‘Renaissance Woman’: MoCo Pays Tribute to Lifelong Harley Fan
Items belonging to Massachusetts Harley fan Barbara Erkkila now on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum.
Harley-Davidson riders are a cut above the rest. No matter the background, or where they come from, or what they do, the one thing all have in common is the MoCo.
And now, one such rider has a place in Harley’s history. Gloucester, Massachusetts newspaper Gloucester Times Daily has the story of Barbara Erkkila, whose two children, Kathy and John Erkkila, have donated their late mother’s MoCo gear to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.
“The family has been extremely loyal to the brand for years,” Kathy said, in part due to how “the bikes are made in America and its been a trusted brand for riders.”
Barbara was born in Boston in 1916, only three years after the MoCo’s 10th anniversary. From her birth to her passing at the age of 98 in 2014, motorcycles, especially Harleys, were a part of her life.
Barbara first hopped on a Harley in 1941, when she met and married her first husband, Onni Erkkila. The following year, she bought a white Harley for herself, and joined her local chapter of the Women of Harley riding club. Her time handling a Harley would be short, though.
“It was a kick-start, and she was too light, ” John said. “My father needed to start it for her. But once me and my sister were born, she decided to give up her bike.”
Barbara continued riding behind Onni on his Harley until his fatal accident in 1981, at which point, she stopped riding entirely. She remained a fan of the MoCo, though, which included maintaining the Women of Harley club, according to John. She also visited her local Harley dealership with her daughter in the early 2000s, where “they took some pictures of her sitting on the bikes.”
Barbara’s lifelong love of riding and Harleys, titled “Renaissance Woman,” is now on display on the second floor of the Harley-Davidson Museum. The display features her riding gear from the 1940s, plus photographs and other memorabilia related to her life.
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