Former Harley dealer creates Old Bike Barn Museum

“Mindboggling” may be an overused word, but it fits the description Bill’s Old Bike Barn and Museum in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Dave Hull writes in American Rider, “There is so much to see in this amazing 55,000 square foot facility that it puts your brain in overdrive as you try to take it all in and process it.”

Founder Bill Morris created the museum and dedicated it to Americana in all its forms. The former Harley dealer did not initially intend to start a museum, but his collection continued to grow and now includes more than 200 beautiful and interesting motorcycles for ogle.

“It got to a point where I had to put up a building to put it in or sell it, and I didn’t want to sell it,” Morris explained to WVIA Public Media Studios. “And that was the beginning of Bill’s Old Bike Barn.”

A unique aspect of BOBB is “Billville,” a replica town named after the museum’s founder. It has its own dentist office, barber shop, salon, restaurant, post office, motorcycle repair shop, gift shop, music shop, shoemaker, fire station and service station.

Other items at Billville include hood ornaments and car emblems, beer and oil cans, license plates and carburetors, key chains and toys—and the list goes on.

But the main attraction of the museum is its extensive collection of motorcycles, including many delicious American bikes. Flatheads, Panheads, J models, K models, Knuckleheads, and Sportsters are all counted, while the Indian is represented by Scouts, Chiefs, and earlier models.

The oldest American bike in the joint is a 1913 Harley with pedal belt – the only machine that is kept behind glass. The next oldest is a 1916 Indian cylinder, followed by a very cool 1917 Harley with a carbide headlight and sidecar.

The museum’s oldest bicycle is French: a Peugeot V-Twin from 1909. Peugeot began its vehicle operation in 1898, and the manufacturer still produces motorized two-wheelers to this day.

The machine that started Bill’s massive collection is a 1962 Moto Guzzi, but it’s not a motorcycle – it’s a three-wheeled, one-and-a-half-ton dump truck.

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The Moto Guzzi section includes a chopper and a one and a half ton truck that will surprise you when you look through its door.

Bill’s personal favorite is his 1930 Army green Harley-Davidson 74 with a sidecar, a bike he’s had for almost as long as the Guzzi motorcycle/truck. He put many miles on it with his dog riding in the sidecar.

In one of the museum cases is an interesting scale model Harley made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of HD in 2003. It is a pint-sized replica of the first Harleys made in 1903, but it is definitely not a toy . It is made of solid silver and uses real gold cables and a transmission chain, and is graced with Cartier diamonds on the pedals. Bill said the item was purchased in 2003 for $4,500. He was recently offered $30,000 for it.

Bike Bill is particularly proud of his 1940 Small-box Servi-Car. The green trike was brought back to pristine condition by his good friend, the late Balter Pisak, a former Harley dealer that Morris bought from in 1970. Bill describes Pisak as his hero, a mentor who taught him about to bicycles, business, and merchandise. the best price.

While the bar in Billville is mostly there for performances, the facility is available to host events. Also, keep Bill in mind if you need anything old bicycle parts. Not only is he a motorcyclist, builder, mechanic, collector and museum curator, he’s also a parts guy and can apparently pull hard-to-get parts out of thin air.

For the full story (including photos!), go to The American Rider’s website.