In a recent Profiles in History auction the legendary motorcycle used by Peter Fonda in the iconic film “Easy Rider” was sold to an anonymous buyer for $1.35 million dollars. The Harley-Davidson chopper motorcycle named “Captain America”, based off of Fonda’s character, has captivated motorcycle fans of all types and ages for years with its patriotic red,white, and blue gas tank and its massive seat. Spokeswoman for the Profiles in History auction house, Sabrina Propper, said the bike was sold from seller Mike Eisenberg late in the night this past Saturday.
The bike is the one that was used to make the film. The production crew of “Easy Rider” wanted multiple bikes in the event that one of the bikes were to break down or malfunction during shooting. This particular is thought to be the only remaining one is existence as the other was destroyed in the filming of the final scene of the movie. The film itself came out in 1969 and was an instant classic and hit. The movie had a budget of around $360,000 and saw $60 million dollars in the box office.
The motorcycle was custom made by Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy, who were commissioned by Fonda and Hopper to produce the bikes to their specific liking. The chopper bikes are made from various parts from Harley-Davidson motorcycles and are based on motorcycles with hardtail frames with Harley-Davidson panhead engines.
The bike was one of the larger items that was part of a massive sale of various iconic Hollywood movie props, items, and memorabilia in Calabasas, California. A fierce bidding war went on for the motorcycle as bids were taken online, via the phone, and in person. This bike is certified to be an authentic original used in the film, however there are various conspiracy theories around the legitimacy of the bike as some claim that all originals were destroyed or stolen. Regardless of rumors this bike was sold with papers from Fonda proving its authenticity.
Photo from Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images
