The Wild One
| The Wild One (1953) was inspired by the Hollister Rally of 1947, which because of the press and movies like this, gave motorcycling a bad image from which it's still recovering. The non-riding public ate it up. | | 
|  This shot of Brando probably didn't do much for the image, either. Yes, those
are Triumphs they're on, but Harleys outnumbered them in the movie.
| When Johnny (Brando's character) was asked by Mary Murphy (who played the
sheriff's daughter) "What are you rebelling against?", he replied, "What do you got?"
| |
Here's Lee Marvin falling off his wishbone Pan. This particular
bike could not have been in Hollister in '47 (it didn't exist).
A tender moment between Brando and Murphy
| |   Promotional shots from The Wild One. In case you didn't see the
movie, that's a stolen second place trophy tied to Brando's handlebars.
Easy Rider
The movie Easy Rider (1969) had a big influence on my life. Here Wyatt (Peter Fonda)
and Billy (Dennis Hopper) are cruising through New Mexico on their way to Florida.
Both bikes used in the movie were '51 Panheads, bought at a police auction by Peter
Fonda. There were originally four bikes; these two were stolen, never to be seen again.
During the making of the movie, these bikes saw less than a hundred miles of actual
road use, being trailered from location to location. Hopper's bike is the less radical
of the two because he had very little motorcycle experience, and didn't like to ride.
Along the way, the pair pick up a hitchhiker (Luke Askew, biker movie veteran),
who takes them to his commune and gives them acid for their trip.
Although the hitchhiker invites them to stay at the commune, the pair realize they'd
feel out of place, and they leave in a few days (but not before skinny-dipping
with a couple of the resident hippie chicks).
Billy and Wyatt camping under the stars. This is probably the closest shot of either
bike I've seen. I bet you thought that side-mounting license plates was a new idea!
While in jail for parading without a license, Wyatt and Billy meet George Hanson
(Jack Nicholson), a slightly corrupt lawyer. Actor Rip Torn was originally slated
to play George, but had other commitments. Talk about bad career choices!
Hangin' out and drinkin' PBR behind the scenes at the Louisiana cafe. All of the
extras in that scene were locals who probably had no idea what they were a part of.
Some seldom-seen shots from the movie
Billy giving the one finger salute in the final scene. It proved to be a mistake.
As you can see by these posters, Easy Rider was an instant success.
Terminator 2 | 
For most moviegoers, Terminator 2's special effects dominated
the screen, but then, most moviegoers don't ride a Harley.
Here's Arnold leaving the bar on his stolen '91 Fat Boy. He rides
a Harley in real life, too (no Jap crap for the Terminator).
This split screen shows the Terminator entering the bar (above), and his view
of the parking lot. Whoever programmed him got the model designation wrong.
In the shot below it, he's leaving the bar with the keys to his new Fat Boy.
This four-shot shows the Terminator entering the L.A. River (which is actually
a big storm drain), and landing on the "riverbed", truly a spectacular stunt.
Here's Arnold saving Edward Furlong from the evil Terminator (Robert Patrick).
|
Important Announcement
