Legends on Classic Motorcycles.
There was a time when the classic motorcycle, Triumph Bonneville had "stars" astride.
Marlin Brando, Richard Gere, and Clint Easwood all rode 'Bonney's' in their respective classic movies (no prizes for getting them right). James Dean as legend goes, gave away a Harley to Elvis, and was rumoured to have sat on a classic motorcycle called a Bonneville. James' personal bike had "Deans Dillema" painted on the tank. (No, not a movie)
Brando's bike in fact was a Tiger T110 on which the classic Bonneville motorcycle was based. Also appeared in The Wild One. I'll digress a little here on bike makes as Harley Davidson also had a hand with legends on board. Easy Rider was a 1969 'trip" movie starring Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson. It was released in the year of Woodstock and the assinations of Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy. Also the election of a president called Nixon. Fonda, Hopper and Nicholson rode decorated chopped Harley Davidsons (Nicholson spent most of his time as a pillion)
Classic Triumph Trophy
In 1960 the TR6 Trophy was introduced, it was really a Bonney redesigned, but with only a single carb and cylinder head modifications. None the less it dominated in major classic American events such as Catalina Grand Prix, Jack Pike Enduro and the Big Bear Run four years consecutively. The electrics of this period of Triumphs were subject to failure and Lucas that supplied the components were dubbed the "Prince of Darkness". The motorcycle used in the movie was in fact a 1961 Triumph TR6 Trophy Bird, made up to look like a wartime BMW, in the all time classic film The Great Escape.
Classic Motorcycle Rider, Star, Legend, Steve McQueen.
Steve McQueen was a motorcycle enthusiast, and Steves contract stipulated that his character Virgil Hilts makes his escape in the movie "The Great Escape" on a motorcycle, sealed his "legend" status for all time. The movie was released in 1963 and enthusiastic audiences came to see what was acclaimed to be one of the best War movies ever made.
Steve McQueen was a legend and great rider who performed most of his stunts,...except one, the one over the famous barbed wire fence, Steve crashed trying that one. Steve enlisted his pal, Bud Elkins to do the stunt. Bud went on to be Steve's first and foremost stunt double in most of his future movies.
The chase sequence was filmed near the medievil town of Fussen south of Munich in Germany, and Steve was the German rider he fells with the wire across the road (where did he get the wire for that?) also the lead bike rider with the convoy chasing him. Steve was actually chasing himself all over the place.
