You don’t stumble upon this kind of treasure trove every day. The Lake Hill Motors Vintage Motorcycle Museum in Corinth, Mississippi, is home to over 150 rare vintage motorcycles on display.
This one-of-a-kind private collection is the love child of Duane McLemore, a motorcycle racer and the proprietor of the bike dealership housing the museum. Learn more about the history of this unique place and the bikes on display.
About the Lake Hill Motors Vintage Motorcycle Museum
Lake Hill Motors & Marine is situated in Corinth, Mississippi — just an hour’s ride east of Memphis. The purpose-built museum is housed inside the dealership. Duane McLemore has personally restored each and every bike in his spare time. All of the two-wheelers are road ready, but some have been mothballed to preserve the finish.
A Family Affair
The Lake Hill Motors Vintage Motorcycle Museum has a decades-long history. McLemore’s father founded the business — originally, a small engine repair shop — back in 1962.
Soon after, the modest shop graduated to a Bridgestone dealership. Dealership deals with Yamaha and Honda followed in the 1960s, making Lake Hill Motors & Marine one of the oldest Honda dealerships in the country.
At the ripe age of 10, McLemore received his first bike as a gift from his father: a Hiawatha Doodlebug. That was all it took for McLemore to develop a lifelong passion for motorcycles.
In addition to riding and restoring nearly every two-wheeler he’s laid his hands on, McLemore is a seasoned racer in his own right. He became AMA pro in the early 1970s and went on to race professionally for over a decade, winning one AMA dirt track national at Talladega and ranking second in 1974 at Daytona.
McLemore’s former racing bikes are now enjoying a well-deserved retirement as part of the museum’s collection.
The Motorcycle Collection
If you’re a classic motorcycles fan, McLemore’s collection should be right up your alley. The museum is home to over 150 vintage international and American motorcycles in pristine condition.
McLemore has a soft spot for early-production motorcycles with low VIN numbers. Here are some of the beauties currently on display:
- 1901 Steffey: This old lady is a year older than the oldest bike at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. It’s basically a motor engine fixed onto a wooden rim Featherstone Model F bicycle. Many sources claim that 1901 was the first year someone attached a motor to a bicycle in the U.S.
- 1937 Zundapp: This bike has a rather turbulent history — the U.S. army confiscated it from the Nazis during World War II. McLemore says he’d been eying the Zundapp for two decades before he was finally able to buy it from another collector.
- Sandcast 1969 Honda 750: Believe it or not, McLemore’s collection has not one but two of these rarities — a blue one and a red one. The blue model was made in the very first week of production.
- 1996 Ducati 955 SP: This stunner looks like a first-generation 916, which is widely considered the prettiest motorcycle ever made.
Contacts & Opening Hours
The museum is located at 2003 Highway 72 East Annex, Corinth, MS 38834. The opening hours are 8am – 5pm Monday through Friday and 9am – 3am on Saturday. For more information, visit LakeHillMotors.com.
