Niagara Falls
http://www.motorcyclemojo.com

Nestled in the heart of Niagara Falls' tourist district amidst the city's numerous horror houses, wax models of Movie Stars and Rock Stars, Monsters, Freaks and the Criminally Insane sits a newly opened venue. Just a short three minute walk from the 'Falls' on the corner of Clifton Hill and Victoria Avenue is a business that doesn't house the regular attractions common in one of Canada's most famous border cities. The new business is devoid of wax, moving rides, theme restaurants or creatures lurking around every corner.

A business that just contains Classic Iron.

The Classic Iron Motorcycle Museum, just as the name suggests, is for those who love rolling sculpture. Not only are period restorations and 'barn fresh' finds on display that date back as far as 1916, but the museum differs a little from the norm in that they also display custom built bikes from yesteryear including a 1932 'Bar Hopper'. After all, life on the road doesn't revolve around showroom quality hardware. It could be thought of as a lifestyle museum in a way, a refreshing change.

Classic Iron is an immediately recognizable sight with the front of the building open to the street and designed to entice the public to enter its hallowed halls by sporting an immaculate civilianized 1942 WLC Harley-Davidson only two feet from the sidewalk, a bike that was used in the Russell Crowe movie, "Cinderella Man". Also in the museum foyer you are greeted by a 1956 Triumph Trophy TR6, a 1940 ULH Harley custom chopper and a unique one-of-a-kind 1960 'Scrambler' derived from a blending of many marques including Harley-Davidson, Norton and KTM, a hodge-podge of 'Classic Iron' if you will.

The tour starts on the top floor of the newly restored 80 year old building which is dedicated to Harley-Davidsons of all types and styles. The display ranges from the Shortster mini bike and the Topper scooter to more traditional museum-piece Harleys that span 70 years. Other rare bikes include a 1978 XLCR Cafe Racer, a 1954 KH model, the predecessor to the Sportster and a 1958 Sportster of which only 239 were produced. Also on display is Dan Aykroyd's Wideglide, the same bike that Aykroyd rode while leading John Belushi's funeral procession in 1982. Finishing the third floor tour reveals two testimonials to the lifestyle, perfect reproductions of 'Captain America' and the 'Billy Bike' made famous in the 1969 counterculture movie 'Easyrider'.

The walls are a muted yellow with black pillars and dark burgundy archways. The motorcycles are raised on flowing stages with wood floors and brushed aluminum sides. Even the duct work in the ceiling flows to match the stages. The final touches to the decor are the limited edition fine art prints on the walls by well known motorcycle artists like Marc Lacourciere, Louis Boileau, Anthony Saienza and Dave Barnhouse to mention just a few. The pictures are not placed so close together to be crowded but in many cases strategically placed to complement the motorcycle close by. The colours, the stage accenting the flowing lines of a motorcycle, the spotlights on the bikes and the art turns the building into more of a gallery than a museum. It's very classy.



One interesting bike that I was happy to see is a hill climber once raced by Canadian World Champion Hill Climber John Williams (see Motorcycle Mojo Volume3 Issue2, Summer 04). The Guinness Book of World Records 1977-79 recognizes Williams to be the first Canadian ever to win a World Championship in a motorized sport. Williams won the World Championship 5 times - 1972, 77, 79, 80 and 81, the American Grand National 5 times, the Canadian National 10 times and too many other wins and accolades to list. Rounding out the American offerings is a 1923 Indian Scout and the highlight of my visit, a 1916 Harley-Davidson F-Head Single C which is one of the oldest running Harleys in Canada.

The museum is the result of a vision Domenic Casciano had, and has been in the planning stage for three years. Casciano has had a love for motorcycles, old and new, since he was a child. He owned 13 classic pieces himself when he began his quest for another collector to share his dream of opening a motorcycle museum. A few interested party's inquired but they didn't have enough hardware in their possession to open a museum with. After years of searching and planning, Casciano was about to give up his dream. By chance, one of his conversations with a collector led to Casciano receiving a phone call from another motorcycle enthusiast and the perfect collection was found. An agreement was made and the museum would open with 54 bikes. The 'Artistry in Iron Collection' is on lease to the museum from Ed Leslie of the Peterborough, Ontario area. The rest, as they say, is history (no pun intended). Casciano's plan is to sell a few select bikes each year in order to bring new ones in so the display will be ever-changing and evolving.

After the tour there is of course the gift shop for your chance to pick up souvenirs before hitting the streets again. The shop has many motorcycle related items including shirts from various vendors, licensed H-D items and general biker paraphernalia.

For those of you who have never been to Niagara Falls or those who have not been for a long time, maybe it's time for you to check out the city again. There are lots of interesting things to do in the Falls like a tour of the Evel Knievel Motorcycle Museum, waste away a few hours at Casino Niagara and there are lots of first rate hotels and restaurants, but don't forget to check out the Classic Iron Motorcycle Museum. It is definitely a worthwhile stop. MMM

5743 Victoria Ave., Niagara Falls, ON
905-374-8211

Although a couple Harleys overflow onto the second floor, most of the bikes displayed here are pieces from around the world. The decor is the same but the technology is different. Most of the european marques are of English decent with the exception of a beautiful 1966 BMW R27.

It was a frosty morning in late September when I rode down to visit the Classic Iron Motorcycle Museum but the late morning sun soon warmed up the day making for an enjoyable ride. By noon the streets of Niagara were bustling with a surprising number of tourists for late September, mostly in t-shirts, oblivious to the freezing temperatures only four hours prior.