8 Bikes as Famous as Their Owners
Plenty of celebrities own and ride motorcycles, and there are plenty of example of Harley-Davidson that defined the breed. However, occasionally the planets align and a famous person will be connected with a iconic bike, with stellar results.
1. An American Icon
He is the guy holding the Guinness Book of World Records for the most bones broken.The man known as the King of the Daredevils. The guy Muhammad Ali referred to as "the white Muhammad Ali". Evel Knievel jumped animals, then cars, then buses - then in 1974, he attempted the Snake River Canyon. It is hard to picture Evel without also picturing his Harley-Davidson XR750 based jump bikes, one of which is still active with daredevil Doug Danger riding it.
2. A Short but Influential Existence
The four Easy Rider choppers (two of each) were built by Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy out of worn out police bikes, and either blown up or stolen at the end of filming. Since this was an independent film produced by the stars, and both Hopper and Fonda rode, we're going to say they technically owned these bikes. These choppers may be the most recognizable customs ever made, and they only existed in metal for about 6 months. Before the movie had even opened the "hero" bikes were stolen and parted out, and the other bikes had been nearly destroyed in the closing shots of the movie.
3. Elvis Presley Cover Boy
Elvis Presley had many motorcycles over the years, and lots of Harleys. The above picture of him on a KH Harley is actually from the cover of "The Enthusiast" official Harley-Davidson magazine, from May of 1956. This is believed to have been the first new Harley he ever bought, and is now at the Harley museum.
4. Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke
Clint Eastwood has always been a biker and he was known to sometimes ride a Harley-Davidson, though he is more commonly seen on British bikes. Here Clint and his former wife Sondra Locke are shown riding a chopped Harley in "The Gauntlet", a movie Clint directed in 1977.
5. Elvis with his “first big bike"
This is a classic photo of Elvis shows him with his “first big bike", a 1957 black Harley-Davidson FLH he bought from his local Harley dealership in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis may have still be young in 1957, but he had so much money coming in why not buy a top of the line Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide touring bike, with every available accessory?
6. Marlon Brando's Electra Glide
Though it was Marlon's rival, Lee Marvin, who rode a Harley in The Wild One, the man was a long time Harley owner. This black Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide motorcycle was purchased by Marlon Brando on April 8, 1970, and was sold for $256,000 in 2015 by Julien's Hollywood Legends auction showing 13,859 miles. Brando's role as Johnny Strabler was one of the first to romanticize the American outlaw biker culture.
7. Elvis' Ed Roth Style Stires Stallion Trike
Later in life, Elvis had quite a thing for these crazy looking, VW powered trikes. Famed chopper and custom car builder Ed Roth created the first of the breed, and many other quickly copied. These were not machines built for the curves, but they were well suited for cruising the beach or the street of Memphis with his friends and fans.
8. Steve McQueen's Bikes
Steve McQueen wasn't your normal rich and famous Hollywood guy, he was a true gearhead and collector. Even at the height of his fame, he often had "wanted" ads in the paper looking for any rare and well preserved bikes. These days, decades after his death, every bike he ever owned seems to shine out of the dark and command huge money at auction. At almost any major auction there will be a Harley, Indian, Husqvarna, Triumph, or some other rare marque bike formerly owned by the king of cool himself.
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