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AGV Backmarker: Wheels Through Time
June 12, 2009 by Mark Gardiner
Filed under Backmarker
Wheels Through Time is focused entirely on American machines, with lots of emphasis on three uniquely American motorcycle racing high points: the board-track period that peaked in the ’teens, the hill-climb period that peaked (literally!) in the ’30s, and ’50s-era Class C dirt trackers. Mary Pinizzotto photo
In the spirit of full disclosure, I had heard stories about Walksler’s initial move to Maggie Valley, and stories of his falling out with a second town. Before meeting him, I expected him to be some kind of tax rebel who was bringing this on himself. Instead, I was completely charmed by him. Having met him, I know that he didn’t amass this collection as a monument to himself; he did it out of a deep affection for America’s history of motorcycle sport. “A museum’s real value is not in its collection,” he told me. “It’s in what people take away from it; a memory, or a fond awareness.”
According to him, his fight with Maggie Valley isn’t about money. He says he’s never taken a dime out of the museum for himself, or demanded subsidies from any level of government. It’s about simple stuff like having them include his museum in local tourism promotions and putting one of those brown signs up on the highway that indicate local tourist amenities.
Dale told me that for much of the seven years he’s been located in Maggie Valley, his museum employed up to nine or ten people and that he’d had over 400,000 visitors. Trust me, it’s not as though Maggie Valley has an excess of this kind of economic activity. There are lots of bikers passing through, and anything that makes them more likely to stop—maybe even eat a restaurant meal or book a motel room—is good for the town. But, as he says, “A ‘Bikers Welcome’ sign doesn’t necessarily mean the locals actually like motorcyclists.”
Anyway, out of frustration at the lack of support he was getting from his adopted town, he closed the museum. Screw ’em; if they won’t support Wheels Through Time, he won’t give thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts a reason to contribute to the local economy. Right now, he’s filling his time with several restoration projects in the museum’s workshop, pitching a cable TV show on motorcycle history, and looking for a new display space in a different town.
A visit to his website, which has a ton of video content, will quickly establish his talents as a presenter, so his show (he hopes to be announcing a production deal soon) will be great. His love for the subject really comes through, and he has a real knack for finding great stories.
Talk about serendipity. Lately, I’ve been kind of focused on the emerging electric-motorcycle scene. I was amazed to find that Dale has an early-’70s electric prototype built on a Harley Sportster rolling chassis. I have asked him to scan and email me some documentation from this bike, dubbed the “Transitron Mk. I.” When I have more information on this fascinating precursor, I’ll include it in a future edition of Backmarker. Mary Pinizzotto photo
There’s lots that’s neat about his collection, but what fascinated me the most was the way he displayed bikes with great period documentation, and his appreciation for the serendipitous ways bikes had come to his attention. He told me about one bike—I think it was a factory Harley race bike—that broke an impossible-to-replace cam. Years later, he was rooting through a cluttered old bike shop, opened a drawer, and found exactly the cam he needed. Listening to him tell the story, it’s obvious that he treasures the memory of that lucky find as much as he does the finished machine.
Right now, he’s not looking for a new cam; he’s looking for a new town to house and display most of his collection. When he finds it and reestablishes regular visiting hours, I’ll be sure to mention it in AGV Backmarker. As they say in France, a visit to his collection “is worth the detour.”
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Mark,
What Dale says about Maggie Valley is true. I and several others in our BMW club have written the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce on Dale’s behalf, and their attitude about motorcycles and Dale’s museum is very ambivalent. Hot rod cars are welcome, bikes are not.
I just don’t get their attitude about motorcyclists. If they would just look at how much impact the Honda Hoot had on Knoxville’s economy, you would think that they would see the light.
Four hundred thousand visitors buy a lot gas, food, motel rooms and touristy junk. It has to make a difference.
Phil Daulton
Seymour TN
Mark, I’m glad you wrote this article. I’m afraid it is too late to keep Dale in Maggie Valley, but I wish it could. I too particiapated in letter writing to the Maggie Vally Chamber of Commerce. Beyond a causual acknowledgement that my letter was received, that was it, nothing else ever said. It was about as condescending a response as I’ve ever received. I hadn’t been to Maggie Valley in years until Dale opened his museum. After that I made several trips over there. We usually made it apoint to eat while there, and possibly bought gas. Once Dale is gone, I’ll have no reason to go back. In fact, after the way they have treated him, and in fact, the motorcycling public along with Dale, I have no desire to ever spend another dime in their town.
Some are likely to say this lack of respect or “use” for motorcylists and their money can be laid at the feet of the so-called 1%-ers. You know, the loud pipe, burn-outs in the parking lot riders, and while Iw ill agree that doesn’t always help our plight I think the problem is much deeper rooted, because they are a small percent of the motorcycling “whole’. Much like Myrtle Beach has ercently done, they have decided the motorcycle $ isn’t worth their time and trouble. They don’t like us, so why invite us to come visit?
If that’s how they really feel, then let’em starve.
Tim Pruitt
Knoxville, TN
Dear Marc. I ran across you story today (8 13 09) and read it with great appreciation. Thank you!! To bring you up to date on wheels——-We have anounced SPECIAL OPENINGS here at the museum. Those dates are on our Wheels Through Time website. I would also like to mention our position/condition is actually more of a statewide issue. Unlike West Virginia, North Carolnia as a whole seem uninterested in the motorcyclist tourism dollars. We have met a stonewall at EVERY department in N.C. Government. It seems they are more interested in the Wine industry (newest iniatives in beer tasting) than the motorcycling industry. I think it would be approiate for enthusiasts to get involved in lobbying for this cause. You see this institution cannont reach its potential in such a negitive environment and will NOT continue to subsidize our local economy with motorcyclists hard earned dollars. I hope this finds you well and thank you for your kind words. Best Regards Dale Walksler——–one more thing —local and state MEDIA is usually willing to undermine our industry as well.