Twenty-five years after 9/11, a Harley-Davidson that carried a New York City firefighter into the chaos of Ground Zero is taking its place in history.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, New York City firefighter Tim Duffy was off duty and working on his Harley-Davidson when everything changed.
He had just pulled a spark plug when he heard a massive boom.
Then came the sirens.
From his kitchen window, Duffy watched the second plane slam into the World Trade Center. He immediately knew he had to get to work.
He put the spark plug back in, grabbed an FDNY T-shirt and jumped on his motorcycle.
Duffy rode to his fire station before putting on his turnout gear and heading toward lower Manhattan.
A Motorcycle in the Middle of History
As Duffy made his way toward the World Trade Center, the streets were becoming a disaster zone. Debris filled the roads as people fled the area and first responders raced toward the towers.
Duffy kept going.
Along the way, he stopped to help people and navigated his Harley through the destruction.
That’s when photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum spotted him.
Tannenbaum heard a motorcycle approaching and turned around. What he saw was a firefighter in full turnout gear riding a Harley-Davidson down Broadway.
He captured a single frame.
That photograph would become one of the most recognizable motorcycle images connected to September 11.
It wasn’t a picture of a motorcycle sitting in a garage or parked at a rally.
It was a picture of a biker riding directly into one of the darkest moments in American history.
The Bike Stayed With Duffy for 25 Years
Duffy kept the Harley for decades.
For him, it wasn’t simply an old motorcycle. It was something he could get on when life became difficult.
He eventually had to stop riding after an accident, but the motorcycle remained with him.
Over the years, Duffy received letters from firefighters, veterans and others who said the famous photograph had inspired them to become first responders.
Those letters eventually helped him make a difficult decision.
Rather than keeping the Harley in his garage, Duffy decided it belonged somewhere where people could see it and understand the story behind it.
Now It’s Part of Harley-Davidson History
The motorcycle has officially become part of the collection at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, just in time for the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Duffy had other options for displaying the bike, including a museum in New York.
But he chose Milwaukee because it’s the home of Harley-Davidson.
And that’s fitting.
This motorcycle isn’t just a piece of Harley history.
It’s a piece of American history.
For riders, there’s something especially powerful about seeing the actual machine that carried Duffy toward Ground Zero that morning.
Motorcycles have always represented freedom, independence and the ability to get where you need to go.
On September 11, 2001, this Harley became something else:
A way for one firefighter to answer the call.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day, including 343 New York City firefighters and paramedics and 71 law enforcement officers.
The motorcycle now sits in Milwaukee as a reminder of the people who ran toward the danger while everyone else was trying to escape it.
And for anyone who rides, there’s an important detail that shouldn’t be lost in the story:
That Harley wasn’t sitting in a museum when history happened.
It was being ridden.
Never Forget.
Source: Wisconsin Public Radio (wpr.org)
One thought on “Motorcycle From Iconic 9/11 Photograph Becomes Part of Harley-Davidson Museum Collection”