National Motorcycle Museum Closing

[darrell]

Received an email the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, IA is permanently closing in September 2023.

Reason lack of attendance so inadequate funds to support.  This is a non profit venture.

I’ve been there often and sometimes lead groups down from MN to visit.

If you have a chance visit before they close.

I signed up for the auction of facility owned bikes.  I rode one of the bikes they once had on display along the coastal road of Morocco.  Not sure they have or if it has been returned to the owners family.

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/na...-september

Darrell

[Chris216]

Thanks for the heads up Darrell
Chris

[Motorhead1977]

Darrell, thanks for the info. I looked but couldn't find any info on the auction you mentioned. Is it by invite only? TIA for any update.

[darrell]

Darrell, thanks for the info. I looked but couldn't find any info on the auction you mentioned. Is it by invite only? TIA for any update.

Email said to send a message if you want to be kept informed.  I signed up for their newsletter on their website and sent a message to their contact email.  I could not find any other way but I did get a note back saying thanks for signing up for our newsletter.

https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/na...-september

[Ray]

... I rode one of the bikes they once had on display along the coastal road of Morocco.  

Darrell

(You wouldn't be considering purchase of an old Münch, would you?)

[Grumpy Goat]

Indeed, it is a shame that the motorcycle museum is being closed due to lack of paying attendance (interest?), but that unfortunately is a symptom of the reality when it comes to motorcycling in this country. People these days are becoming less and less interested ... busy doing other things and playing with their phones and hanging out on social media. This is nothing new, and motorcycle sales have been reflective of this fact for years now, at least perhaps on a per capita basis. Rich buys buying more and more bikes does not count, and is not sustainable. 

One of the top comments under the article was the shutting down or "Iron & Air" ... up until now I never hear of "Iron & Air" and had to Google it to find out what it was. The very name is not intuitive and even if one knew it had to do with motorcycling, the fact that it has "Iron" in it connotes a certain type of motorcycle that some of us may have less than a passing interest in. When I went to the website, I was pleased to see that it would have been something that might have been interesting to me, but, enough to pay for a subscription? ... don't know ...

I read the First Gear article in the Feb-2023 issue of Rider Magazine by the EiC and found it quite interesting. Quoting from that article in pertinent part:

79% of our readers are married, 81% have a college degree or have attended a vocational school, 65% have a household income of $75,000 or above, and 30% are active military or veterans.

More educated and perhaps well off ...?

Our readers are experienced riders: 87% of you have been riding for 20 years or longer, and 8% have been riding for 11-20 years.

Older ...?

the primary use of their motorcycle(s), the top choice was day rides/pleasure, followed by light touring/weekends, touring, adventure touring, commuting, and off-road.

Toys / luxury items ...?

In terms of ride-assist technologies, 72% own a motorcycle equipped with ABS, 39% with traction control, 38% with ride modes, and 30% with tire-pressure monitoring.

More modern and expensive motorcycles ...?

42% do their own motorcycle maintenance, 38% rely on dealers, 11% go to independent repair shops, and 7% have friends or family members work on their bike

Most don't work on their own bikes ...? (and that is among current owners ... let alone the younger generation who tend to be less mechanically interested ...) Added to the fact that dealers charge an arm and a leg iun their hourly rate to work on a motorcycle! I was recently quoted $1200 for a 12k mile service on my Tracer. It would be a cold day you know where before I pay more than 12% of the value of the bike for one service, most of which was questionable in the first place. 

And lastly,

42% are familiar with peer-to-peer motorcycle rental programs, and 52% think motorcycle ride sharing will grow in popularity,

The modern (urban?) end user would rather rent than buy (and for many that includes cars too) such that the maintenance, insurance, bother, etc. is all someone else's problem.

On a similar but related note (?) I can't help but notice that even Harley is changing their offerings in a bid to attract the younger demographic, who they see as replacing all of us, and who likely don't give half a sh*t about motorcycles. Even watched a vid about smaller Chinese-made Harleys coming to these shores (likely for use in their training programs, for now) ...

To me this all underscores the dying interest in motorcycling as a whole in countries where it is not a means of transportation, and/or it is given short shrift when it comes to its very existence, e.g. lack of parking consideration. The first casualties are things like museums and publications where the motorcycle is the prime subject as opposed to the means to an end.

[Ray]

Indeed, it is a shame that the motorcycle museum is being closed due to lack of paying attendance (interest?), but that unfortunately is a symptom of the reality when it comes to motorcycling in this country. People these days are becoming less and less interested ... busy doing other things and playing with their phones and hanging out on social media. This is nothing new, and motorcycle sales have been reflective of this fact for years now, at least perhaps on a per capita basis. Rich buys buying more and more bikes does not count, and is not sustainable. 

One of the top comments under the article was the shutting down or "Iron & Air" ... up until now I never hear of "Iron & Air" and had to Google it to find out what it was. The very name is not intuitive and even if one knew it had to do with motorcycling, the fact that it has "Iron" in it connotes a certain type of motorcycle that some of us may have less than a passing interest in. When I went to the website, I was pleased to see that it would have been something that might have been interesting to me, but, enough to pay for a subscription? ... don't know ...

