of Earthbound is worth $300. The old Virtual Boy my other brother picked up for $30 could probably be sold for more than $500 (because it's still in it's original beat-up box). Apparently an old tube TV we have in such demand by video game collectors that the model is hard to find now.
The moral of the story: check eBay when you're getting rid of your old junk.
Apparently old video game things are going nuts, too. My brother says our family's beat-up copy of Earthbound is worth $300. The old Virtual Boy my other brother picked up for $30 could probably be sold for more than $500 (because it's still in it's original beat-up box). Apparently an old tube TV we have in such demand by video game collectors that the model is hard to find now.
The moral of the story: check eBay when you're getting rid of your old junk.
That really surprises me given how poorly they seem to store, at least in my experience.
To be fair though- that guy definitely has a genuine interest in bikes, and the prices are way lower than for classic cars.
All true, there was a few comments from other parties in that video where they noted a significant number of bikes were going for 2-3 times expected. Either there's a bubble in the rare bike market or an influx of money looking for somewhere to park.
Buying a new bike today feels a bit like buying a Land Rover Defender in 2016. Or even a Seiko 5 today. Yes, its a new product, but its the technology of yesteryear. Its interesting to see the number of ~400cc 4-stroke "standard" bikes coming onto the market. They look and feel like bikes from the 50s. But it seems like in a couple of years utilitarian bikes will start to move towards electric drivetrains and consequently Surron-like designs.
Its almost like we are in a 2-5 year window where you can still buy these museum pieces new from the dealership.
Its almost like we are in a 2-5 year window where you can still buy these museum pieces new from the dealership.
Maybe they look like bikes circa 1950, but new standard bikes that look the part certainly do not ride like bikes from the 50's. Reliability across the board is dramatically better. ABS / associated rider aids, better tires (not just for motorcycles), suspension tuning, emissions technology, better engine output per displacement from high compression, better electronics. The list goes on.
I'll take one old, one new please!
Side note- Surron really needs to work on differentiating themselves away from the EBike scene, if I'm to take them seriously. I pretty much only see kids of affluent families destroying mixed use trails on Surrons or people forgoing any sort of judgement hoping between sidewalk, pavement, drainage ditches. "Mid-Drive Electric Bike you can ride anywhere" is an irresponsible sales pitch. I've not ridden one personally, but they seem roughly equivalent to a 125CC two stroke dirt bike. No Pedals? not a bike.
I'll take one old, one new please!
Side note- Surron really needs to work on differentiating themselves away from the EBike scene, if I'm to take them seriously. I pretty much only see kids of affluent families destroying mixed use trails on Surrons or people forgoing any sort of judgement hoping between sidewalk, pavement, drainage ditches. "Mid-Drive Electric Bike you can ride anywhere" is an irresponsible sales pitch. I've not ridden one personally, but they seem roughly equivalent to a 125CC two stroke dirt bike. No Pedals? not a bike.
Electric bikes will catch up, it will be quick. The value of some ICE bikes will then skyrocket, as the usual nostalgia picks up: we remember those old bikes as 'full of character', even if quite objectively these 'character' element were mere defects.
"Remember when bikes used to vibrate the bolts loose constantly? Ah good times..."
I've heard similar things said about the new Royal Enfield motorcycles here in India.
The redesigned J-series engines on their new motorcycles are smoother and I've heard some people wax nostalgic about the old thumpers and say that the new ones "lack character". I've even heard people speak fondly of the the UCE engines (introduced in the early 2000s) which were hated for a similar "lack of character" when they replaced the older engines (which were originally designed back in the 50s I think).
The redesigned J-series engines on their new motorcycles are smoother and I've heard some people wax nostalgic about the old thumpers and say that the new ones "lack character". I've even heard people speak fondly of the the UCE engines (introduced in the early 2000s) which were hated for a similar "lack of character" when they replaced the older engines (which were originally designed back in the 50s I think).
This! I don't know those bikes but here is my hypothesis: older engines required more experience to be fully exploited, as they had 'holes', that it to say revving ranges or global state leading to unsatisfying performance (mainly due to tire, frame, brakes and carburetor's limits/defects): one had to learn, by practicing, how to avoid/circumvent such problems.
They also are accustomed to the effects of sub-optimal or economical designs, the main example being vibrations, and learnt to like them. "If it doesn't vibrate hard, stinks, pours oil, yells... it is cannot be a true bike!"
