The Journey Museum
Sturgis Bike Rally Show 2004


"BOB’S BACK WITH DAVID MANN;

OLD SCHOOL BIKING RETURNS TO THE JOURNEY"

EXHIBITION TO COINCIDE WITH 2004 BLACK HILLS MOTORCYCLE RALLY RAPID CITY, S.D. –


Crocker Bobber

The Journey Museum will mount its fourth annual motorcycle theme exhibition in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery that will coincide with the 2004 Black Hills Motorcycle Rally.

The roots of custom motorcycling inspired this year’s exhibition. More than a dozen " Bobber" style bikes, which reflect a style of motorcycle in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, will accompany a retrospective display of original paintings by David Mann, the artist who chronicled the motorcycle culture from the 1960’s through recent times.

David Mann first became known through his work for Easyriders Magazine, in which his art was reproduced as the magazine’s center spread starting in 1973 and continuing until 2003. Each month, readers would look forward to another witty interpretation of the motorcycle lifestyle through David’s vision. These scenes came from the artist’s personal experience, myth and imagination, and always depicted something motorcyclists could relate to. The illustrations were commonly torn from magazines and tacked to the walls of shops, garages, living rooms and clubhouses across America. To this day, most motorcyclists that have been riding for twenty years or more years remember specific images that they can still describe in full detail. David’s most famous image, "Ghost Rider", was often reproduced on custom gas tanks and even tattooed across biker’s backs. Countless motorcyclists were touched in some way by his art and still consider themselves his loyal fans.

To accompany David Mann’s paintings, photographer / exhibition producer Michael Lichter, has collected a group of old school motorcycles that will be showcased in the gallery. " Bob’s Back," as the group of bikes is called, reflects the recent resurgence of the " Bobber" style motorcycle that became popular in the 1950’s and was a prevalent style until the chopper’s of the 1960’s took over. In small garages, all brands of motorcycles including Harley-Davidsons, Indians, Crockers and Triumphs were stripped of extraneous parts to make them lighter and faster. Front fenders disappeared, back fenders were cut short or "bobbed", and windshields, crash-bars and unnecessary sheet metal were tossed away. All this before the after-market motorcycle industry had developed, as we know it today, to supply parts that could be purchased and bolted on to customize a motorcycle. With stock running boards and short front ends still in place, the bikes took on the appearance of street legal flat-track racers.


Velocette Bobber
The motorcycles that make up "Bob’s Back" will include traditional "Bobbers" as they may have appeared in 1958 like Cycle World’s Editor, David Edward’s, 1940 Indian Scout Bobber that toured for four years with the Guggenheim Museum’s "Art of the Motorcycle" as well as modern interpretations by well-known builders like Billy Lane, Chica, Hank Young and Brian Klock. Other motorcycles include bronze sculptor Jeff Decker’s 1941 Crocker from Utah and a bobber from Puerto Rico by builder Jose de Miguel.


Billy Lane Bobber
This exhibition has been made possible by the generous support of Joe Teresi who has loaned all of the original David Mann paintings to the museum and Segal Fine Art, a publisher of limited edition artwork that has recently added David Mann to their roster of painters they represent. Additional support has come from Metzeler Motorcycle Tires N.A. for sponsoring the reception and the motorcycle builders and owners who graciously loaned their motorcycles to the museum.

In conjunction with the reception, Metzeler Tires has organized its second annual Custom Motorcycle Competition on Tuesday August 10th in the parking lot in front of the museum. Custom motorcycles that use any of Metzeler's tires, from standard sizes right to their super wide 280, will be checking in until 11am and remain on display until 6pm while judging takes place. The grand prizewinner, who will be announced during the reception, will win a trip to Italy with their motorcycle to attend the EICMA show, the largest motorcycle show in the world.

"Bob’s Back with David Mann" will open to the public on Saturday August 7th and will remain open through Saturday, August 14. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with extended hours until 6 p.m. during bike week, August 7–14. A reception with live music and refreshments at which many of the motorcycle builders will be present will be held, August 10 from 4:00 – 8:00pm. The reception is open to the public. The museum is located at 222 New York Street, two blocks east of the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn and the Civic Center where Harley-Davidson is headquartered. The normal $6.00 admission has been reduced to $5 (kids 10 and under are free) to welcome motorcyclists during bike week, August 7–14. This also includes admission to the five major prehistoric and historic collections and the Museum Theater.

The Journey Museum serves as a forum to preserve and explore the heritage of the cultures of the Black Hills region and the knowledge of its natural environment so residents and visitors can understand the values of our past, enrich our present, and meet the challenges of the future. For more information, visit the museum's web site at www.journeymuseum.org or call the museum at 605 394-6923. Additional information is available on Michael Lichter’s Web site at www.lichterphoto.com and Segal Fine Arts’ Web site at www.motorcycleart.com.