Moto Museums: A Cure for Winter Doldrums?

The holidays are over. For those of us in the Northern Hemishphere, a long, cold winter still lies ahead. The motorcycles are in the garage on trickle chargers, and our own batteries start to feel depleted. So what can we do to help offset the withdrawal symptoms of not being able to ride, especially if there is no warm weather motorcycle destination in our immediate plans? There’s always the option of a day trip to visit some motorcycle collections! I live in the Capital District of the state of New York, and within a few hours’ drive there are four museums with interesting motorcycles on display, each a little different from the others. The Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY, the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, NY, the New England Motorcycle Museum in Vernon, CT, and the Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA offer an impressive selection of classic and vintage motorcycles to admire while our own machines are tucked away under blankets. Of course, you can also ride to them once the salt has been washed away from the roads.

The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in the Finger Lakes region is home to a fascinating collection of motor vehicle and aviation history.^[1]  Glenn H. Curtiss was a local bicycle messenger turned mechanic who launched his own motorcycle brand, Hercules, in 1902. He became the unofficial “fastest man on earth” in 1907 racing a V-8 engine he designed and built. You can see a 1904 single cylinder Hercules and a reproduction of the record setting V-8 (using a real Curtiss V-8 engine) in the collection that also houses several other Curtiss builds with single, twin and triple cylinder engines. Indians and Hendersons from the era are also on display.

Because Curtiss left motorcycle production behind in 1909 to devote himself fully to the aviation industry, much of the large space of the museum building showcases Curtiss’ airplanes, such as the Curtiss Robin and Commando models. There are collections of early bicycles as well. Visitors are thus reminded of the important connections among bicycling, motorcycling, and flying in the early twentieth century and of the significance of visionaries such as Curtiss. Beyond the early examples are many more recent motorcycles and related ephemera. You can check out film screenings in the projection room and pick up books and merchandise in the gift shop. I suggest dedicating at least two or three hours to be able to see everything. The museum staff know we miss motorcycling over the winter and have organized a large indoor show in mid-February if you happen to be in the area.^[2]

The Motorcyclepedia Museum in the mid-Hudson Valley is also hosting an indoor swap meet.^[3]  If you can’t make it to that event though, it is worth a trip to the museum at another time to see the more than 650 primarily American motorcycles displayed in an 85,000 square foot warehouse.^[4] Father and son Gerald and Ted Doering decided to share their passion for motorcycles and, in 2011, opened their carefully curated collection to the public. Dad Gerald picked up his first motorcycle, a 1929 Indian Scout, in 1947, and slowly amassed an impressive array of Indians, covering every production year in the history of the brand. These motorcycles occupy a large section of the main floor of the museum, with the crown jewels displayed in cases.

Son Ted found that his interest was in building choppers, so the other side of the main floor includes several of his original builds as well as replicas of key machines such as the Easy Rider choppers. Motorcycles in popular culture round out the main floor with Prince’s Purple Rain motorcycle and the Batcycle, among others. On the way downstairs, visitors are reminded of the windchill factor and why they are inside a museum instead of on a ride! Once on the lower level, there are many more motorcycles to admire, including English bikes, military motorcycles, a few Japanese enduros, and the only Ducati, a Panigale sliced down the center from top to bottom to see what’s on the inside. If it’s not too cold out, check out the Wall of Death set up, which they do get up and running during the summer months. Unlike the Curtiss museum, this one is all about motorcycles and there’s a lot to take in and learn; allow two or three hours, there’s a lot to see.

The New England Motorcycle Museum derives from the personal collection of motorcycle dealer Ken Kaplan.^[5]  Kaplan is a former professional football player with a big personality whose GasGas truck rolls into large motorcycle rallies with disco lights and music. His auctions draw buyers from across the Northeast and beyond. The old mill that holds Kaplan’s vintage collection was refurbished in part from his for-profit businesses.  Visitors are treated especially to enduro, offroad, and motocross bikes from a variety of manufacturers. A number of Triumphs and Hondas caught my eye, but Kaplan says 25 different brands are represented in the two-story display.

There is not much “curation,” in the sense that the motorcycles are lined up mostly by age and style but without much description. There are some related items, such as jackets, helmets, and trophies. If Kaplan is there, you can ask questions, but the staff person on our visit mainly collected the small admission fee. You can see most everything in about 90 minutes. If your timing is right, you can also check out some of the machines being put to auction or look at the new GasGas models.  Sadly, the museum is closed through March 15.

Finally, the most traditional of the collections, the Esta Manthos Indian Motorcycle Collection, is part of the Museum of Springfield History located in a group of five museums that include the Fine Arts, Dr. Seuss, and Science museums in the central Massachusetts city.  Situated along the Connecticut River, Springfield enjoyed its heyday during the Gilded Age and became an important manufacturing center. Indian Motocycles’ founders George M. Hendee (a bicycle manufacturer) and Oscar Hedstrom (who designed a successful engine and carburetor in 1899) cut their teeth as bicycle racers in the first years of the twentieth century and then motorized their bikes. By 1912, their company had become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the United States and produced 32,000 machines in 1913.

The nicely curated collection takes visitors through the early history of Indian and places it in the context of the region. The 1904 blue machine designed and owned by Hedstrom is a gem of the collection. There are also displays of motorcycles popularized by Hollywood film stars, such as Jane Russell, and explanations of the highly attended hill climbs that took place across the Northeast in the first half of the twentieth century. Seeing the white Indian Scout owned by Louise Scherbyn, founder of the Women’s International Motorcycle Association, was a special treat for me.^[6] The collection ends with the closure of the Springfield factory in 1953.  The Spirit Lake, Iowa factory now houses the official “experience center,” where visitors can take a guided tour.^[7] Between the Springfield and Newburgh collections, anyone who loves Indian motorcycles will not be disappointed even if they can’t get to Iowa. The Mathos display is relatively small but offers great depth along with the chance to learn more about other key moments in regional history. Smith & Wesson firearms, Milton Bradley games, and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary all got their start in central Mass and are on display in the museum.

The next time you are wishing you were out twisting the throttle but the snow on the ground tells you to wait, maybe call up your riding buddies and pile in a four-wheel vehicle to visit a motorcycle museum or an indoor swap meet.^[8] It might just help as you count down the days until spring.

^[1] The museum is open daily throughout the winter. Check the website for details.  https://glennhcurtissmuseum.org/.

^[2] Wintercycle Therapy 2025; Saturday, February 22, 2025 – Sunday, February 23, 2025, from 10:00am – 4:00pm (3:00pm on Sunday); Glenn H. Curtiss Museum- 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840.

^[3] 1st Annual Warren Bennett Swap Meet, Sunday, January 12, 10:00am to 4:00pm;  Motorcyclepedia Museum – 250 Lake ST. Newburgh, NY 12550.

^[4] The museum is generally open Thursdays through Sundays. Check the website for exact hours https://www.motorcyclepediamuseum.org/about/?v=0b3b97fa6688.

^[5] The museum is often closed until mid-March but check the web site for details. If someone is there, they might let you in. https://www.newenglandmotorcyclemuseum.org/.

^[6] See my review of the book about Scherbyn, Iron Horse Cowgirls, in https://thevintagent.com/2024/05/16/book-review-iron-horse-cowgirls-and-superbike/.

^[7] For the Iowa factory tours see, https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/spirit-lake-manufacturing-facility/.

^[8] Suggest some of your regional favorites in the comments!