I read the First Gear article in the Feb-2023 issue of Rider Magazine by the EiC and found it quite interesting. Quoting from that article in pertinent part:

79% of our readers are married, 81% have a college degree or have attended a vocational school, 65% have a household income of $75,000 or above, and 30% are active military or veterans.

More educated and perhaps well off ...?

Our readers are experienced riders: 87% of you have been riding for 20 years or longer, and 8% have been riding for 11-20 years.

Older ...?

the primary use of their motorcycle(s), the top choice was day rides/pleasure, followed by light touring/weekends, touring, adventure touring, commuting, and off-road.

Toys / luxury items ...?

In terms of ride-assist technologies, 72% own a motorcycle equipped with ABS, 39% with traction control, 38% with ride modes, and 30% with tire-pressure monitoring.

More modern and expensive motorcycles ...?

42% do their own motorcycle maintenance, 38% rely on dealers, 11% go to independent repair shops, and 7% have friends or family members work on their bike

Most don't work on their own bikes ...? (and that is among current owners ... let alone the younger generation who tend to be less mechanically interested ...) Added to the fact that dealers charge an arm and a leg iun their hourly rate to work on a motorcycle! I was recently quoted $1200 for a 12k mile service on my Tracer. It would be a cold day you know where before I pay more than 12% of the value of the bike for one service, most of which was questionable in the first place. 

And lastly,

42% are familiar with peer-to-peer motorcycle rental programs, and 52% think motorcycle ride sharing will grow in popularity,

The modern (urban?) end user would rather rent than buy (and for many that includes cars too) such that the maintenance, insurance, bother, etc. is all someone else's problem.

On a similar but related note (?) I can't help but notice that even Harley is changing their offerings in a bid to attract the younger demographic, who they see as replacing all of us, and who likely don't give half a sh*t about motorcycles. Even watched a vid about smaller Chinese-made Harleys coming to these shores (likely for use in their training programs, for now) ...

To me this all underscores the dying interest in motorcycling as a whole in countries where it is not a means of transportation, and/or it is given short shrift when it comes to its very existence, e.g. lack of parking consideration. The first casualties are things like museums and publications where the motorcycle is the prime subject as opposed to the means to an end.

Grumpy..., no need to be so,..., uh..., grumpy. Us really old guys will tell you, these things go in cycles. I remember there were not many motorcycles on the road until the, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" campaign. That was also about the same time I started seeing (and admiring) the BMW commuters with the suitcase panniers (though I couldn't afford a BMW for another 15 years). That generation of riders rode larger and larger bikes until finally retiring and spending more time touring than commuting - the next generation just couldn't relate. And without the smaller displacement bikes, commuting no longer made sense. I mean, from 1986 on, my motorcycles always gave me fewer MPG than the cars I owned. Of course, I alway rode the push bike to work..., so moot point for me, but maybe not for the average Joe, who commuted on boring slabs and wanted to drink coffee and take phone meetings on the way to and from work. If we lived a little closer to our work, it might have been a different story the last 30 y.

I suspect the next go-round will be the graduation of all the e-bike and 49cc scooter riders to more substantial bikes. We might also see a few more of the off-roaders realizing they don't need to spend a fortune on gas to get from point A to B. 

We're simply going through a period of insufficient small displacement models to attract the next generation, but I believe those models and riders will develop before you retire. My son in China is a good example - currently owning a couple push bikes, an e-bike, and a sporty electric motorcycle. No car.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus nailed businesses as it did people. Wouldn't be surprised if a miracle occurred in Iowa..., unless there's more money to made in selling off the bikes to collectors.

[Grumpy Goat]

Grumpy..., no need to be so,..., uh..., grumpy. Us really old guys will tell you, these things go in cycles. I
...
We're simply going through a period of insufficient small displacement models to attract the next generation, but I believe those models and riders will develop before you retire. My son in China is a good example - currently owning a couple push bikes, an e-bike, and a sporty electric motorcycle. No car.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus nailed businesses as it did people. Wouldn't be surprised if a miracle occurred in Iowa..., unless there's more money to made in selling off the bikes to collectors.

Hehehe ... sorry if my piece came off as grumpy as I can assure you I was not when I wrote it. More like pessimistic when it comes to the future of the motorcycling industry as apparent enthusiasm fades. I think that there will indeed be more small displacement models coming on the market though, as more people see the benefit of lighter more efficient engines in middleweight machines. Cost also will play a significant role in this as well. That said I think that true growth will be in markets other than in North America.

[TriangleRider]

I read the First Gear article in the Feb-2023 issue of Rider Magazine by the EiC and found it quite interesting. Quoting from that article in pertinent part:

[delete survey results]
To me this all underscores the dying interest in motorcycling as a whole in countries where it is not a means of transportation, and/or it is given short shrift when it comes to its very existence, e.g. lack of parking consideration. The first casualties are things like museums and publications where the motorcycle is the prime subject as opposed to the means to an end.

I don't think a poll of 2,000 Rider magazine readers extrapolates to the entire motorcycle industry.  Based on bike sales over the past few years, the industry is far from dying.

