5 iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles that became famous after hitting the big screen – Jalopnik

Harley-Davidson and Hollywood have had an elusive bond since the invention of the silver screen. The brand’s cinematic legacy goes beyond product placement. Directors use Harley-Davidson motorcycles to express power, rebellion and freedom. No other motorcycle comes close to being an intangible part of the film, and in some cases as iconic as the film’s hero himself. From the vintage helicopter cruising across America in “Easy Rider,” to the burly Fat Boy and Arnold Schwarzenegger jumping into a storm drain in “Terminator: Judgment Day,” these motorcycles have helped shape pop culture. Naturally, the connection to movies brought enthusiasts to Harley showrooms.

Some notable films featuring Harley-Davidson motorcycles include “Pulp Fiction,” “Wild Hogs,” “Rocky III,” “Expendables II,” “Hobbs and Shaw,” “Green Hornet,” “X Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Harleys were even featured in TV series like ‘Sons of Anarchy’, which focused on motorcycle gangs. We’ve put together a list of movies that give Harleys a lot of screen time and a role that’s almost as important as the hero. We also recommend cool motorcycle movies from across the pond like ‘God Speed ​​You! Black Emperor’, a fascinating look at a real Japanese motorcycle gang.

“The Wild One” centers on a young Johnny Strabler (played by Marlon Brando), a leather-clad leader of the Black Rebels motorcycle club. It was a film that introduced the Harley-Davison biker stereotype to the silver screen. Funny enough, Johnny wasn’t responsible for this. He rode a Triumph Thunderbird. It was rival gang leader Chino – played by Lee Marvin – who rode a Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide and helped Harleys become associated with rebellion and the outlaw image. It’s also one of the 10 most memorable Harley-Davidsons from movies and TV. “The Wild One” was the film that gave Harley-Davidson its first brand recognition.

Harley-Davidson introduced the Hydra Glide in 1949, introducing new innovative hydraulic front forks to the motorcycle, as well as a new front-end design language that is still in use today. The motorcycle had a 74 cubic inch Panhead V-twin engine. A fun fact: Indian ceased production in 1953, the same year the Hydra Glide was featured in “The Wild One,” leaving Harley-Davidson as the only remaining American motorcycle brand for a while.

‘Easy Rider’ made enthusiasts long for a custom cruiser and contributed to the helicopter craze of the 1970s. The film is about two Harley riders traveling through America and offers a cultural view of the country in the 1960s. Interestingly, although they were not credited, African-American bicycle builders Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy built the motorcycles used in the film. This was highly unusual at the time, as African American motorcycle riders and builders faced discrimination and prejudice in both the film industry and the bicycle scene.

Of the two motorcycles, the motorcycle ridden by Wyatt “Captain America” ​​(played by Peter Fonda) was called the Captain America chopper and became a cultural icon. Based on a 1950s Harley-Davidson Panhead, the custom motorcycle looked striking, with star-spangled banner paint on the fuel tank (and a matching helmet), an impossibly long rake, chopped fenders and chrome trim.

The Panhead V-twin engine, introduced in 1948, replaced the Knucklehead engine. These had better lubrication and more efficient cooling, thanks to solid fins on cast aluminum heads. As for the name Panhead, the nickname is due to the pan-shaped rocker covers. Four vintage Harley-Davidson Panhead police motorcycles were purchased and modified for the film. Four helicopters (two of each) were made, one of which was destroyed during filming and the rest were stolen during production. Interestingly, one of the film’s actors, Dan Haggerty, restored a Captain America Chopper and sold it at auction for a whopping $1.35 million.

Make no mistake: “Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man” is a movie that glorifies Harley-Davidson motorcycles (and cigarettes). The film follows biker Harley-Davidson (played by Mickey Rourke), who enlists the help of his cowboy friend Marlboro Man (played by Don Johnson) to rob an armored truck to save their friend’s bar. As far as ’90s action movies go, this one was unapologetically trashy, and while it bombed at the box office, it elevated Harley-Davidson’s cult status. Some would even argue that the film is an hour and a half commercial for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, especially the Softail and the FXR.

The FXR was introduced in 1982 to counter the influx of Japanese motorcycles on American soil. The Harleys were no match for the handling and ride quality of these foreign motorcycles, but the FXR set out to change that. It delivered the performance of a V-twin while offering better handling.

While Don Johnson rides a black Harley Softail in the film, it is Mickey Rourke’s silver FXR that steals the show. The motorcycle, known as Black Death, was heavily modified, with megaphone pipes, a stretched front end and drag pipes. Interestingly, Mickey Rourke owned a custom FXR and a replica was built for the movie stunt scenes. This was identical to Mickey’s motorcycle, but had an S&S 80 cubic inch V-twin instead of the original 98 cubic inch engine.

It wasn’t the first time a cyborg rode a Harley-Davidson. That honor goes to “RoboCop 2,” released a year earlier, in which RoboCop (played by Peter Weller) rides a 1986 Softail Custom. However, that scene, while cool, isn’t as iconic as the Fat Boy’s jump scene in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” The Terminator franchise put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Hollywood map and gave us one of the coolest characters in cinema. Dressed in black leather and black sunglasses, and holding a shotgun in one hand, Arnold as a T800 cyborg was a menacing protagonist, but his look wasn’t complete without the black Harley-Davidson Fat Boy.

The Fat Boy went through many tests and customer validations before being introduced in 1990. Over the years, the thick headlight surround, massive wheels and straight exhausts have become iconic design elements that define the Fat Boy.

Back to the iconic jump scene, where Arnie straddles the Fat Boy and jumps off the Los Angeles freeway into a dry storm drain. For the film, director James Cameron insisted on using Harley-Davidson motorcycles, despite riders saying that this Harley-Davidson is the most difficult to handle. Lead stuntman Peter Kent purchased five Fat Boys in 1992, two of which were modified to make them faster. The jump scene has a 30 foot drop and with the heavy motorcycle it was impossible to perform the jump without destroying the motorcycle and the rider’s spine. Therefore, the bicycle was lowered into the storm drain using steel cables, which were later digitally removed in post-production.

The ‘Captain America’ franchise has had its fair share of Harley-Davidson motorcycle cameos. The film franchise follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who is turned into a super soldier to fight the Nazis. During a World War II battle scene, Chris can be seen riding a WLA Liberator. It was a motorcycle that helped America win the war. It was Harley’s wartime production model, with a stripped-down, rugged build and was used during the war for patrol, light artillery, transport and reconnaissance. For the film scene, a more modern Softail Cross Bones edition was used as a donor bike and heavily modified to resemble the Liberator.

In the second film of the “Captain America” ​​franchise (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Steve is seen fleeing the bad guys in a modern Harley-Davidson Street 750, which was only recently released at the time. You can even see him briefly riding a black Harley Softail Slim in “The Avengers.”

In fact, you’ll see Harley-Davidson motorcycles scattered throughout Marvel’s cinematic universe. Some notable examples include Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) on a Harley LiveWire in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, and the Street 750 ridden by the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) in ‘Captain America: Civil War’.