Celebrate all things black and orange this month at the Harley-Davidson Museum
Check out two new retail shops and be sure to mark your calendars for Skulloween!
MILWAUKEE, USA (Oct. 7, 2022) – Autumn is in full swing at the crossroads of 6th & Canal. Whether it’s scooping up cozy clothes from both the Harley-Davidson® Shop and the all-new Factory shop, warming up to the specials at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant, checking out new displays in the hallowed halls of the Harley-Davidson Museum or rolling down for Skulloween on October 27, the H-D Museum™ campus is full of fun this fall.
PROGRAMMING / EVENTS
Skulloween, Oct. 27, 5 – 9 p.m.
Roll on down to one of Milwaukee’s most popular haunts, MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant, for a celebration of all things black and orange! Skulloween is powered by Budweiser® & Bulleit® Bourbon. Those who dress to impress will have a chance to win bragging rights in the ever-popular costume contest. The costume with the most votes at the end of the night will win a $250 Harley-Davidson Museum® Campus gift card! The soundtrack will feature all your favorite hits from that decadent decade of the ’80s with MIXTAPE – promising a rad set of tunes from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Feast on MOTOR’s food and drink specials, shop with extended hours at the Harley-Davidson® Shop and Factory Shop, enter to win raffles, stay warm by the outdoor fire pits, check out the carved pumpkins and so much more spirited fun as we celebrate the season with our friends.
Looking for interesting things to do and ways to fully enjoy our programs and exhibits? Maybe doing a little holiday shopping for those who love the adventure only Harley-Davidson can bring? The Harley-Davidson Museum’s new Annual Pass offers individual, family and VIP levels to fit your lifestyle. Just some of the perks of the new Annual Pass include: virtual access to the H-D Museum with various Harley history topics covered in our Virtual Gallery Talk series, admission discounts, free admission for children under age 18, merchandise discounts at The Shop, dining discounts at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant and more. Visit H-D Museum.com for details and other terms and conditions.
Guided Tours
All new in ’22. Our guided tour portfolio has been updated with new experiences and content. Choose from the Spotlight Tour, the Beyond the Gate Tour or the VIP Tour. Some tours are available to the public; this schedule will vary. To book a private group tour, please call 414-287-2799 or email for more information. Advance reservations and prepayment required at least 2-weeks prior to tour date. Please note: Tour fee does not include General Admission.
Engineering Merit Badge (Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.)
All scouts are welcome to come earn their Engineering Merit Badge at the Harley-Davidson Museum! This experience will be launched by our merit badge counselor. Then, scouts will explore the history of Harley-Davidson as well as the engineering of motorcycles as they complete the nine merit badge requirements. Advance registration is required. Program registration closes one week prior to the scheduled program date. Ticket includes: downloadable activity booklet used for the program, partially facilitated program, blue card signed by the facilitator (one blue card per scout registration) and an exclusive H-D Museum™ patch.
Scout Virtual Engineering Merit Badge (Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.)
This new 90-minute online program is open to scouts from all over the country. Our program facilitator will guide the troops and explore the role an engineer plays while creating a Harley-Davidson® Motorcycle. Nine requirements for the Engineering Merit Badge will be discussed during this virtual, interactive program. Advance registration is required. Program Fee: $20 per Scout, which includes an activity booklet used during the program and a special H-D® patch upon completion of the program.
MUST-SEE EXHIBITS AND INSTALLATIONS
Experience Gallery (on display now)
With inspiring stories from riders who have turned their dream of learning to ride into reality, a look at the epic journeys you can only experience behind the bars of a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle, plus the chance to throw a leg over a new Harley-Davidson #FreedomMachine, the reinstalled and all-new Experience Gallery shows the world how United We Ride!
Google Arts & Culture: Take a Trip through Time (on display now)
Lillian Hauerwas began riding in 1911 when she was 19 years old. In 1914, she and a friend took a sidecar rig on a week-long trip. Check out a photo album from their ride and find out more about this early advocate for women motorcyclists on the Museum’s Google Arts & Culture site.
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (on display now)
The four founders of Harley-Davidson were recently inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Learn more about this prestigious honor now on view in the H-D Museum.
This year the world of motorcycling lost a prominent voice, Linda “Jo” Giovannoni. As a co-founder of Harley Women magazine, she shared her love of the sport through articles in newspapers and magazines, and in national television interviews and documentaries. Learn about how Giovannoni inspired riders for over 40 years.
1977 FLH “Blackula” (on display now)
Milwaukee man about town Freddie Franklin purchased his Electra Glide® motorcycle from its original owner, 95-year-old Wallace Brzezinski, with only 4,500 miles on its odometer. And in short order, he completely re-envisioned the bike to reflect his timeless style. The motorcycle incorporates some hallmarks of Franklin’s disparate tastes. A dash of the Coney Island-style bikes – decked out with lights and reflectors – he adored mixed in with elements of Willie G.’s seminal Knucklehead and topped off with details that harken to the 1970s blaxploitation films Franklin watched back in the day. A clear statement of Black pride via the language of vintage motorcycles, this is a bike you must see in-person.
Keith Brammer (Die Kreuzen) leather jacket (on display now)
Perhaps no other genre of music is so closely associated with the classic black leather jacket than punk rock. Keith Brammer, of Milwaukee’s hardcore punk band Die Kreuzen, has graciously lent his well-worn leather to the H-D Museum. The jacket was purchased in New York City in the 1980s and was a constant companion for Brammer throughout his touring days. Check out the Custom Culture gallery to view this piece of Milwaukee music history.
Revolution® Max Engine (on display now)
The brand-new Revolution® Max 1250cc engine powers a new generation of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. See the liquid-cooled, 60-degree V-Twin that delivers for the Pan America® adventure touring model and the performance cruiser Sportster® S motorcycle. On view in the Museum lobby.
Clubs & Competition (on display now)
In the early part of the 20th century, motorcycle culture was a homegrown phenomenon. It grew out of the passion of riders for their evolving sport. The camaraderie that developed around riding and attending competitive events led to the formation of motorcycle clubs that hosted destination rides, family picnics with motorcycle games and other riding competitions.
The newly reinstalled display case in the Clubs & Competition gallery highlights clothing from club members from primarily the 1930s and 1940s. The clothing selections on view include full dress uniforms, shirts, sweaters, jackets and caps, customized by the owners with their club’s name and logo, and pins or patches indicating membership in the American Motorcyclist Association. The H-D Archives collection includes Motorclothes® apparel sold in H-D® product catalogs but also non-H-D produced clothing items that have been proudly customized by riders.
Gail Anderson’s 1986 Softail® Custom motorcycle, “Harley Fox,” built by her partner Bob Burrows, took top prize at the first Ladies of Harley® (LOH) ride-in show during Daytona Beach Bike Week in 1987. With her custom bike and themed riding gear, Anderson presented a striking image that fit the growing visibility and exciting new options for women riders in the 1980s.
Alfonso Sotomayor’s 1957 Model FL (on display now)
The Harley-Davidson Museum is proud to announce its collection has recently grown with the addition of a 1957 Model FL that was ridden by famed Mexican stunt rider and racer Alfonso Sotomayor Canales.
Harley-Davidson’s history in Mexico dates back to at least 1913. In the 1920s, the brand was more frequently spotted throughout Mexico City as the motorcycles proved popular with the local traffic police who would also perform stunts with their Harley-Davidson® bikes. After racing from the 1930s into the 1960s, Sotomayor launched his own stunt riding career by performing the famed “Salto de la Muerte” or Jump of Death. Learn more about Sotomayor’s feats of derring-do and Harley-Davidson’s early entry into Mexico with this new display located in the Custom Culture area.
“Off-Road Harley-Davidson” (on display now)
In the decades before America paved its highways, early riders had to be prepared for all sorts of terrain: sand, clay or dirt – and wandering those makeshift byways were Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. Today, it’s called off-road or adventure touring; back then it was just called riding. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson® motorcycles proved their toughness by riding over wooded hills, through stone-choked creek beds and up mountain sides. “Off-Road Harley-Davidson” tells the history of motorcycles designed for rough roads, the people who rode them and the adventures they shared.
“Building a Milwaukee Icon: Harley-Davidson’s Juneau Avenue Factory” (on display through November)
A recently recovered cache of architectural drawings includes plans for the original Juneau Avenue facility. The pencil drawings, along with archival photographs, demonstrate the whirlwind pace of the company’s early growth. While building an international business—going from producing just over 1,000 motorcycles in 1909 to manufacturing 27,000 motorcycles in 1920—the company’s Milwaukee factory experienced near-constant expansion. Construction through this relatively brief period created the buildings that today, a century later, are still the proud home of Harley-Davidson.
“Building a Milwaukee Icon” provides a snapshot of Harley-Davidson’s formative years and illustrates a chapter of Milwaukee history when the city was known as the “Machine Shop to the World.”
The Harley-Davidson® Shop
Have you seen the expanded offerings at the all-new H-D™ Shop? More than 150 new items can be yours to help outfit your collection, including new collaborations! Check out the fresh Harley-Davidson Museum™ headwear and socks designed and made in the USA by Ampal. And don’t sleep on the latest Harley-Davidson® x Jason Momoa collection. This limited-edition collaboration celebrates the craftsmanship and heritage that merges iconic Harley-Davidson imagery and designs with Jason’s Aloha-spirited love of lush patterns and colors. Select styles available now at the H-D™ Shop. Get set for black and orange season with shirts and accessories featuring the classic Willie G. Skull.
Factory Shop
Harley-Davidson’s first and only Factory Shop is now open on the Harley-Davidson Museum campus! The Factory Shop is the official company outlet for premium, end-of-season H-D clothing and gear that have limited inventory. Products include helmets, gloves, jackets and so much more. Inventory is refreshed often, so be sure to check out what’s on the rack today!
Who’s down to add a little extra jingle to your holiday parties? The team at 1903 Events is ready to take your event to the next level. Our unique spaces – including the all-new, 8,200-square-foot Garage – can accommodate parties from 10 to 10,000. Reach out to the world-class sales team at 1903 Events now to make sure your party ends up on the nice list.
MOTOR® BAR & RESTAURANT
MOTOR’s monthly specials – Shrimp Po’ Boy, Diablo Burger, and Carrot Cake – are sure to satisfy.
About the Harley-Davidson Museum
Discover culture and history through stories and interactive exhibits that celebrate expression, camaraderie, and love for the sport at the Harley-Davidson Museum. A visit to the H-D Museum is an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime. With an unrivaled collection of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles and memorabilia, a 20-acre, park-like campus, and a calendar full of activities, the H-D Museum is one of Milwaukee’s top tourist destinations for visitors from around the globe. Make your plans to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum at H-DMuseum.com.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Harley-Davidson Museum
Join the Harley-Davidson Museum® as we salute those who serve and have served on the front lines of freedom with free admission for Veterans Day weekend
Nov 1st, 2024 by Harley-Davidson MuseumPlus, check out the new H-D Museum ™ photography exhibit, “Ezy Ryders,” opening Nov. 23.
Kick off October at the H-D Museum with a party for pups and build up to Skulloween at the end of the month with tricks and treats from MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant
Oct 1st, 2024 by Harley-Davidson MuseumPlus, celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by checking out the H-D Museum’s first bilingual exhibit before it hits the road.
