The remaining movie bikes seemed poised to become the property of the actors and producers until thieves broke into a storage garage and took all the bikes except the trashed Captain America. The custom bikes held together quite well during the production of the film except for one of the Captain America choppers that was trashed in the explosive last scene of the movie. Two examples of each custom bike were needed due to the rigors of film production. They made two “Billy Bikes” named for and ridden by the character played by Dennis Hopper and two of the more radically chopped Captain America machines ridden by Fonda. The 55-horsepower Panhead was customized by Fonda, customizer Tex Hall and actor Dan Haggerty, who had a brief appearance in Easy Rider but is best known for his role in the TV series “Grizzly Adams.” The three did all the chopping, welding, fabricating and painting to produce four bikes for the movie. The custom bike featured a rigid wishbone frame that was slightly laid back, 12-inch extended front forks, tucked and rolled upholstery on the laid back buddy seat and chromed parts throughout. The Captain America chopper that Fonda rode is based on a Harley-Davidson police cruiser, one of four 1951 Harley-Davidson Panheads purchased by the actor from a Los Angeles Police Department auction. Along with his pal Billy (played by Dennis Hopper), the duo ride their motorcycles across America in this ground-breaking film that would become as the iconic motorcycle movie. In the opening credits of the 1969 movie “ Easy Rider”, actor Peter Fonda, who played Wyatt, the lead character, rides off on his custom motorcycle that he named “Captain America” to the tune of Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild”.
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