Before its theft, the sculpture was a gift to every motorcyclist who visited Helmet House.
On the night of Thursday, October 16, carefully prepared thieves stole a 400-pound original bronze motorcycle sculpture from in front of the Calabasas Hills, California headquarters of Helmet House.
"The Ride" is the work of sculptor Steve Posson and art director Liselotte Bjorck-Posson. Posson is also the creator of "Glory Days," the sculpture that is the centerpiece of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at American Motorcyclist Association headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio. "The Ride" was one of the first examples of the "Art in Public Places" program in Calabasas and depicts the joy of motorcycling.
Stealing the three-foot-tall sculpture required cutting the mounting rods that attach it to is concrete and stone base and getting the fairly dense object into a vehicle.
Employees of Helmet House, creator of the Tour Master line of motorcycle gear and distributor of numerous other motorcycle accessory lines, were shocked and saddened to find the specially commissioned work missing when they came to work on Friday. Some said they felt violated. We understand because we feel it a bit too. The emotional, inspiring piece of art has been taken away from the motorcycling public by some sef-centered thugs.
If you have any information that might help in recovery of the sculpture, contact Mark Gandy or Joanne Golden at Helmet House, (818) 880-0000.
If you have questions or comments about this article, email the author at Art.Friedman@primedia.com or at ArtoftheMotorcycle@hotmail.com.