Key Takeaways

• Harleys have been a movie favorite since '69, with the Captain America bike becoming iconic for rebellious freedom.
• Captain America's preference for Harleys in movies mirrors his comic history, solidifying a strong brand association.
• Harley-Davidson's rich cinematic tradition continues with customized bikes for Captain America films, captivating fans worldwide.

Of all the motorcycles in the world, the camera might love Harleys best. The iconic Milwaukee-based brand has been winning the hearts of movie lovers since 1969 when the “Captain America” Harley-Davidson ridden by Peter Fonda in Easy Rider became an immediate cultural symbol of lawless freedom and love of the open road.

This now-legendary customized bike, with its distinctive long, angled front and star-spangle-banner paint job—all hand-tuned by designer Clifford “Soney” Vaughs and builder Ben Hardy—“did more to popularize choppers around the world than any other film or any other motorcycle,” as said Paul d’Orleans to NPR, author of The Chopper: The Real Story.

UPDATE: 2024/05/05 18:57 EST BY RAUNAK AJINKYA

The Captain America trilogy has been well-received by critics and fans alike, and their inclusion of some great Harley-Davidsons has been the cherry on the top. There's now even a new edition coming up next year, and with that in mind, we have updated this piece to bring out a few more highlights of all the Harleys that have featured in Captain America movies so far.

Why was it dubbed “Captain America”? Comic fans know why: the moniker is a nod to the Marvel superhero’s own historic affinity for Harleys. Ever since he started appearing in print in 1941, when the first Captain America comic was published during the zenith of patriotism leading up to World War II, the war-winning super-soldier has preferred to ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. There is arguably no other fictional character more closely identified with the brand.

To that end, as soon as Marvel started shooting its new cycle of Captain America movies in the last decade, Harley has been more than just along for the ride, manufacturing customized and sometimes even brand-new motorcycles for Captain America and his fellows (and nemeses!) to ride in each of the three films released so far (not to mention the several related Avengers movies). Harley’s rich cinematic tradition has thus lived on over the past several years, its gleaming two-wheeled steeds idolized by Marvel maniacs in cinemas worldwide.

All the information in this piece has been sourced from reliable sources across the internet.

Captain America’s 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA “Liberator”

In Captain America: The First Avenger, released in 2011 as the first of a series of Captain America films, the super-soldier rides the famed 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycle, perhaps best known as the “Liberator,” the pet name given to the hardy workhorse by servicemen in World War II.

After the US entered the war in 1941, Harley-Davidson produced more than 88,000 of these warriors over the course of fighting. Some soldiers even claimed it was “the motorcycle that won the war,” and the “Liberator” became hugely popular among civilians during the peacetime that followed. It was only fitting then that Captain American should ride this historic vehicle—there was just one problem: getting one that was in decent enough shape for filming.

That’s where Harley-Davidson came in: as the manufacturer explained in a 2011 issue of its Hog magazine, instead of using a vintage example, the Motor Company took the retro-style Softail Cross Bones and reverse-engineered the contemporary motorcycle to look exactly like a 1942 “Liberator,” using a mixture of actual WLA motorcycle parts as well as custom fittings. Restoration experts crafted four of these special bikes for filming, one of which was temporarily on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee the summer the film came out.

1942 Harley-Davidson WLA 'Liberator' Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

Captain America’s 2012 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim

In 2012’s The Avengers, however, Captain America adopted a decidedly more contemporary ride, though one that formally still recalled the look and feel of a legendary wartime bobber. In that film, in his “personal time” (that is, when he isn’t on a mission), the superhero can be seen riding a black 2012 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim motorcycle.

While the bike’s stripped-back, retro-look style might subtly evoke the earlier WLA “Liberator” ride of a year before, this particular Harley motorcycle came with some very contemporary, very 2012 features, including a fuel-injected engine and hydraulic valve lifters.

2012 Harley-Davidson Softail Slim Specs

(Specs sourced from Bikez)

Captain America’s 2013 Harley-Davidson Street 750

Soon thereafter, by 2014, Captain America would see his motorcycle upgraded yet again: in that year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, actor Chris Evans is featured zooming along on a new Harley-Davidson Street 750, which was introduced at the Milan Motorcycle Show in 2013 just a week before it blazed into mainstream consciousness in trailers for the then-forthcoming film.

Harley’s Street 750 was specifically designed for agility in the urban environment, making it the perfect motorcycle for Captain America to ride while doing battle against his enemies right in the city center. The Street 750 was one of Harley-Davidson’s first motorcycles to adopt its new fuel-injected, liquid-cooled “Revolution X” platform. Design-wise, it’s also a keystone of Harley’s “Dark Custom” lineup, a fleet of motorcycles specifically designed to appeal to younger, edgier drivers.

2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

The Captain America Bike From Easy Rider Sold For A Whopping Sum

When talking about Harley-Davidsons and the movies, it's hard to skip a mention of one of the most iconic motorcycle movies of all time: Easy Rider. Aside from the movie itself, one of the big attractions was the appearance of a 'Captain America' bike, which went on to cause a huge stir among bike enthusiasts worldwide.

This was a chopper the likes of which no one had seen before, and it instantly became one of the most recognized and coveted choppers ever. According to reputed sources, only two Captain America bikes were necessary and made for the film. Unfortunately, after filming was completed, one of them was stolen.

Cut to 2014, and the supposed original Captain America bike from the film was sold at an auction for a ludicrous $1.35 million. In comparison, other bikes have sold for higher amounts, but $1.35 million is still no amount to be scoffed at. All in all, it just goes to show the kind of pull Harley-Davidson has by being featured in iconic movies.

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• Source for features: Harley-Davidson, Marvel
• Source for technical specifications: Motorcycle Specs, Bikez