Although not the first rock legend to leap to mind when thinking about motorcycles, Elvis Presley carried his two-wheeled passion with him in life and on the big screen.

A treat for motorcycle enthusiast's as well as Elvis fans, one of the Harley-Davidson's personally owned by the King of Rock and Roll can be seen in a new Presley exhibition opening at Washington D.C.'s Newseum next week.

"Elvis! His Groundbreaking, Hip-Shaking, Newsmaking Story" tells the story of Presley as he was portrayed in the news media and explores how his music and physicality pushed the boundaries of mainstream taste and free expression during a time when America was experiencing deep generational shifts.

The new Newseum exhibit featuring stage costumes and other professional and personal mementos from the Graceland Archives collection in Memphis, Tenn.

"Elvis!" will open on March 19, 2010, in what would have been the King of Rock 'n Roll's 75th birthday year.

The Newseum exhibit features rare photographs and original newspapers and magazines covering Presley's career. Artifacts on loan from Graceland include Presley's iconic 1957 Harley-Davidson motorcycle; the "American Eagle" jumpsuit and cape worn during the rehearsal for his 1973 "Aloha From Hawaii" concert, seen by more than 1 billion viewers worldwide; the gold and diamond belt presented to him in 1969 for breaking Las Vegas attendance records; and memorable costumes from his stage and screen appearances.

The legendary singer was a lifelong member of the American Motorcyclist Association, bought his first motorcycle in 1956 and continued to collect motorcycles as well as cars. They weren't just for show either.

According to a report in 'The Atomic Powered Singer', 'Elvis bought his new Harley on November 1, 1956 while he was in downtown Memphis to have his Continental Mark II insured. Later in the day Natalie Wood, clad in jeans, climbed up on the seat behind Elvis and they gunned out from the Audubon Drive driveway and roared around the Memphis streets for three hours accompanied by a motorcycle policeman and Nick Adams, who was riding Elvis’ old Harley Davidson.'

Presley appeared on the cover of Harley-Davidson's magazine 'The Enthusiast' (pictured below) in May 1956 in the saddle of a new Model KH, a 54ci (883cc) side valve motorcycle considered the precursor of the modern Sportster.

Elvis Presley's motorcycle passions rode onto the silver screen as well.

In 1964's 'Roustabout' Elvis played a motorcycle riding performer trying to earn a living singing in small clubs, while his characters spent a considerable amount of time in the saddle in both 1967 and 1968 in the movies 'Clambake' and 'Stay Away, Joe'.

Produced in collaboration with Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc., the Newseum exhibit also includes a number of rare objects from the Graceland vaults that have never before been publicly displayed. See private telegrams, letters and scrapbooks that chronicle Presley's rise as a music and media sensation, as well as his death and his enduring legacy.

Original work will be seen in the exhibit with a Newseum-produced video featuring vintage footage of the entertainer, from performances to press conferences, shown on a dazzling 90-foot-long video wall in the Newseum's Big Screen Theater and allow visitors to relive some of the top headline-making moments from Presley's career, including:

• The breakthrough recordings that made music history.
• The smoldering performances that made him a symbol of youthful rebellion and a target of censorship.
• The early television appearances that generated controversy and news coverage.
• His White House meeting with President Richard M. Nixon.
• His shocking 1977 death, which dominated the news as no entertainer's death ever had before.

Also included are rare news scrapbooks compiled by his manager, Col. Tom Parker; the coat and belt Presley wore during his historic 1970 White House meeting with Nixon; and the memorial tribute book from his funeral.

The Newseum, a 250,000-square-foot museum of news, offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.

Within its seven levels of galleries and theaters, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

"Elvis!" will be on display at the Newseum through Feb. 14, 2011.

"In many ways, Elvis embodied free expression in America," said Ken Paulson, president of the Newseum, "We're delighted to join with our colleagues at Graceland to tell his story through photos, videos and news coverage spanning more than two decades."