s***@gmail.com
2015-04-26 16:02:34 UTC
Sitting bored in a waiting room I decided to start a list of notable names
and celebrities connected in some way with motorcycles.
Alphabetical by last names:
* Sonny Barger b.1938 - founding member of the HA's, Oakland Chapter
* [notorious in Canada] Maurice "Mom" Boucher b.1953 - former president,
HA Montreal chapter; currently in prison. (pronounced boo-SHAY)
* Marlon Brando 1924-2004 & Lee Marvin 1924-1987 - _The Wild One_ (1953)
* Erik F. Buell b.1950 - founder of Buell Motorcycle Company
* Floyd Clymer 1895-1970 - pioneer in the sport of motorcycling, racer,
motorcycle dealer and distributor, magazine publisher, racing promoter,
author, and motorcycle manufacturer; publisher of Clymer motorcycle
shop manuals
* Peter Fonda b.1940 & Dennis Hopper 1936-2010 - _Easy Rider_
* Arlo Guthrie b.1947 - "I don't want a pickle; I just wanna ride my..."
* Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel 1938-2007 - motorcycle stunt showman
* William S. Harley 1880-1943 & Arthur Davidson 1881-1950 - HD MoCo founders
* Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 - army dispatch rider in WW1
* Soichiro Honda 1906-1991 - Japanese engineer and industrialist.
Established Honda in 1948 and oversaw its expansion from a wooden
shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile
and motorcycle manufacturer
* Lawrence "Indian Larry" DeSmedt 1949-2004 - noted motorcycle builder,
artist, stunt rider and biker
* Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence (of Arabia) 1888-1935 - rode a Brough Superior
* David "Dave" Mann 1940-2004 - motorcycle/biker artist
* Steve McQueen 1930-1980 - prominent biker; m/c scene in _The Great Escape_.
Supported 1971 motorcycle documentary _On Any Sunday_ by Bruce Brown
* James Lansdowne Norton 1869-1925 - motorcycle designer, inventor and
manufacturer of the Norton motorcycles. One of the pioneers of the British
motorcycle industry
* Gregory Peck 1916-2003 & Audrey Hepburn 1929-1993 - _Roman Holiday_.
This movie's mayhem scooter scene (less than 2 mins) popularized the Vespa:
: Reports from the time suggest that right after the release of Roman Holiday
: Vespa sold over 100,000 units as a direct result.
-- http://www.motorcycle.com/how-to/audrey-hepburn-and-the-rise-of-the-vespa
* Enrico Piaggio 1905-1965 - Italian industrialist who designed and began
production of the Vespa scooter at the end of WW2
* Robert Maynard Pirsig b.1928 - American writer and philosopher; author of
_Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ (1974)
* Vladimir Putin b.1952 - Russian President; rides a HD trike and publicly
associates himself with Russian motorcycle gang and political activists
the Night Wolves MC (who receive funding directly from the Kremlin)
* Ronald Reagan 1911-2004 - imposed a protective tariff in 1983 against large(!)
displacement (700+ cc) motorcycle imports at the request of HD
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa032.html
* Sylvester H. Roper 1823-1896 - American inventor. The Roper Steam Velocipede
of 1867 may have been the first true motorcycle
* Ed "Big Daddy" Roth 1932-2001 - the "Rat Fink"; custom bikes and cars
* Hunter S. Thompson 1937-2004 - Gonzo journalist; author of _Hells Angels_
(1967). Rode a Triumph Bonneville
* Craig Vetter b.1942 - fairing designer and manufacturer. Claims his
Windjammer was best-selling of all fairings
* Brian Douglas Wilson b.1942 & Michael Edward "Mike" Love b.1941 of
the Beach Boys; co-wrote "Little Honda" (It's not a big motorcycle,
just a groovy little motorbike)
* The House of Windsor (British royal family)
Prince Charles: http://ukfrancebikers.com/2012/11/13/prince-charles-on-a-motorbike/
Prince William: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516036/Prince-Wheelie-Wills-indulges-love-motorbikes-testing-Ducati
--gets-mini-bike-to-George.html
Prince Harry: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/prince-harry-rides-a-motorcycle-through-the-arizona-desert-
20112111
Duke of Edinburgh: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/happy-birthday-prince-philip-quotes-duke-edinburgh-93-1451938
Queen Elizabeth (as princess): http://thevintagent.blogspot.ca/2012/06/god-save-queen-of-motorcycling.html
* (???) Can't recall name or title - American author; wrote very funny book
about HD ownership, starting in England with a Sportster. Title something like
_Harley Madness_.
Any suggested additions/corrections appreciated. For instance, racing champions
are conspicuously absent as I am not much into bike races. However there's one
who I think deserves mention; I can't recall his name, but he's an American
track racer who took his bike across the Pond and outraced the Europeans
on their own turf in quite a spectacular way. Help wanted on this one; TIA.
