A 1912 Flying Merkel board track racer, one of the bikes on display. Photos courtesy Larz Anderson Museum.
Motorcycles began, more or less, as bicycles with strengthened frames fitted with compact internal (or external) combustion engines. Initially intended to provide affordable transportation for the masses, motorcycles have evolved into a cultural statement with powerful social significance, often divided by boundary lines of country, engine configuration or even application. Beauty and the Beast, a new exhibit at the Larz Anderson Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts, takes a look at the development of the motorcycle, from both an engineering and a cultural perspective.
1942 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead bobber.
The exhibit is broken down into 11 distinct groupings, including Early Days of Motorcycling, American V-Twins, BMW, British, Italian, Yamaha Road Racers, Center of the Gallery, Custom and Drag Bikes, Honda, Motorcycle Engine Microcars and Something Different. Roughly 70 vehicles will be on display, ranging in vintage from a 1907 Douglas 3.5 to a 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure.
1974 Ducati 750SS.
Beauty of the Beast also takes a look at the evolution of the motorcycle by nationality, exploring how the V-Twin became the engine of choice for American and Italian motorcycles, while the boxer twin became the design favored by BMW and the inline configuration became the hallmark of British and Japanese bikes.
2015 Rokon Trail Breaker.
Demonstrating the versatility of the motorcycle over the years, Beauty of the Beast includes everything from road-racing motorcycles to land-speed-record bikes to choppers, designed more to make a statement about the rider than to cover long stretches of asphalt at a time. Oddities abound, including a rotary-engine powered Hercules W2000; a six-cylinder Benelli 900 Sei; V-8 powered motorcycles from Morbidelli and Drysdale; a 1928 Indian Scout “Wall of Death” motorcycle; and a Rokon Trail Breaker, a go-anywhere bike equipped with two-wheel drive and wheel-mounted tanks for carrying extra fuel.
1964 Triumph Bonneville.
With this much diversity, Beauty of the Beast should appeal to riders of any brand or vintage, or even those simply curious about the enduring appeal of two wheels, an engine, and a stretch of open road. The exhibit opened on May 8, and runs through May of 2016. For additional details, visit LarzAnderson.org.
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.com
