Peter Fonda’s Iconic ‘Easy Rider’ Chopper Headed to Auction Block
Easy Rider, meet Big Spender: The tricked-out, Captain America Harley-Davidson driven by Peter Fonda in that 1969 film is headed to the auction block on October 18th, and it’s expected to secure a hefty price tag. According to The Associated Press, auction house Profiles in History estimates that the iconic American flag chopper will bring between $1 million and $1.2 million at the sale, which will be held online and at their galleries in Calabasas, California.
The bike’s seller is California businessman Michael Eisenberg, who previously co-owned an L.A.-based, motorcycle-themed restaurant with Fonda and Easy Rider co-star/director Dennis Hopper. Eisenberg acquired the chopper in 2013 from Grizzly Adams star Dan Haggerty, who was responsible for maintaining the custom Harley during filming for the classic counterculture road flick.
Easy Rider stars Fonda and Hopper as two drug-smuggling hippies on a psychedelic – and, ultimately, tragic – cross-country trek to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Fonda’s panhead chopper, which comes with three letters of authenticity (one signed by the actor himself), features “forward-angled front wheel and handlebars, fishtail exhaust pipes and a teardrop-shaped gas tank.”
While four bikes were created for the film, Haggerty told The Associated Press that the other three were stolen “even before the movie was released,” demonstrating the cultural significance of Easy Rider itself. This particular Harley could be the most significant: It was used during the movie’s literally explosive crash scene climax – which finds Fonda’s character, Wyatt, flying off to his death after being shot at during a drive-by confrontation in Florida.
Eisenberg might rope in a nice chunk of change for his milestone memorabilia, but he also plans to donate “a significant amount” to the American Humane Association in Fonda’s honor.