Modern bikes (especially electric) are way less quirks-plagued, more 'linear', easy to exploit and their performances (at equivalent 'cost', inflation-adjusted) are way better on all accounts (grip, brakes, flexibility/driveability, acceleration, max speed, reliability...).
They also are accustomed to the effects of sub-optimal or economical designs, the main example being vibrations, and learnt to like them. "If it doesn't vibrate hard, stinks, pours oil, yells... it is cannot be a true bike!"
Modern bikes (especially electric) are way less quirks-plagued, more 'linear', easy to exploit and their performances (at equivalent 'cost', inflation-adjusted) are way better on all accounts (grip, brakes, flexibility/driveability, acceleration, max speed, reliability...).
I highly recommend the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The motorcycle collection is stunning.
https://www.barbermuseum.org/collection/
Yes, it's worth making special travel plans _just_ to go to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, even if one is not a motorcycle fan.
The museum presentation, architecture, and surrounding landscaping -- it's world class.
The museum presentation, architecture, and surrounding landscaping -- it's world class.
On one hand, I hate to see unique museums like this close.
On the other hand, they're in a small Iowa town that isn't near an interstate. Who thought that was a good location? If they were closer to/in Cedar Rapids, they'd probably have a much better time.
On the other hand, they're in a small Iowa town that isn't near an interstate. Who thought that was a good location? If they were closer to/in Cedar Rapids, they'd probably have a much better time.
It's also the geographic center of the flattest most boring region to ride in America -- the midwest and great plains. The right place for a cycle museum is where it's fun to ride: near mountains like the Rockies or the Appalachians.
> or the Appalachians.
Perfect spot imho would be near the "Tail of the Dragon," or in the general vicinity of the Cherohala Skyway.
https://tailofthedragon.com/
https://roadtrippers.com/tail-of-the-dragon/
https://cherohala.com/
(have ridden there, highly recommend if that's your thing)
Perfect spot imho would be near the "Tail of the Dragon," or in the general vicinity of the Cherohala Skyway.
https://tailofthedragon.com/
https://roadtrippers.com/tail-of-the-dragon/
https://cherohala.com/
(have ridden there, highly recommend if that's your thing)
Weirdly, I just passed this museum about three weeks ago on a road trip. Made a mental note to check it out next time I was passing through Iowa.
Oh well. :-(
Oh well. :-(
It’s not a good location and the people who built it knew that. They were hoping to become a good location based on the draw of the attraction.
The pro football Hall of Fame is in Canton, Ohio.
I guess it's near a regional airport. Still a pretty random spot though.
I guess it's near a regional airport. Still a pretty random spot though.
The Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, NY, which is in upstate NY in the middle of nowhere. It's there because of a fake baseball origin story created to attract tourists. A few other halls of fame popped up in the same area to exploit the hall of fame branding, all of which have moved or failed, including the Soccer HOF, the Corvette HOF, and Hamburger HOF (which I think was just a mediocre burger joint).
The location and first football field/ stadium there predates the Cleveland Browns. It was the largest high school stadium when first built, and Akron/ Canton was the home of the largest rubber producers on the planet at the time. Additionally, the NFL was founded in Canton.
It seems random now, but it was not when originally constructed.
It seems random now, but it was not when originally constructed.
I think they still use that stadium for HS and maybe even some special event college games?
The NFL was created in Canton in 1920. It was weird for me seeing it where it was the first time I drove by. Like someone just dumped it in between a couple of warehouses and highways.
I have family in that vicinity and I've probably driven by it a couple hundred times in my life but never stopped. They took over an old Walmart building after Walmart expanded.
If you've watched American Pickers (which started in LeClaire, Iowa, just upriver from Davenport), they worked with the National Motorcycle Museum on a number of finds.
If you've watched American Pickers (which started in LeClaire, Iowa, just upriver from Davenport), they worked with the National Motorcycle Museum on a number of finds.
While we are recommending other motorcycle museums, I thoroughly enjoyed Museo Piaggio in Italy. It has quite a large collection, and it's free. It's easily reached by mass transit.
Closing museums is always a shame and a failure for a community and their administrators. Period.
I've worked in and around museums for a long time and this topic comes up now and again. It occurred to me that if we think a museum should never close, then we'll never open up museums experimentally. There's no museum startup.
