Keith says that Motorcyclepedia is a fantastic place to learn about the history of motorcycles.  The Indian Timeline really highlights the evolution of motorcycles.  The Circa Gallery illustrates the many different designs of creativity.  The metal castings, levers, control rods show the level of workmanship and pride that went into building these machines. Being a volunteer has allowed Keith the time and access to learn about a wide range of esoteric motorcycles.  Books, magazines and bike shows just cannot compare.

An interesting discovery has been that “what’s old is new again.”  One of his bikes, a 2009 Buell Ulysses has the novel design of using the frame for containing the gas and oil.  Pierce was doing this in the 1910s.  The 1928 Böhmerland, which was made in Czechoslovakia, has cast aluminum alloy wheels.  This was “re-invented” in the 1970s and available from Yamaha in 1976.

Keith’s parents were not motorcycle enthusiasts, so Keith grew up studying motorcycle magazines and finally surreptitiously acquired a 50cc NSU moped, followed by an Army Surplus Indian Scout.  The larger-sized Indian brought about parental discovery.  After much discussion and negotiating and warnings of killing oneself on the highway, a ’65 Suzuki X-6 Hustler was proudly parked in the backyard.  A driving license and the Suzuki allowed for better paying jobs than mowing lawns.  More money brought more motorcycles.  And there were many different motorcycles and so many things to do on a motorcycle.  Various motorcycles with eight different engine formats allowed for wondering through much of the U.S. and several countries.  Keith competed in Scrambles, Motocross, trials, Enduro, road racing sprints and 24 hour races. And,in the past 56 years, he hasn’t killed himself yet!

Keith can be found at the museum most Fridays, working on documenting the collection and answering guest’s questions.