Ben Hardy
Hardy (1921–1994) was an American custom motorcycle builder who made the Captain America and Billy choppers for the 1969 Peter Fonda road movie Easy Rider. • Illustration — Replica of the "Captain America" bike in the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum. The Captain America bike, made from a then 20-year-old, heavily customized Harley-Davidson panhead is considered one of the most iconic motorcycles ever built, one which captured the zeitgeist of a generation and became an anti-establishment symbol. Working with another Black motorcycle builder, coordinator Cliff Vaughs, Hardy built two 'Billy' bikes and three 'Captain Americas', one of which was destroyed in the making of the movie, the rest of which were stolen.
Ben Hardy
Joachim Köhler · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Ben Hardy
- Born
- July 25, 1921 Lincoln County Georgia = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Died
- 1994
- Known for
- Captain America and Billy choppers for Easy Rider
- Occupation
- Custom motorcycle designer
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Hardy (1921–1994) was an American custom motorcycle builder who made the Captain America and Billy choppers for the 1969 Peter Fonda road movie Easy Rider. • Illustration — Replica of the "Captain America" bike in the Deutsches Zweirad- und NSU-Museum. The Captain America bike, made from a then 20-year-old, heavily customized Harley-Davidson panhead is considered one of the most iconic motorcycles ever built, one which captured the zeitgeist of a generation and became an anti-establishment symbol. Working with another Black motorcycle builder, coordinator Cliff Vaughs, Hardy built two 'Billy' bikes and three 'Captain Americas', one of which was destroyed in the making of the movie, the rest of which were stolen.
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Biography
Biography
The 'Billy' bike was typical of the custom motorcycles Black bikers were riding at the time. Hardy and Vaughs remained largely unknown and uncredited for 25 years as they were not accepted due to being African-Americans, and were not welcomed into the mainstream motorcycle world in the USA. Known locally as "Benny" and "King of Bikes" Ben Hardy's Motorcycle Service was located at 1168 E. Florence in Los Angeles. He was a mentor to many of the local motorcyclists in South Central, Los Angeles. His work was featured in the “Black Chrome” exhibition at the California African American Museum.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ben Hardy • Born — July 25, 1921 Lincoln County Georgia = Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — 1994 • Known for — Captain America and Billy choppers for Easy Rider • Occupation — Custom motorcycle designer
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Black Chrome. The California African American Museum, Los Angeles, 2009
- 2.Wasef, Basem. Legendary Motorcycles. Motorbooks International. 47–52. 2007. 978-0-7603-3070-8.
- 3.Biskind, Peter. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. Simon & Schuster. 1998.
- 4.What to do if the e-bike was stolen?. 2017-05-26.
- 5.History of the Chopper, Discovery Channel, 2007
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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