Could it be that the National Motorcycle Museum was just terrible at marketing itself or making itself appealing to the new generation of riders?  I've been riding for decades and hadn't even heard of the place until this thread.  I looked at their sites, and their online presence is terrible. They should have hired a 20-year-old social media person five years ago.  Compare their FB page to the Barber Museum, which seems to be thriving.  Would you rather look at static pictures of clothing or videos of cool bikes?   Don't bother looking at their TikTok page, they don't have one.  Meanwhile, Barber is doing videos on restoration projects and building brand awareness. If the Sacramento History Museum can generate 2.4 million TikTok followers, it is likely that,  with a little ingenuity, the National Motorcycle museum could also a little buzz for itself on the medium.

[Lee]

Could it be that the National Motorcycle Museum was just terrible at marketing itself or making itself appealing to the new generation of riders?  I've been riding for decades and hadn't even heard of the place until this thread. 

That may be a big part of the problem. I'm guessing even in Iowa a lot of people have not heard about the museum.
Maybe being a non profit did not give them enough funds to promote it ??
Debbie thinks we found out about it when they were in the old downtown location. We stopped at the J&P Cycle shop in Anamosa and she thinks one of the employees  suggested we stop in town and visit the museum, which we did.
In 2021 we went to the new larger location in the old Walmart store but this building was also too small. It's one of the small older stores that was not a Super Center.
It was too crowded to get a good look at everything.
In the articles I looked at I did not see what percentage was owned by the non profit and what was privately owned.
It will be interesting to see if a outfit like Mecum handles the auction if they do a auction.

[Lee]

  I've been riding for decades and hadn't even heard of the place

Debbie and I have been riding since 1977. I enjoy a good car museum or aircraft museum more than a motorcycle museum.
Maybe others are like me and that's part of the problem.

[Ray]

The Moto Museum of St. Louis rents out for events. 
Lots of ways to make money on one's museum - if one doesn't get old and tired of fending off big money offers for key holdings. 
I can see where folks would might lose interest after a while. 

https://www.themotomuseum.com/book-an-event

   

[Grumpy Goat]

Debbie and I have been riding since 1977. I enjoy a good car museum or aircraft museum more than a motorcycle museum.
Maybe others are like me and that's part of the problem.

Count me as one of those. While I like cars, and aircraft, and obviously motorcycles, I have probably next to zero interest in going to museums for those things. On the other hand, I am more interested in museums of natural science, history, anthropology, etc. We're all different and that is a good thing.

[TriangleRider]

Could it be that the National Motorcycle Museum was just terrible at marketing itself or making itself appealing to the new generation of riders?  I've been riding for decades and hadn't even heard of the place until this thread. 

That may be a big part of the problem. I'm guessing even in Iowa a lot of people have not heard about the museum.
Maybe being a non profit did not give them enough funds to promote it ??

If you have a chance, check out the website and TikTok page (2.5 million followers!!) for the Sacramento History Museum. This little museum is a case study on how a small non-profit can generate income and interest by thinking out of the box.

[Pyrrho]

The Moto Museum of St. Louis rents out for events. 
Lots of ways to make money on one's museum - if one doesn't get old and tired of fending off big money offers for key holdings. 
I can see where folks would might lose interest after a while. 

https://www.themotomuseum.com/book-an-event

From what the owner of the local BMW shop (Gateway BMW) told me a few months ago, that Moto Museum is a tax write-off to the wealthy owner who also owns the adjoining dealership. It's easier to run a place when it doesn't have to pay for itself.

[Ray]

The Moto Museum of St. Louis rents out for events. 
Lots of ways to make money on one's museum - if one doesn't get old and tired of fending off big money offers for key holdings. 
I can see where folks would might lose interest after a while. 

https://www.themotomuseum.com/book-an-event

From what the owner of the local BMW shop (Gateway BMW) told me a few months ago, that Moto Museum is a tax write-off to the wealthy owner who also owns the adjoining dealership. It's easier to run a place when it doesn't have to pay for itself.

Entirely correct. Steve Smith also owns the motorcycle-themed Triumph Grill. Trust me - he's wealthy for a reason. In the end, he's not losing money and he's not going to close the museum. 

Here's an old Business Journal article on his source of funding, followed by a review - a progress report if you will, of the museum complex in Feb. 2020 - right before the pandemic. Lots of photos in the second link. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stor...ory10.html

http://stlouismuseums.blogspot.com/2020/...useum.html

I don't know him personally, but I like what Steve Smith did. This dealership (Ducati/Triumph/KTM - some of my favorite machinery) helped redevelop a part of the city - not too far from where Bob O'Dell's motorrad shop was located 30 y ago.

On the other hand, Honz and Gateway have chosen to contribute to the urban sprawl - and although I like the location and most of the design of his new warehouse-dealership - it's now a destination, and no longer a place where folks can stop in for a wiff of gasoline and rubber and coffee and doughnuts on the way to other shops on a Saturday morning. (It's also on a flood plain and not too far from where the old national MOA offices got flooded out in '93.) That said, there's some great roads out there for any of you that want to ride a new demo or used bike.

Both shops are worth a trip to form one's own opinion.