AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum raffle bike winner says it's a keeper

When Doug Crossett of Katonah, N.Y., learned that he won the 2009 Harley-Davidson Rocker with an additional gas tank signed by H-D styling guru Willie G. Davidson raffled by the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, his wife, Nancy, was more excited than he was.

"I was thrilled because he goes on all these charity rides and buys all these raffle tickets, and he finally won one," she said when she and her husband arrived at the AMA Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, on Dec. 9 to pick up the Rocker, which was donated by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.

"But I wondered where we would put it, because there's no room left in the garage," she said. Crossett joked they would put it in the house.

Crossett said when he learned that he had won the bike, he figured he would sell it to help pay for the education of his son, Mark, who is a junior at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.

After all, Crossett said, he already has a stable of Harleys—a 1972 Sprint, which was the first bike he ever bought, a 2001 Fat Boy, a 2007 Road Glide and a 2008 V-Rod.

Crossett is a businessman who owns and operates Michael's Tavern and McArthur's American Grill, both in Pleasantville, N.Y., and The Katonah Grill in Katonah, N.Y. When he's not running his businesses he enjoys long-distance riding, serving as sweep for long-distance charity rides organized by Robert "Hoagy" Carmichael of Hoagy's Heroes (www.HoagysHeroes.org).

Crossett said he didn't know where he bought the $100 winning ticket, but he wanted to buy it to support the efforts of the AMA Hall of Fame.

Then he gazed at his new Rocker and said: "I was going to sell it. But now that I see it, I'm going to keep it."

The Rocker was just one of several bikes raffled in 2009 to raise money for the AMA Hall of Fame. For 2010, enthusiasts have the opportunity to win two milestone Honda machines with just one raffle ticket.

One is a 1969 CB750K0 Sandcast fully restored by world-class restoration expert Vic World of World Motorcycles (www.WorldMotorcycles.com). Many say that this motorcycle started the superbike revolution.

The other Honda is an original 1965 C100 Super Cub with only one mile on the odometer. The Super Cub was among the first Hondas sold in the United States, beginning in 1959. The other two models were the Dream and the Benly.

The donation is $5 per entry, five entries for $20. The drawing will be held during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, in July. The winner need not be present at the drawing to win.

To buy tickets, click here or call the Hall of Fame at (614) 856-2222.