I agree it's a shame for the community and the staff.
I agree it's a shame for the community and the staff.
It's a bummer but does it not go without saying that museums, like any institution, will come to an end at some point? I don't think that makes it a failure.
Well, some people think of museums as timeless - the sort of place we put 2000-year-old roman stuff, 5000 year old egyptian stuff, 200 million year old dinosaur stuff, and so on.
Of course, the practical realities of most museums are a rather different matter; rent and employees have to be paid, and land in tourist-friendly areas is seldom cheap.
Of course, the practical realities of most museums are a rather different matter; rent and employees have to be paid, and land in tourist-friendly areas is seldom cheap.
I think car and motorcycle museums in particular live on the patronage of people who grew up when cars were symbols of independence and status, instead of a commodity. So the museums have nostalgic power for the customers, and that’s why they go. But that group is now 50+ years old, so I believe the lifespan of those museums is strictly limited.
Depends; I think the state should have a fund to keep museums that aren't solvent around. A museum should never be dependent on capitalism, that is, ticket sales vs costs.
For those in the Boston area, I recommend visiting the Larz Anderson museum. It’s a cute little museum with some
automotive (and motorcycle) gems.
https://larzanderson.org/
https://larzanderson.org/
What's going to happen to the money? The only reason I can think of to auction the bikes instead of donating them to another museum is that whoever controls the organization is planning to basically appropriate the cash.
'National' and 'Museum' are doing the heavy lifting here to make you feel this way. Its a privately owned collection incorporated as a non profit to avoid taxes.
It's a cheap way to get a veneer of respectability. The best example of this I know of is the "National" leprechaun museum. https://www.leprechaunmuseum.ie/ . At least they had the good taste not to put it in the domain name.
Is this possible? Their own website says “With your generous support we have expanded the list of motorcycles on display from 40 to over 500.” If that means many of these were donated, it doesn’t seem to be a private collection.
Maybe the non-profit is the museum without the collection, and the museum just shows non-museum owned stuff?
Maybe the non-profit is the museum without the collection, and the museum just shows non-museum owned stuff?
Seeing as how they're closing because they can't afford to stay open, I'd imagine the money will go to bills.
Plus, if some of the Motorcycles were donated from private people, will the downer or their estate get the funds ?
Seems like the owners realized they are sitting on a gold mine and will cash in with the auction.
Seems like the owners realized they are sitting on a gold mine and will cash in with the auction.
The owners have the right to do sell the bikes and collect the cash. They can spend it for anything they wish - to start a new venture, to enjoy life, to light it on fire, whatever. That's the deal they entered into when they chose to become the owners of this collection.
It's no different than if an individual sold a house or a baseball card. They can spend the cash however they like.
It's no different than if an individual sold a house or a baseball card. They can spend the cash however they like.
It’s a 501(c)(3) which doesn’t allow the board to spend the proceeds as they wish.
Not an expert here, but from what I’ve read it seems anything left over must go towards charitable purposes.
Not an expert here, but from what I’ve read it seems anything left over must go towards charitable purposes.
In theory, the funds should go to a nonprofit with a similar mission.
I’m confused at the auction, unless no other museums of motorcycles wanted part of the collection.
I’m confused at the auction, unless no other museums of motorcycles wanted part of the collection.
In the United States, burning banknotes is prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 333: Mutilation of national bank obligations.
While true, I don't think anyone has ever been prosecuted under this statute for performative burnings. From what I could find prosecutions seem to be concentrated on fraud.
The internet always struggles with this concept.
Yes, the internet always struggles when registered nonprofits with what must be millions in assets “go under” in ways where it is unclear what is happening to the assets.
They could have used a better metaphor for the headline. Hanging up their helmet?
Flicking the killswitch
300 motorcycles is not a small collection, should go for 8 figures. Wish I could attend the auction even though I’m not really into collecting that era bikes.
Maybe they could have advertised or something? Marketing is key for a place like that.
Maybe Jay Leno picked up the cream of the crop.
Self-removed: this apparently came across as non-genuine political snark instead of a plausible solution that accounts for the strong political power of Iowa.
Let’s keep unrelated US politics out of this thread.
N.b. Does anyone else feel like their seeing more of this type of comment…?
N.b. Does anyone else feel like their seeing more of this type of comment…?