I know, I know, collectors will pay insane amounts for one-offs or vehicles with well documented histories, but this bike is different.
First of all it’s not the only copy floating around that purports to be THE bike that Fonda rode in Easy Rider. Rumours abound but apparently 2 were built for the movie. One was crashed at the end of the film and the other was stolen, along with both Dennis Hopper bikes – or so the story goes. This particular unit that was just sold is supposed to be the crashed bike, restored by Dan Haggerty of Grizzly Adams fame. But then so is a second bike, owned by Texan Gordon Granger and also authenticated by Haggerty. Clearly one is a replica, but which one?
Even Fonda doesn't know what’s going on, being quoted as saying "There's a big rat stinking someplace in this."
So, $1.35 million for a bike with dubious credentials. Good deal or insanity?
I know which term I’d use (even if I had a ridiculous amount of money to throw away on toys – sorry, investments).
I don't think of vehicles as investments…Especially a motorcycle so I'll vote for insanity (or stupidity).
ReplyDeleteRichard - Okay, I'll let you have 2 votes.
DeleteA fool and his money ......as the saying goes. I have that same helmet and will toss it in for a small additional $900 USD.
ReplyDeleteAZHD - Sounds like a great deal.
Deletelol... i though i knew of yet another bike.. owned by a local rider and lotto winner; dennis sanfilippo. but link after link after sigh dead link, i have confirmed, tada! it's a replica! of course, it took finding a darn bikernet article, versus network media. anyway, (nsfw) if you're interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bikernet.com/pages/Bikers_Rock_San_Fran_Erotic_Ball.aspx
MQ01 - Yes, there are lots of copycats out there. Interesting site btw.
DeleteSo your thinking I paid to much?
ReplyDeleteRobert - If I'd known you were the anonymous buyer..... :-)
DeleteWhat the hell ... it's just money. It's not like there are starving kids to feed or terrible diseases to cure right?
ReplyDeleteVSL - One could certainly come up with better things to do with that amount of money.
DeleteWell gotta say probably wouldn't buy it, just think of many other bikes you could buy with that! Heck I could have one for each day of the week, so to heck with the 'investment', usually they turn out to be money pits that you are throwing money away in and then most wouldn't drive it because of the 'what the heck happens if I crash factor', so there it sits just being stared at. I for one am a person who'd want to ride the damn thing, instead of stare at it and then worry about someone stealing it. Yup a money pit if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteDar - That's the thing, it will never be ridden, only displayed somewhere or hidden in some guy's garage so he can go and pretend to be Peter Fonda making vroom-vroom noises.
DeleteI could squeeze maybe 3 'riders' in the garage space that thing would take up.....nope, not for me.
ReplyDeleteBut does it run?
ReplyDelete:=)
It's probably a really uncomfortable ride by modern standards. That's a rigid isn't it? And with those high bars? Mind you I suppose the owner doesn't intend to ride it much.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the bike. It's not the money. It's the obscenity of spending that much money on what amounts to a worthless idea, the notion (apparently doubtful at best) that this particular bike appeared in a movie. That's a lot of bad karma. The question is not whether the buyer could afford the expense. Can they afford the bad karma? Yikes!
ReplyDelete