A motorcycle ridden by an off-duty New York City firefighter into Lower Manhattan after he watched the South Tower collapse is now sitting inside the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. The 2000 Harley-Davidson Super Glide Sport was featured in a September 4 museum program and is now on view there.
Duffy was off duty that morning but, after watching the South Tower collapse, rode his motorcycle with a friend toward Lower Manhattan, according to a report by onmilwaukee.com. A later collapse temporarily buried him under debris before he dug himself out to help with rescue efforts, according to KBHB Radio. Duffy spent nearly three months working at Ground Zero, while the motorcycle was left at the Millennium Hotel as he continued on foot and later in a truck, per the same account.
The bike itself became part of the historical record that day. Photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum captured an image of the motorcycle on September 11, 2001, a photograph that has since become one of the enduring visual artifacts of the attacks, the outlet reports. Tannenbaum, who attended the September 4 loan presentation at the museum, also gave a talk on his own work that day.
A Formal Presentation Inside a Labor Day Festival
The motorcycle was formally presented on loan to the Harley-Davidson Museum, located at 400 W. Canal St. in Milwaukee, during First Responders Appreciation Day, part of the museum's the RIDE Home festival. The event ran September 3 through 6 and offered free admission to active and retired firefighters and law enforcement officers on September 4, the day of the presentation, according to Harley-Davidson. Duffy attended the presentation in person, as did Tannenbaum, whose Behind the Lens lecture that same day also touched on his photography of cultural figures including John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Bruce Springsteen.
The bike is a 2000 Harley-Davidson FXDX Dyna Super Glide Sport, built with a 1450cc Twin Cam 88 V-twin engine, fully adjustable front forks and rear suspension, and dual front disc brakes, according to Top Speed. Harley-Davidson Motor Company helped restore the motorcycle ahead of its public display, though the exact scope of that restoration work has not been detailed.
Recognition Stacking Up in Duffy's Anniversary Year
The museum loan arrived on the heels of another major honor for Duffy. He was named Grand Marshal of the 86th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota in August and was presented with the American Hero Award at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, marking the 25th anniversary year of the attacks, per KBHB Radio.
Duffy's life after the fire department has centered on veterans and fellow first responders. He is a retired FDNY firefighter and went on to found 1 Soldier 1 Dog 1 Team, a Manalapan, New Jersey nonprofit that rescues shelter dogs and trains them as service animals for military veterans and first responders coping with PTSD, according to Cause IQ. Cause IQ lists the nonprofit but does not provide details of a Harley-Davidson Foundation grant.
The Toll That Outlasted the Attack
The exhibit lands during a year when the scale of FDNY's 9/11 losses remains central to how the department and the city remember that day. During the attacks on the World Trade Center, 343 FDNY firefighters lost their lives, according to NYC.gov. Health conditions associated with the disaster have emerged in the decades since 2001.
Duffy's Harley is serving as a memorial artifact this anniversary year.
