"Captain America" Wyatt's (Peter Fonda) Panhead Chopper Motorcycle | Easy Rider (1969)

"Captain America" Wyatt's (Peter Fonda) Panhead chopper motorcycle from Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider. In the climactic finale scene, shotgun-wielding yokels attacked Wyatt and Billy (Hopper), crashing Wyatt's signature American flag-patterned motorcycle and ending their freewheelin' ride to New Orleans. This is the crashed motorcycle used for the scene, after the filming of which it was restored to its current state.
Considered the iconic counterculture film of the 1960s, Easy Rider was nominated for two Academy Awards®, won a Cannes Film Festival award for Best First Work, and was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry for its impact on global culture. The motorcycle's destruction was considered a groundbreaking, transgressive representation of widening political fissures between the popular hippie movement of the time and repressive mainstream American culture, and remains one of the most acclaimed sequences ever put to celluloid.
Wyatt's motorcycle was originally designed by Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy of Watts, CA with design input from Fonda. Two bikes were customized with the "Captain America" (Wyatt's nickname in the film) stars and stripes for the production to prevent filming delays. Following production, one of these motorcycles (along with Hopper's motorcycles) was stolen from stuntman Tex Hall's home. Hall gifted the other Captain America chopper - this bike, with VIN "53FL5070" - to Grizzly Adams star Dan Haggerty, who helped maintain the bikes during production, following its destruction in the crash sequence.
Under Haggerty, the motorcycle underwent sympathetic frame-up restoration and was later signed by Fonda to demonstrate its authenticity. David Ohrt also performed additional restoration work after Haggerty sold the motorcycle to a private collector circa 2002. It was then displayed at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa from 2002 to 2013.
Prior to the sale of this original "Captain America" chopper, Haggerty constructed a replica Captain America bike for a vehicle enthusiast. That bike was exhibited as a replica at a public exhibition in the late 1990s; it was not a film-used bike, though Haggerty did install some original film components onto the replica during its build.
In order to resolve any confusion as to whether Haggerty's 1994 replica bike was an original, the offered "Captain America" motorcycle has undergone extensive archival review to confirm its stated authenticity. In addition to including a raft of documentation, vintage motorcycle expert Glenn Bator states that the modifications made to this motorcycle are consistent with modifications seen on the motorcycles in the final cut, in particular the repair welds on the frame's down tube between the engine and transmission that reflect damage from impact. Bator also notes that the 1994 example's construction details are not consistent with the motorcycle frames seen onscreen.
Therefore, this motorcycle is understood to be the sole remaining Captain America from Easy Rider. It features a Harley-Davidson Panhead overhead-valve engine, a chrome hard-tail frame, VIN "53FL5070," and a sissy bar with the iconic "Captain America" Stars and Stripes emblem painted on the body. The gas tank is autographed and dated "2003" by Fonda in black ink.
No warranty is made or implied as to this vehicle's roadworthiness. The lot also comes only with a Bill of Sale, no title. Though it has undergone previous restoration, the motorcycle still exhibits a buildup of grime, discoloration, and scuffed paint. Dimensions: 98" x 40" x 60" (249 cm x 101.5 cm x 152.5 cm)
Additional Provenance: 2002 Letter of Authenticity from Dan Haggerty; 2003 Letter of Authenticity from Peter Fonda (Fonda later distanced himself from this authentication on account of the 1994 replica bike controversy); 2014 Letter of Authenticity from Haggerty stating that this exact motorcycle was given to him by stuntman Tex Hall, who in turn received it directly from Fonda, and that it is the only surviving motorcycle from the production; Letter of Authenticity from motorcycle expert Glenn Bator; additional 2013 Letter of Authenticity from the director of the National Motorcycle Museum stating that this motorcycle has been on display at the museum since August 2002; photographs of the vehicle on display at the NMM; and photographs of Fonda signing this vehicle.
Estimate: $200,000 - 400,000
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