Haas Moto Museum has celebrated the grand opening of its new 20,000-square-foot location at 4301 N. Beltwood Parkway in the northern Dallas neighborhood of Farmers Branch. This follows six years in the Dallas Design Center. Although Bobby Haas, the museum’s founder and curator, passed away in September 2021, the museum has continued due to Director Stacey Mayfield’s confident guidance after working with Bobby Haas from the start of his vision.
Haas Moto Museum treats motorcycles as art; consequently, it is more a gallery than a museum simply displaying historic relics. The gallery imagery is emphasized by the display of the Haas-picked motorcycles. It shows each bike’s unique design features alongside paintings and sculptures interwoven throughout the open floor space.
My first impression when I walked into Haas Moto Museum was quiet wonderment, followed by an unfolding recognition of this museum’s emphasis on beauty rather than function or history. The arrangements of the unique motorcycle models proudly lined up in well-spaced rows allow visitors to closely inspect a motorcycle’s design and assembly, along with that era’s workmanship and restoration results.
Commissioned artworks from various artists are displayed in corners and along the walls, which soften the symmetrical arrangements of the motorcycle model. Artists on display include the paintings of Chris White and Makoto Endo, as well as the scrap-metal-based motorcycle sculptures of Bruce Gray.
To complement and support the work of Haas Moto Museum, there is an on-site workshop that houses lifts, tool cabinets, and other equipment of the trade. Unlike museum workshops that are hidden from public view, the Haas workshop operates behind a glass wall. Anyone can observe the ongoing restoration and custom-build efforts.
The Haas Motorcycle Museum is absolutely worth visiting when you are in the Dallas area, and you can take in the artistic beauty, even if you are not a dedicated motorcyclist. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. General admission for military and first responders is free. Student admission is $5, Senior admission is $7, and everyone else pays $10.