SQ
and celebrities connected in some way with motorcycles.
Alphabetical by last names:
* Sonny Barger b.1938 - founding member of the HA's, Oakland Chapter
* [notorious in Canada] Maurice "Mom" Boucher b.1953 - former president,
HA Montreal chapter; currently in prison. (pronounced boo-SHAY)
* Marlon Brando 1924-2004 & Lee Marvin 1924-1987 - _The Wild One_ (1953)
* Erik F. Buell b.1950 - founder of Buell Motorcycle Company
* Floyd Clymer 1895-1970 - pioneer in the sport of motorcycling, racer,
motorcycle dealer and distributor, magazine publisher, racing promoter,
author, and motorcycle manufacturer; publisher of Clymer motorcycle
shop manuals
* Peter Fonda b.1940 & Dennis Hopper 1936-2010 - _Easy Rider_
* Arlo Guthrie b.1947 - "I don't want a pickle; I just wanna ride my..."
* Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel 1938-2007 - motorcycle stunt showman
* William S. Harley 1880-1943 & Arthur Davidson 1881-1950 - HD MoCo founders
* Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 - army dispatch rider in WW1
* Soichiro Honda 1906-1991 - Japanese engineer and industrialist.
Established Honda in 1948 and oversaw its expansion from a wooden
shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile
and motorcycle manufacturer
* Lawrence "Indian Larry" DeSmedt 1949-2004 - noted motorcycle builder,
artist, stunt rider and biker
* Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence (of Arabia) 1888-1935 - rode a Brough Superior
* David "Dave" Mann 1940-2004 - motorcycle/biker artist
* Steve McQueen 1930-1980 - prominent biker; m/c scene in _The Great Escape_.
Supported 1971 motorcycle documentary _On Any Sunday_ by Bruce Brown
* James Lansdowne Norton 1869-1925 - motorcycle designer, inventor and
manufacturer of the Norton motorcycles. One of the pioneers of the British
motorcycle industry
* Gregory Peck 1916-2003 & Audrey Hepburn 1929-1993 - _Roman Holiday_.
This movie's mayhem scooter scene (less than 2 mins) popularized the Vespa:
: Reports from the time suggest that right after the release of Roman Holiday
: Vespa sold over 100,000 units as a direct result.
-- http://www.motorcycle.com/how-to/audrey-hepburn-and-the-rise-of-the-vespa
* Enrico Piaggio 1905-1965 - Italian industrialist who designed and began
production of the Vespa scooter at the end of WW2
* Robert Maynard Pirsig b.1928 - American writer and philosopher; author of
_Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ (1974)
* Vladimir Putin b.1952 - Russian President; rides a HD trike and publicly
associates himself with Russian motorcycle gang and political activists
the Night Wolves MC (who receive funding directly from the Kremlin)
* Ronald Reagan 1911-2004 - imposed a protective tariff in 1983 against large(!)
displacement (700+ cc) motorcycle imports at the request of HD
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa032.html
* Sylvester H. Roper 1823-1896 - American inventor. The Roper Steam Velocipede
of 1867 may have been the first true motorcycle
* Ed "Big Daddy" Roth 1932-2001 - the "Rat Fink"; custom bikes and cars
* Hunter S. Thompson 1937-2004 - Gonzo journalist; author of _Hells Angels_
(1967). Rode a Triumph Bonneville
* Craig Vetter b.1942 - fairing designer and manufacturer. Claims his
Windjammer was best-selling of all fairings
* Brian Douglas Wilson b.1942 & Michael Edward "Mike" Love b.1941 of
the Beach Boys; co-wrote "Little Honda" (It's not a big motorcycle,
just a groovy little motorbike)
* The House of Windsor (British royal family)
Prince Charles: http://ukfrancebikers.com/2012/11/13/prince-charles-on-a-motorbike/
Prince William: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516036/Prince-Wheelie-Wills-indulges-love-motorbikes-testing-Ducati
--gets-mini-bike-to-George.html
Prince Harry: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/prince-harry-rides-a-motorcycle-through-the-arizona-desert-
20112111
Duke of Edinburgh: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/happy-birthday-prince-philip-quotes-duke-edinburgh-93-1451938
Queen Elizabeth (as princess): http://thevintagent.blogspot.ca/2012/06/god-save-queen-of-motorcycling.html
* (???) Can't recall name or title - American author; wrote very funny book
about HD ownership, starting in England with a Sportster. Title something like
_Harley Madness_.
Any suggested additions/corrections appreciated. For instance, racing champions
are conspicuously absent as I am not much into bike races. However there's one
who I think deserves mention; I can't recall his name, but he's an American
track racer who took his bike across the Pond and outraced the Europeans
on their own turf in quite a spectacular way. Help wanted on this one; TIA.
SQ