People of this culture admired not only creativity, but also speed. Among the usual activities such as filming or painting, they liked to drive in the breeze. On World Motorcycle Day, we tell you more about their hidden passion.
James Dean
He bought his first motorcycle in April 1954 and celebrated his role in East of Paradise in this bizarre way. Dean became the owner of the Triumph Tiger T110 – he spent half the fee on a novelty from the British. At the same time, James bought an MG TD sports car.
Triumph Tiger T110 accelerated to 160 km / h. However, James rode the motorcycle for a very short time – apparently the speed was not very good for him. In 1955, the actor traded the Triumph 110 for the Triumph TR5 and bought a racing Porsche Speedster 356 instead of a sports car. Dean rode less and less. But he changed cars like gloves. There were different Porsche models at different times. As a result, the love of speed killed the actor – he died at the age of 24 after crashing into a Porsche 550 Spyder.
“There is no better way to die than this. Everything is quick and clean, and you leave in a glow of glory,” James Dean once said when journalists asked him about a possible death as a result of the race. Everything the actor once said out loud was true. was materialized.
Salvador Dali
Few people know that an outstanding artist loved motorcycles. And I just drove them indoors.
There is a famous story when Salvador Dali arrived at the Le Meurice hotel in Paris, bought an entire floor there, and drove around in a Honda CBR750 helicopter.
By the way, a little later Dali asked to drive a herd of goats to the same hotel to shoot with empty cartridges. We hope the motorbikes and goats didn’t happen on the same day – just imagine what the smell in the room would be like. Although, perhaps, this will only benefit surrealists.
hunter Thompson
The father of Gonzo journalism was indifferent to motorcycles until he toured America with the San Francisco and Oakland affiliates of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
First, Thompson wrote about them in an article for The Nation, after which the short material became a book. In 1967, Hunter went on a trip with the Hells Angels – and it was a big risk, because bikers did not accept journalists at their parties, believing they were defaming the gang on broadcasts. However, Thompson’s work was well received. The Hunter was always honest with the Angels – they saw the drafts of the publication, often visited the journalist’s apartment and noted down their insights.
While traveling with the Hells Angels, Thompson not only wrote about cyclists but also filmed them (and maybe they did too). Several photos are known of Hunter sitting on his newly minted friends’ bikes.
Did Hunter Thompson ride a motorcycle by himself? At least he described his adventures at a biker club and the feeling of riding very convincingly, and knowing Hunter’s love of controlling everything himself, we think the journalist didn’t neglect the opportunity to ride a horse.
Marlon Brando
The Hells Angels members Thompson wrote about loved the movie Savage, about Johnny, the leader of a biker group. Marlon Brando played the character of the cult movie. The actor fell in love with motorcycles even before filming “The Wild One” – moreover, the Triumph motorcycle that he rode in the movie was his property.
Before filming, Brando talked a lot with the cyclists, learning their slang and gestures. She came up with a stylish look of Johnny completely herself. Leather jacket, boots, hat, jeans – all this was from Marlon’s wardrobe.
After his love of “wild” motorcycles did not pass. In 1970 Marlon bought a Harley-Davidson. And, apparently, he drove often – the mileage of the motorcycle at the time of the actor’s death was 13,859 miles (22,299 km).
Elvis Presley
“When I started making money, I first bought a car. But then I realized what a motorcycle is! How wonderful to go into the wind, to feel, to maneuver … ”- Elvis once told reporters.
He liked it more than rock and roll, maybe just motorcycles. Presley had a collection of 15 bikes from different brands – Harley-Davidson, Honda, Triumph. He also bought bikes for his friends – he once bought a truckload of Triumph bikes just to ride with his friends. They would all be very generous comrades!
Today, most of the rock and roll king’s motorcycles are stored in the Elvis Presley Museum in Memphis. Its most famous two-wheeled companion is the Harley-Davidson KH 56. The artist bought this bike with the money he got from his contract with Sun Records in 1955.
Source: People Talk
