Its theme is the confrontation of two bikers to the reactionary traditionalism of the southern United States. The very title of the movie is a challenge as it is indeed an expression of hippie slang related to sexual freedom. The film's success is so high that the wording becomes a symbol of the freedom offered by the bike to the marginals.
Four classic Harley Davidson police motorcycles dating from 1949 to 1952 are reworked, two for each actor, taking for the requirements of the film the unusual form of choppers with long forks.
Three Easy Rider bikes were stolen before the end of the shooting and have probably been dismantled. The only survivor was deliberately damaged in the crash sequence. It was presented by Fonda to one of his assistants who returned it to its original configuration, and it was afterwards displayed for several years in a museum.
This iconic motorcycle from the heyday of the hippie dream is estimated $ 1M for sale by Profiles in History in Calabasas near Hollywood on October 18. Here is the link to this lot, 1121, on the LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
The photo of a 1987 replica is shared on Wikimedia by courtesy of the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum: