It’s time again for Mama Tried, the indoor invitational motorcycle show that connects motorcycles and builders to fans and riders alike. And the Harley-Davidson Museum is doing its part to keep the fire stoked all winter long by hosting the Mama Tried Official Pre-Party, powered by Budweiser® and Bulleit® Bourbon, which will be taking over MOTOR® Bar and Restaurant on Thursday, March 3. The Boonie Bike World Series will light up the track and your favorite Flat Out Friday racers and Mama Tried Motorcycle Show builders will be a part of the fun. Plus, 88.9 Radio Milwaukee‘s Marcus Doucette will be spinning the tunes that will have the crowd shaking their money makers.
The fun won’t stop when Mama Tried packs it up. Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 17 when the shenanigans reappear at MOTOR® Bar and Restaurant for the St. Patrick’s Day Indoor Bike Night. With live music from the Lil Rev & Will Branch duo, everyone will be enjoying the luck of the Irish.
Please note the H-D Museum™ campus has resumed seven days a week operation.
Programming/Events
Mama Tried Motorcycle Show Official Pre-Party at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant, March 3, 5 – 9 p.m.
The world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum kicks off the Midwest’s preeminent motorcycle show weekend with the Official Mama Tried Pre-Party, powered by Budweiser® & Bulleit® Bourbon.
The Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike World Series will light up the track outside on Motorcycle Plaza. Rub elbows with Flat Out Friday racers and Mama Tried Motorcycle Show builders inside and outside MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant. Top off the night with music by DJ Marcus Doucette from 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, raffles, outdoor fire pits, Busch Light Bike Night Koozie and Bulleit Cocktail specials all night long. Don’t miss it! Come early and visit the Harley-Davidson Museum from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. H.O.G.® members get in free to the H-D Museum every day. For more information or to purchase H-D Museum™ tickets in advance, click HERE.
Free Shuttles to Mama Tried Motorcycle Show (March 5, 10 AM–6 PM): Two shuttles will loop continuously from the H-D Museum, stop at Fuel Café 5th St. and head to The Rave/Eagles Club on Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
St. Patrick’s Day Indoor Bike Night, (March 17, 5–9 PM): Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant where everyone’s Irish and an Indoor Bike Night fan powered by Budweiser® and Bulleit® Bourbon. Live music by LIL REV & WILL BRANCH duo featuring some traditional Irish music, Celtic music plus a mix of blues, bluegrass, roots and rock from two of the top musicians in the industry. Traditional raffles and festive food & drink specials including Busch Light Bike Night Koozie deal and Bulleit Cocktail specials all night long.
Must-See Exhibits and Installations
Keith Brammer (Die Kreuzen) leather jacket: 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.
Inspiration and Recovery: Wounded Veteran Climbs the Seven Summits: In September 2009, Specialist Benjamin Breckheimer, a Cavalry Scout with the U.S. Army 2nd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, was severely wounded during a tour in Afghanistan. His rehabilitation was difficult as he endured numerous surgeries. During this same time, the Harley-Davidson Museum regularly sent care packages–including H-D Museum™ flags dotted with well wishes–to active-duty military personnel. Breckheimer took to mountaineering during his recovery and over the summer carried the H-D Museum™ flag to the summit of Denali, the highest point in North America. With that peak reached, Breckheimer became the first and only Purple Heart recipient to reach all the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. He continues to climb, and he shares his inspiring story to encourage resiliency and support the mental health of veterans and current service members.
Revolution® Max Engine: 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: 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.
Harley Fox: 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: 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”: 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. 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”: 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.”
