More than 100 motorcycles on display in new St. Charles Museum

Over 100 years of chrome and leather machinery are now on display at the St. Charles Motorcycle Museum and Art Gallery.

About 120 motorcycles were displayed during the museum’s grand opening weekend, where owners held ribbon cuttings and an open house event on Saturday March 1.

The museum is located at 1317 E Main St. (Route 64) just east of Dimples Donuts.

Kane County resident and museum owner Andy Coczwara invited the community to an open house event from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on March 1.

During the event, a Polish food truck served guests in the parking lot all day, and a live band played inside the museum from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Moto Art Bar was also open inside the museum serving drinks and charcuterie during the event.

Inside the museum, a collection of motorcycles stretches from wall to wall, encompassing over 100 years of history and innovation from brands like Zundapp, Indian, Harley Davidson, Sokol, BMW and more.

Coczwara’s love for motorcycles started at a young age. He said he got his first motorcycle at 15 years old, before even having a driver’s license, which he fixed up with his father and was the first vehicle he drove after obtaining his license.

Coczwara spent several years buying, fixing and selling motorcycles, until about 30 years ago, when he decided to stop selling and start collecting. Since then, Coczwara has amassed over 200 motorcycles in his collection.

The oldest bike in the collection is an Indian brand motorcycle from 1912, furnished with its original engine made in Aurora. Walking through the Indian section of the museum is akin to seeing a slideshow of advancements in engineering through the years, as the bikes get more and more modern.

Coczwara’s favorite bike, however, is his Polish-made Sokol 1000. Sokol was a popular brand before World War II, but faded into history shortly after. He said the bike is one of about 400 in existence, making it highly sought-after and fetching a hefty price tag.

Coczwara said the collection will grow considerably over the next year. The museum’s inventory is only about half of his full collection, many of which are in storage or other museums across the country, but will soon be added to the gallery in St. Charles.

Veterans and history buffs will appreciate the museum’s vast collection of military motorcycles from both world wars. Coczwara has several bikes from both sides of the wars, including the German BMWs and American Harley Davidsons.

A special display was created for the American military vehicles from World War II, which includes the Harley Davidson Knucklehead and the WLA, nicknamed the “Liberator,” all outfitted with historically accurate equipment, weaponry and mannequins in uniform.

At the open house event, members of the St. Charles veterans center color guard led the ribbon cutting ceremony.

St. Charles resident and veteran Stephen Von Lawne said the Veteran’s Center was asked to join the museum in celebrating their grand opening. He said while there isn’t a direct connection between the veterans and the museum yet, he expects them to have a great relationship going forward with future fundraising events planned to be coordinated with the museum.

Coczwara said he was pleased with the turnout at the event, which drew over 100 people to the museum on Saturday.