Celebrity Bikers

• August
• 3

11:52 pm Motorcycle

There’s a very long list of celebrity bikers. Harley Davidson motorcycles have been the chosen toy of both the rich and the famous for a very long time. This phenomenon took place almost immediately after the bike was manufactured. I’ve often wondered what the Bad Boys did to set themselves apart in pre-Harley days. I wonder if people who rode motorcycles were even considered to be rebellious or tough before bikers were featured as such in the motion pictures of the fifties. I know that James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” and Marlon Brando in “The Wild One” were considered to be THE original motorcycle movies of the day.

After awhile the coast seemed to be clear for peaceful law abiding citizens to hop on their bikes and ride without being social pariahs. Then enter Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda of Easy Rider fame. Who can forget all those really bad clothes, dirty looking hair and what about the hand gestures we had not seen on the silver screen before?

Parents lived in fear of their babies growing up to be motorcycle riding ruffians and members of Hell’s Angels. The mention of the name of this infamous club brought fear to the hearts of many. The existence of this group didn’t do much to promote a positive Harley or biker image in those days. We’re happy to say that things have gotten better in that situation.

Jay Leno, is an avid collector of Harley Davidson’s and vintage automobiles. Jay was a mechanic for awhile in his younger days and still likes to tinker on engines. That’s one thing you don’t see many celebrity riders doing! Most movie stars are just along for the ride, so to speak.