Newburgh earned some street cred with bikers worldwide when Orange County Choppers built its world headquarters on Route 17K in 2008. Now, Motorcyclepedia, a new museum displaying antique and hard-to-find bikes, cements the city’s place in the chrome-lovin’ hearts of motorcycle enthusiasts.
This 85,000 square-foot gallery was opened in April by father-and-son duo Gerald and Ted Doering of Newburgh. It displays more than 400 bikes, many of which the pair have amassed in their separate collections over the years. The location is best known as the “old Miron building,” which Ted previously bought to run a parts-manufacturing business.
“They saw it as an opportunity to share their love of motorcycles and of the sport by displaying the bikes so that others can enjoy them, too,” says spokesperson Christine Doering, Gerald’s daughter.
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Easy riders: A vintage Thor motorcycle (above), which is on display at Motorcyclepedia in Newburgh. Below, a stunt rider takes a gravity-defying spin on the museum’s Wall of DeathCollectors and history buffs alike can drool over an enormous showcase of Indian brand bikes, including a time line representing one from each year between 1902-1953; Christine says they believe this might be the most extensive collection in the world. Other impressive displays include bikes from the WWII era, 1960s choppers, tons of vintage Harleys, and more than 100 bikes created by now-defunct brands. A wooden replica of an 1885 Daimler — the first known motorcycle — sits behind a velvet rope, but the oldest actual model at the museum dates back to 1897.
Downstairs, the museum houses the Wall of Death: a cylindrical wooden wall — ranging in diameter from 20 to 36 feet — with perfectly straight sides, on which stuntmen ride parallel to the ground. The wall was in operation on opening day, ridden by the German daredevil who created it. “Right now it’s just for show,” Christine says, “but we’ll probably have him come back in the future to ride again.”
Visit www.motorcyclepediamuseums.com for more information.
Motorcyclepedia
250 Lake St. Newburgh. 845-569-9065
Thurs.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m.-5 p.m., $10, $5 children under 12
