WARREN, Ohio – The National Packard Museum’s annual motorcycle exhibit will open Saturday, Jan. 11, and run through May 31.
The exhibit is in its 25th year and will mark the milestone by honoring its past.
This year’s exhibit will feature 38 of the rarest and most significant motorcycles displayed at the museum over the past quarter century.
The bikes were made by 25 manufacturers between 1902 and 2001, according to Jim Iacozili, exhibit chairman and museum board member.
“We wanted to have 25 manufacturers represented in our 25th anniversary and still represent a broad spectrum of makes, models and riding,” Iacozili said.
A representative motorcycle will be displayed for each of the past 24 years, in addition to a few fan favorites.
The exhibit is designed to appeal to everyone from the discerning collector to the casual rider. It will include a 1902 Sylvester & Jones and a 1915 Astro-Omega V-twin, both of which are the only ones known to exist. There will also be a 1938 Brough Superior and a 1936 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead that saved the company from bankruptcy during the Great Depression.
History
The exhibit has grown over the 25 years since its inception.
The first one ran for just four weeks and featured Harmon Andrew’s Whizzer – which returns this year – along with a few bicycles.
“In the museum’s early years, I was searching for special exhibits that would attract more visitors,” said Mary Ann Porinchak, the museum’s longtime executive director. “Some board members questioned whether the museum should display anything other than Packard automobiles, but I knew the motorcycle exhibit had potential to grow.”
Fortunately, local motorcycle collector Daryl Timko visited that first year and volunteered to help find motorcycles for future exhibits. Timko recruited Bruce Williams and their circle of friends, who had ridden together since they were teens, to help find bikes for the 2001 exhibit. Thus, the nucleus of the motorcycle exhibit committee was formed, Porinchak said.
Timko and Williams initially co-chaired the committee before Williams took over the reins for more than a decade. He recently transferred control to Iacozili.
“By 2002, even the skeptical board members acknowledged the annual motorcycle exhibit was successful after seeing a crowd lined up outside the doors waiting to pay admission to see Clark Gable’s Harley-Davidson,” Porinchak said.
The exhibit grew in popularity and prestige during the 2000s, with the financial and promotional support of the Lake Erie chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. The club’s members still loan some of their oldest and rarest machines for display.
The exhibit’s success started a trend, with other automobile museums presenting their own motorcycle exhibits. “When museum colleagues ask me how we do it, I tell them that we have been successful thanks to the dedication and tenacity of our committee members and the personal contacts they have established with motorcycle collectors around the country,” Porinchak said.
At first, the exhibit focused on antique machines, and each year had a specific theme.
More recent exhibits have included a broader selection of bikes to appeal to a wider audience and have ranged in age from the earliest-running Harley Davidson to a 2021 special edition Triumph 1200 Scrambler produced specifically for the James Bond film “No Time to Die.”
The annual exhibit has displayed more than 650 motorcycles from across the United States over the past 25 years, Williams said.
Purpose
The National Packard Museum’s show, widely recognized as one of the nation’s finest motorcycle exhibits, has received a number of awards and recognition over the past quarter century. Among these are the Antique Motorcycle Foundation’s highest honor, the Award for Excellence, as well as three consecutive first place awards in the interpretive exhibits category from the National Association of Automobile Museums.
Each year, it attracts visitors from around the world, according to Porinchak. Previous exhibits have welcomed guests from more than 30 states and nine foreign countries.
Its purpose is to educate audiences about motorcycle history and promote the preservation, restoration and collection of antique motorcycles, she said.
“In turn, we hope that motorcycle enthusiasts who might not otherwise visit our museum leave with a greater appreciation of the Packard family’s rich legacy and their many contributions to transportation and industrial history,” she said.
The National Packard Museum’s goal is to display vehicles made by Packard Motors, which was founded in Warren.
Special Events
This year, the museum will host several evening special events and Saturday afternoon programs in conjunction with the motorcycle exhibit. Admission to the evening events is $10 and includes admission to the museum. Saturday afternoon programs are free with paid admission to the museum.
Here is the schedule:
- Feb. 11, 6 p.m.: A screening of the documentary film “Why We Ride,” sponsored by Ray Gollan’s Honda.
- Feb. 15, 12:30 p.m.: “3D Printing in Motorcycle Restoration,” an informative program.
A third event, “An Evening with Guy Shively,” will be scheduled at a later date. Shively is a motorcycle artist.
The National Packard Museum, 1899 Mahoning Ave. NW, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 ($8 for seniors; $5 for children ages 7 to 12; and free for children under 7). Cameras and flash photography are welcome. For group rates or information, go to PackardMuseum.org or call 330 394 1899.
Pictured at top: One of the 38 motorcycles that will be displayed in the National Packard Museum’s annual exhibit.