Motorcyclist USA — September-October 2017

36 | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2017

It’s pretty exciting. In my retirement years, I am the company

ambassador. And I have an offi ce in the Harley-Davidson

museum, which is run by my son, Bill, who’s an avid rider and

collector as well. Our daughter, Karen, is a fashion designer and

designs all the clothing for Harley-Davidson Motor Clothes.

So our whole family is very much involved in our motorcycle

enthusiasm. That is just a continuing chapter. We go to races and

events together, and I’m always fascinated by what’s happening—

interest in old, interest in new, fl at-track, roadracing.

For my second career, I’m a professional painter. My offi ce in the

museum is an art studio that includes my favorite antique, a 1945

Knucklehead bobber, which is beautifully executed, and that

sits on a rug next to a window overlooking the river. I’m happy

to come into this offi ce every day and continue my learning as an

artist. I’ve always been an artist all my life, but these years are

spent concentrating on painting and studying motorcycles. I do

things for our museum store, design graphics, and work on some

of the clothing graphics, so I’m active. I’ve been a watercolor

guy all my life. I took a course when I was at Art Center many,

many years ago, and I never got away from it. It’s now ramped

up to where I have a little more free time to concentrate on it.

I’m probably going to have a nice father/son exhibit with son

Michael, who is also an avid painter and rider.

I’d like to go to the Isle of Man. I’ve read about it all my life, but

I’ve never been there. I’m a racing enthusiast and my collection

includes early eight valves, peashooters, all the R, XR, VR, and K

models, and dirt-track bikes. They sit in a beautiful room that’s

ancient barn beams and a gorgeous tiled fl oor, and that area is

fi lled with historic performance motorcycles. So, yeah, the Isle

of Man is extremely dangerous, I understand that, but I admire

those riders. Man, I’d love to sit at the bar, have a warm beer, and

watch those guys come screaming in there, downshifting, and

blasting out of there. That’s gotta be fantastic.

It must be great to look back at your

career and think about how many bikes

you’ve created that people have enjoyed.

What’s an average day of your life like now?

Where have you longed to go that

you haven’t yet?

3

4

5

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If I was really

a good boy,

my dad would

take me to

the flat-track

races.Ó

 

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