Cycle World - October 2005

EASTERN MOUNTAIN TIME - by Peter Egan
On Saturday we had a big group ride up into the Smoky Mountains to a small town called Maggie Valley in North Carolina, home of the famousWheels Through Time Museum. This huge shrine to American motorcycles which is the brainchild of one Dale Walksler, who has so much energy and knowledge about old motorcycles he makes the average enthusiast feel starved for brain oxygen and low on coffee. His collection is magnificent-full of great displays and background settings for the old bikes. A must stop for anyone on a motorcycle trip in the region.

Dale gave me a ride in an old Henderson Four sidecar rig, and also in his 1949 Cadillac (which I needed to compare with my own '53 Fleetwood) that used to belong to Steve McQueen. Then he guided us partway back through the mountains on his trusty'36 Harley prototype flathead 80, which he rides almost as fast as a modern sportbike, tank-shift and all.