I Went Inside the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Vault, and It’s Awesome

Only about 5 percent of the Harley Museum collection is on display at any given time. The rest is in this vault, and I got to see it.

Photo by: Janaki Jitchotvisut

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Aug 06, 2024 at 9:18am ET

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You may already have noticed that I like starting pieces with seemingly random questions, and I'm going to do it again here.

I promise it's going somewhere good, guys. So, are you familiar with compact shelving?

If you're a library nerd like me, then you absolutely are. And if you aren't, no worries; they're just some of the coolest shelving you'll ever see if you like both mechanical stuff and feeling like a superhero.

You like those things, right? Obviously, you do, or else you wouldn't be reading this.

For those unfamiliar, compact shelving is some of the most efficient storage for items in libraries and other archival situations when you're limited on space. Essentially, they're library stacks (those super-long shelves of books), but they're on rails so you can smush them all together and fit more shelving units in a smaller space.

Some compact shelving can be operated manually with big wheels that make you feel like you're a sea captain, like so.

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And other compact shelving is electronically operated and push-button, but still features ginormous shelves of books (or other materials, and that's crucially important to keep in mind) sliding back and forth at your fingertips. It's an easy way to go mad with power, trust me. As long as you're tall enough to reach the controls, it doesn't matter how strong you are. Today, you're the Hulk, baby.

Now, I want you to imagine stacks like these, only bigger. And filled floor to ceiling with MOTORCYCLES.

Friends, that's what you'll see if you visit the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Vault. And for me, it's the convergence of several pieces of personal nerdery that I never in a million years thought that I'd see. I can't tell you the good it did my heart to walk into this room, but I was basically jaw on the floor the whole time I was here.

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If you check out this Instagram reel we posted, you'll get a good look at the moto vault. You'll also hear a succinct explanation of the overall collection from awesome Harley Museum curator Ann, who was kind enough to take us on a guided tour.

Here's a collection of other photos I took while visiting the Museum. For me, though, it's the Moto Vault that made my nerdy little heart sing. If you're in Milwaukee, you should check it out if you have the chance.