Guess it's me but taking the rear suspension off the best riding motorcycle HD ever built seems a bit counter productive. And as far as the movie, one can find better plot construction in a sub par Bugs Bunny cartoon............

Mind you the bike does have a cool look, but I like to ride more than 3 miles before my kidneys bleed.

 

I agree, I thought the movie was utterly stupid and to turn a perfectly good FXR into that abortion of a motorcycle ought to be a federal CRIME.

 

So here is some interesting info, that appears to support there were 4 (FOUR) unique FX... Bikes built & used in the movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man staring Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke.

Movie Mystery Bike Solved, the Mickey Rourke Black Death
Will the Real Mickey Rourke Cult Classic Please Stand Up:
http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=8911

Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man Bike at Loess H-D, Is it Black Death Three or Four:
http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Harley..._Loess_HD.aspx

I agree with the sentiment others have said, while cool as hell looking, the seat & strut combo on the movie bike(s) could not be very comfortable for anything other than short-distance bar hopping; which is why I have a functional seat and suspension on my tribute bike. I won't build or buy something I can't ride for hours...

 

Here is Chuck Zito riding his Marlboro Man bike at Empire HD in NY, 9/11/12. I'm in the scrum there somewhere. Tried to keep up with Frankie Diamonds on the highway to Brooklyn, but as he was doing like 80-90 weaving among semis and blowing through the tolls.... let's just say he was already inside the club Jaguars 3 in Sunset Park when I rolled in! :-)

 

pics i shot of Chuck Zito bike 9/11/2012 when rode w/ him on group ride for SoAn premiere Season 5. Enjoy!

 

pics i shot 9/11/12. Fun!

 

That's cool Bobby. I hope Zito rode it better than Mickey did in the movie. He looked like he was going to dump it on his burnouts. Thanks for sharing.

 

Mickey Rourke teamed up with Chuck Zito and his Black Death Motorcycles enterprise and also with Arizona builders Carefree Custom Cycles; the plan to produce exact re-pops of Black Death as seen in the movie, utilizing the original DB3 for a template. They did the strut conversion and followed the matching paint and graphics treatment, handled by Jason and Phil Smith/Cougar Ridge Rod Shop. The big change, and a major departure from the original, was a replacement of the FXR EVO motor with a 114-inch Powerhouse sourced from Mid-USA and pumping a purported 135 HP. Other components included a heavy duty Falicon crank, a 5-speed tranny, Andrews gears, and Primo belt drive. - See more at: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Harley..._Loess_HD.aspx

From Chuck Zito's book: Then on page 161, Zito states, “As for the Marlboro bike...Well, I borrowed it six years ago, and I still have it today. In fact, the inscription on the carburetor reads: "This is the original Black Death motorcycle used in the movie Harley-Davidson & the Marlboro Man.” That was BD3, with the stroker motor. - See more at: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/Harley..._Loess_HD.aspx

The semi- final word as to the disposition of the original Black Death bike as seen in the movie may have been revealed in Chuck Zito’s 2002 book Street Justice (St. Marten’s Press, NY). On pages 159-60, the author (actor, stuntman, bodyguard to the stars, ex-prez of NYC HA MC) writes of his friendship with Mickey Rourke and reveals the true story behind the destiny of the original Marlboro Black Death bike.

He writes: “That was Mickey, though, always pushing the envelope. Always looking for a good time. We remain friends to this day. In fact, one of my motorcycles I own actually belongs to Mickey. It’s the original Black Death motorcycle used in the movie Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man starring Mickey and Don Johnson.

I visited Mickey one day at his house in Beverly Hills, the garage of which was full of bikes, a dozen in all, bikes that he had built or bought. Some of them were beginning to rust by then-Mickey wasn’t riding as much as he used to-so I said, “Why don’t I take a couple back to New York and restore them for you.” Mickey didn’t mind. He was never one to be cheap. If he liked you, he gave you the shirt off his back...

“Anyway I happened to have a friend who happened to being going to New York with some other bikes, so I put a couple of Mickey’s bikes on the trailer and off they went. I went back into the house and Mickey asked me which bikes I took. “The Marlboro bike and the bike from Stone Cold,” I said. (1991 movie). Back in New York with the help of brothers John and Sal Petrazzi, I built the Marlboro bike back to its original condition.” Then on page 161, Zito states, “As for the Marlboro bike...well, I borrowed it six years ago, and I still have it today. In fact, the inscription on the carburetor reads: "This is the original Black Death motorcycle used in the movie Harley-Davidson & the Marlboro Man.”
- See more at: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=8911