A birthday visit to the Peterson Automotive Museum

Yesterday was my birthday. To celebrate I took the day off and went on a date with my wife to the Peterson Automotive Museum in Downtown LA. The museum only just reopened last month after being closed for an extensive and expensive remodel. Since this was the first time I visited the place, I can't comment on the old museum, but the new one was fantastic. As this is the My Motorbike Obsessions blog and not the My Motorsport Obsessions blog (hmmm, I like the sound of that…) I'll keep the post to the 2 wheeled goodness that was available. Needless to say if you like Automotive Motorsport, you should take a trip to this place.

While only a pic of the engine, who can complain about a shot of an old school Yamaha V-Max V4? I didn't get the rest of the bike as it was part of a display about cars in Hollywood since the museum is a stone's throw from West Hollywood. This bike was used as a camera bike and had a two seated sidecar for use to get the perfect chase scene footage. While the V-Max's are awesome bikes, I'd really like to use the engine in some type of bike engined race car if I ever win the Powerball.

Fresh and funky from the '60s was this Batcycle from the original Batman TV show. It was really cool and the Robin sidecar had some type of go kart that would come off in the heat of the battle for the dynamic duo to sock it to the bad guys. The bike itself was a small displacement unit that probably had trouble hauling itself and two actors around, but it looks cool.

I forgot to get the manufacturer's name for this lovely little early 20th century 4 cylinder. It was all brass and leather and had so many neat features that show just how far we have come with Motorbike technology. It had a hand pump for the total loss oiling system and at least three levers that I'm guessing control the throttle, transmission and I think the timing. It must have taken some concentration to operate this little thing especially with the brakes that were an afterthought that didn't happen.

At the complete other end of the technology spectrum was this 2015 Kawasaki H2R in all of its $51,000.00 goodness. After seeing this bike fill the pages of magazine after magazine for the last 6 months it was glorious to see one in person. As you can see from the pic it was on an elevated platform so I was able to see all of the mechanical bits including the supercharger. Lots of carbon fiber and that fantastic green trellis frame, love it!

This was a display of motorbike super sport progression from the early 1900's to the modern day ending with the H2R. No mention of super sport is complete without mentioning the original Honda CB750. Always a beautiful bike when they are done right and not hacked up by hipsters.

Before Harley Davidson became the brand for land pirates, they actually had a great racing heritage. The legendary battles between Harley and Indian are tales to be told. This early Sportster was a great example of those halcyon days of competition breeding better machines for the consumer. I love these early sportsters as they are meant to be performance bikes and can get up and go.

Down the line was this Vincent that was just beautiful. Vincents were known for their performance back in their day. The Black Shadow was one model that set records. This one was very clean and had the look of a serious bike.

This Brough Superior was just an amazing example of a performance focused machine. Few creature comforts and an all business look that let you know it was a serious contender back in its day. I was taken by its tough look and no nonsense demeanor.

I have seen many Honda 6 cylinder CBXs since moving to California, but this is the first inline 6 Benelli I've ever seen. There is something about the nest of snakes that is the exhaust system on both this bike and the Hondas that I love.

And when 6 cylinders just isn't enough, there was this Morbidelli V8 bike that just blew me away. I don't know much about this brand, but seeing a gem like this makes me want to find out more. I can't imagine how an engine like this feels, but I sure want to find out.

Well there you have it. A great time and at not much cost. These are just the bikes. I took another 60 pictures of car related stuff as well. The race car displays had so many gorgeous machines that I could fill another couple of pages just talking about them. If you have the opportunity to go to the Peterson Automotive Museum, you won't be disappointed. See ya!

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