Start your engines at Burnet’s motorcycle museum

By Jennifer Greenwell

A motherlode of motorcycle history in shiny metal and every color of the rainbow can be found in Burnet at Hill Country Motorheads. Here in the Highland Lakes of Burnet County, the motorcycle museum houses the largest collection of vintage motorcycles in the area and is one of only a handful of such museums in Texas. The collection includes bikes by Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Norton, Vincent, Cheney, AJS, Maico, Puch, Bultaco, Hodaka, Husqvarna, Montesa, and more with an emphasis on racing bikes.

Brothers Mike and Pat Hanlon, co-owners of the museum, developed a taste for motorcycles in the 1960s and ’70s. That passion continued as they grew up and began collecting bikes and memorabilia. The collection became so big that a museum was the next obvious step, and they opened Hill Country Motorheads in Burnet in 2018. 

The museum’s nearly 7,000 square feet is brimming with a great variety of bikes: street, motocross, road racers, drag racers, flat track, trail, and utility. An area designated as the Man Cave offers both men and women a place to hang out, shoot a game of pool, or enjoy shop talk with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. In addition to the museum, Hill Country Motorheads has motorcycles for sale.

The museum is located at 2001 Texas 29 West in Burnet and has “plenty of paved parking for all sizes of vehicles, trailers, and bikes.” The doors are open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday but closed on all major holidays and the entire month of January. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors over 65, military, veterans, and first responders. Children under 12 get in free with an adult. The museum has a Facebook page and a website. Call Hill Country Motorheads at 512-553-4078 for more information.

Note: During this time of COVID-19, all guests over the age of 2 must wear face coverings, maintain 6 feet of separation from others not in your group, and observe hand sanitation guidelines while inside the museum.

jgreenwell@thepicayune.com