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Easy Rider fantasy? No problem for $1 million

Michael James

The chopped motorcycle ridden by Peter Fonda in the iconic 1969 movie “Easy Rider” is for sale and could attract a selling priced of more than $1 million.

The auction house Profiles in History told The Associated Press the motorcycle will go on Oct. 18 online and at its gallery in Calabasas, California.

The seller is Michael Eisenberg, a California businessman who once co-owned a Los Angeles motorcycle-themed restaurant with Fonda and “Easy Rider” co-star Dennis Hopper.

Eisenberg bought the bike year from Dan Haggerty, perhaps best known for his roles in the “Grizzly Adams” TV show and movies. Haggerty was in charge of keeping the custom-designed working properly in the movie’s filming.

The motorcycles ridden by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider.
The motorcycles ridden by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider.

The stars-and-stripes panhead chopper with chromed hardtail frame is accompanied by three letters of authenticity. One is signed by the National Motorcycle Museum, where it was displayed for 12 years. Another is from Fonda and a third from Haggerty.

The bike features a forward-angled front wheel and handlebars, fishtail exhaust pipes and a teardrop-shaped gas tank where the protagonists stashed their cash. It was designed with input from Fonda who insisted on it being decorated with the American flag.

“Easy Rider” chronicles two drug-using, long-haired bikers, Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper), who go on a cross-country odyssey to New Orleans in search of personal freedom and easy money.

Four motorcycles were created for the movie, but only one is known to have survived. It was used in the climactic crash scene in which Fonda is thrown off the bike.

Eisenberg said he plans to donate “a significant amount” of the proceeds to the American Humane Association to honor Fonda’s involvement in the organization.

Article Last Updated: September 17, 2014.

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