Press

ALBANY, N.Y. - This exhibition documents New York State's contributions to the development of the motorcycle, and is perfect for those of you who were born to be wild.

Working from a broad industrial base, New Yorkers pioneered in the invention and early manufacture of motorized two-wheelers, which were briefly thought to be the future of American transportation. Although motorcycles ultimately did not become the common means of personal transportation, being overtaken in popularity by the automobile, New York's motorcycle inventors and builders have continued over the years to produce a rich variety of motorcycles for utilitarian use, pleasure riding and competition.

The Great New York Motorcycle Show includes them all, from the first motorized bicycles of the 1890s through the 77 cubic-inch Emblem touring machines of the 1910s and the dual purpose (on-off road) Yankees of the 1970s to the exotic custom cruisers of today. All these motorcycles have been lent to the Museum from the collections of other museums and private owners around the country. The Museum is grateful for their generosity, which has made the exhibition possible, and for the invaluable donated assistance of Arnoff Moving and Storage in transporting the motorcycles to the New York State museum from locations all around the United States and Canada.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• Hopkins Motorcycle, 1894-95, on loan from the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. The invention of Nelson S. Hopkins is essentially a bicycle with a motor attached. The engine was patented in 1895 as an "improvement in motors for bicycles." The Hopkins machine is the oldest motorcycle in the exhibit, and one of the oldest motorcycles anywhere.
• Thomas Motorcycle, 1904, on loan from collector Douglas Redmond. The E.R. Thomas Motor Company of Buffalo was one of the first manufacturers in the United States to offer motorcycles for broad distribution. Redmond's splendidly restored Auto-Bi graphically demonstrates how different early motorcycles are from modern Hondas and Harley-Davidsons.
• Hercules Motorcycle, 1904, on loan from the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum and Curtiss Motorcycle, 1908, on loan from collector Wes Allen, are two of several Glenn Curtiss-designed machines in the exhibit. Curtiss, a trailblazer in both aviation and motorcycle design, became known in 1907 as the "fastest man in the world" for having ridden one of his eight-cylinder motorcycles to a speed of 136 mph.
• Williams Motorcycle, 1916, on loan from collector Jim Dennie. John Newton Williams, an inventor of office machines, experimented with helicopter flight and with motorcycles in the early 1900's. Jim Dennie owns the sole survivor of Williams' four prototype machines, which were powered by rotating engines mounted in the rear, driving wheel.
• Neracar Motorcycle, 1923, on loan from collector Louis Feltz. The Ner-A-Car Corporation promoted its sheet metal covered bike as an economical two-wheel automobile. The rider arrived "with clothing and shoes neat and clean" after an "exhilarating ride for one-third of a cent a mile."
• Yankee Motorcycle, 1972, on loan from collector John Jamison. The motorcycle industry petered out in New York in the 1920s, but then revived in the late 1960s as the Yankee Motor Company set up shop in Schenectady. John A. Taylor, founder of the company and an off-road motorcycling enthusiast, turned his pastime into a business, introducing a number of new on and off-road motorcycles.

The exhibition also includes engines, catalogs, posters and photos as well as examples of the motorcycles built today by New Yorkers around the State.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum is publishing a book, The Museum Industry in New York State: A Concise Encyclopedia of Inventors, Builders and Manufacturers, which will be available in its Gift Shop.

For further information about The Great New York Motorcycle Show the public may call (518) 474-5877.

N Y S M

*Color slides are available by calling 518-486-2003.

The New York State Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.