Solvang Motorcycle Museum

95 Really Special Bikes.

Click on the link below to go to the museum website.

The Museum

There were only four people there for the special opening of the museum. 

The lady who is the assistant to the owner opened up for us an gave a brief history of the place.

 This is the legendary Mike (the bike) Hailwood, who despite winning multiple TT events and the Italian Grand Prix died at the age of 40 when he and his young family were hit by a truck making an illegal turn. Hailwod and his 9 year old daughter were killed. The truck driver was fined $150.

This is a highly modified Vincent meant to do one thing.

Go very fast!
That is the biggest SU carb I have ever seen. It probably would pull enough gas to power a 747.

I like looking at oddball shit and this is certainly oddball.

This is a small version of a rotary aircraft engine, the crankshaft  also front axle stands still and the cylinders revolve around it.

That's got to be some kind of GYRO effect!

You would not want to ride it, but this is such a great looking bike.

The MARS built in Germany.

A V8 Moto Guzzi twin OHC with 8 sets of points to time.

How about that for a challenge.

As shown in the picture it does not have the "DUSTBIN FAIRING"

This is what it would have looked like back in the day.

This is a very good looking AJS 7R called the boy racer, a very fast machine and becoming increasingly collectible.

This is a rotary engine Norton similar to the one they had in the museum.

For some reason I don't have a picture of it.

However, it struck a chord, the classic stick in the mud, British Motorcycle industry were slow to move to multiple cylinder machines despite the Japanese onslaught.

Then they take a humongous leap of faith to a rotary engine which was miserably inefficient and a complete dog. Apart from which it looks like crap. OK miserably inefficient might be a stretch but they were very prone to seal wear and needed frequent and very expensive rebuilds.

The one in the museum had zero miles on the clock, not surprising to me.

These are just a few highlights from the visit.

Enjoy.
Ciao Bella
Norm