Famous Harley Davidson Riders
Though it's not documented the very first woman to ride a
Harley Davidson motorcycle was probably Janet Davidson. Janet
was an aunt of Arthur, Walter and William Davidson. She helped
her nephews out by using her artistic talents to paint
pinstriping and lettering on their motorcycles.
Several other women are notable in the just over 100-year
history of the Harley Davidson Company. In 1929 Vivian Bale
road her 45 Twin D Harley on a trip of almost 5,000 miles.
Along the way she stopped to meet with dealers of her favorite
ride. After completing this legendary trip she spent many more
years riding and performing motorcycle stunts at various
racing events in Florida.
Brigitte Bardot was a famous movie star and pinup star in the
1950's. In the 1960's she became so enamored by Harley
Davidson Motorcycles that she debuted her hit single entitled
Harley Davidson. Also popular was a photograph of her astride
her favorite motorcycle. She is wearing hot pants and a
partially unzipped leather jacket.
Well-known actress Elizabeth Taylor rode a Purple Passion
motorcycle that was given to her by her friend Malcolm Forbes.
It was said that the bike matched her famous eyes.
Peter Fonda is probably one of the most famous male Harley
Davidson Riders thanks to the 1969 movie Easy Rider. Dennis
Hopper also appeared in this movie and the photo of a scene
showing them both together, each atop his Harley is still
sough after today.
Malcolm Forbes, the founder of Forbes magazine and one of the
wealthiest men ever, not only loved giving Harley Davidson's
to friends as gifts, he owned more than 50 of them himself.
Forbes began riding motorcycles in his late 40's and enjoyed
it so much he began collecting them. His personal endorsement
of the Harley made its sales soar to new heights.
Jay Leno is another celebrity who is known for his love of
Harley Davidson motorcycles. He loves them so much that not
only does he own several, but he also does his own maintenance
and repair work.
Several other well-known Harley Davidson riding celebrities
include: Elvis Presley, Don Johnson, Jackson Browne, Mickey
Rourke and Tina Turner. And who can forget Arnold
Schwarznegger and His Terminator role. Former President of the
United States, Bill Clinton also posed astride a Harley during
his campaign.
Though not famous in a good way, the hard-core motorcycle gang
known of as the Hells Angels also favor Harley Davidson bikes.
There is no known link to the Harley Davidson Company. This
motorcycle club began in 1948 and by the 1960's was notorious
throughout the United States and Canada. Tied to drugs and
crime just the site of these bikers was enough to strike fear
into an entire town whenever they rode through. Today the
Hell's Angels sponsor several charitable events in the United
States and Canada. Unfortunately they still frequently appear
in the news for criminally related activities. The motorcycle
club has been deemed an established criminal organization by
the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. |
