ALT-1 Most Influential Motorcycle Movies of all Time
Motorcycle movies represent the antihero. They show alternative lifestyles, and of course, the iconic motorcycle represents freedom and individualism.The best motorcycle movies star the motorcycle and the owner's love for the machine.No LimitIn 1935, a British comedy, 'No Limit', starring George Formby, Jr., is about a chimney sweep, George Shuttleworth who wants to ride with the Rainbow Motor-Cycle team. He fails to be selected for the team. He borrows money from his grandfather and builds his own motorcycle, the “Shuttleworth Snap”. He takes his contraption to the Isle of Man TT (True Test). His bike fell apart, but the Rainbow team, impressed with him, lets him ride the Rainbow Ariel. He wins. Formby rode the Ariel Red Hunter Single outside of the movie. It was British made. It had polished steel flywheels and a cylinder head with polished combustion chamber and ports. The Ariel had 27 hp with 6000 rpm, and it could reach speeds of 100 mph.The Wild OneIn 1953, Marlon Brando became the epitome of defiance. He portrays Johnny Strabler, the leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club and Lee Marvin, portrays Chino, leader of the rival Beetle Motorcycle Club. The movie is “loosely” based on a true story written in Life Magazine about a 1947 incident in Hollister, California. The gangs come to the sleepy town of Wrightsville (Hollister). The town's sheriff is an elderly man, who keeps the peace without any deputies. The gangs wreak havoc on the town until the townspeople take matters into their own hands. Johnny is arrested for killing a man that he did not kill. In the end, Johnny rides off into the sunset.The main influence of this film is, of course, the motorcycles. It was the first movie in which the name of the manufacturer's logo showed. Johnson Motors imported the Triumphs into the USA. They were upset that their motorcycles linked their name with the gang of Black Rebels. Britain banned the movie until 1968.Marlon Brando rides his own bike. Most motorcycle enthusiasts are interested in this 1950 Triumph 6T. It is a 650cc Triumph Thunderbird (registration number looks like 63632 from a still). Marlon Brando as Johnny is on the cover of the Beatles' album, 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (he is on the left behind the Beatles in b&w).Lee Marvin played Chino for this movie. He did not know how to ride a motorcycle. He refused to be "bested" by Marlon Brando. He learned to ride before the movie started. He rode a Harley in the movie. The San Francisco Hell's Angels chapter president, Frank Sadilek bought the striped shirt Lee Marvin wore in 'Wild One' to meet with police officials in San Francisco.Lee Marvin, as Chino, used a real biker, Willie Forkner (known as “Wino Willie” who rode with the Booze Fighters Motorcycle Club) as the basis for his character. This was the “incident” in Hollister that the movie depicted. The original incident was never violent. Every year, since 1997 (50th anniversary) the Hollister residents hold an anniversary celebration.Lee Marvin bought a Triumph, 200cc Tiger Cub and competed in desert races.Easy RiderIn 1969, the counterculture movie, 'Easy Rider', Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper bike ride through the US on their way to Mardi Gras in Louisiana. The title has different meanings. It became known as the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Captain America (or Billy's Bike). The adventures of Wyatt (Wyatt Earp) and Billy (Billy the Kid) are symbolic of a time frame. The promotions for the film claimed that “A man went looking for America and couldn't find it anywhere.” The American flag, long hair and drugs all represented a disenfranchised America. It became a classic, alternative film of a Woodstock generation. A time when Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated. The Vietnam War was ongoing. The film symbolized the end of an idealistic era of “love and peace”.There were several Captain Americas. One was destroyed, another stolen, and the final one blew up (there are varying reports about the number of bikes). It represented America with its flag paint. Peter Fonda was an experienced rider and oversaw the making of the Billy Bike. The original was a 1952 Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide which Fonda bought at a police auction. Captain America kept its original H-D (Harley-Davidson) Panhead engine. That is the end of its originality. The rest of the cycle was stripped, bent or extended as per Fonda's instructions. It was a “chopper”. Turn signals, front brake, seat springs, and front fender were trashed.What was the end product was an air-cooled 45 degree v-twin four-stroke engine. The ignition was a battery and coil. The engine had 60 bhp (boiler horse power) at 6000 rpm. The fuel came from a single Linkert carburetor. It had a four-speed transmission. Top speed was 90 mph. A rear drum provided brakes. It weighed approximately 600 pounds. The bikes were extremely uncomfortable but were “rad” looking!This is only a fraction of “chopper” movies in which the bike is the star. Steve McQueen's movies used his bikes as stars.
