Lot 853: 1998 Harley-Davidson FLHR Road King

Harley-Davidson's long and proud history began in the early 1900s, when Arthur and Walter Davidson joined forces with William S. Harley to build their first motorcycle. The single cylinder motorcycle displaced 10ci which proved insufficient on steep hillclimbs. With the help of their Aunt Janet who painted and pinstriped the bikes, the newly formed alliance largely improved upon their first effort, and sold their first two bikes. By 1908, the newly formed motorcycle was back-ordered as their bikes grew in popularity and they were producing over 400 a year.
The company's success continued until World War I when the outbreak of war stifled their exports overseas. Nevertheless, their clientele had also expanded by this time as the United States Army became their newest client. By 1921 business had resumed to profitable standards, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles were competing heavily with the Ford Model T. In the same year, the introduction of the Harley-Davidson signature engine also took place when the company introduced the renowned Flathead. The Flathead remained in production for many years and was supplemented with the equally impressive Knucklehead. Offering nearly 1000cc's in 1936, the Harley's engine offered the rider optimum performance and ride control. With the resolution of World War II, Harley-Davidson resumed full scale production on their bikes and by 1948 the latest version was introduced. Remaining a mainstay of production until 1965, the Panhead Harley was one of the most popular models the company had ever built and its distinctive chassis features were favored among motorcycle customizers of the period. In the long tradition of Harleys' efforts at self-improvement, it was only a matter of time before the Panhead would be replaced. Its successor, the Shovelhead offered its driver a powerful 1,200cc engine that displaced 74ci, though many were bored out even further for increased performance.

Throughout the 1980s, Harley-Davidson production remained strong and many of the stock bike frames became the objects of customizing Visually, the 80ci Road King's styling radiates Harley nostalgia: skirted fenders, sweeping highrise handlebars, burly headlight with chrome nacelle, all flanked by twin driving lights. Riding the 'King, you never doubt you're on a machine of formidable substance. Nothing may be done quickly or halfheartedly. Each shift is an event; the clutch must be yanked in, the chrome heel/toe shifter prodded with sustained, decisive force. Harley riders know the feel. Decent ground clearance, coupled with a low center of gravity, wide handlebars, narrow profile and grippy rubber can make for fun times when the touring path deviates from the Interstate. This sort of touring is exactly what Peter Fonda used his Road King for.


Known in turn as Henry Fonda's son, Jane Fonda's brother, and counter-culture icon Captain America in the legendary biker movie Easy Rider produced in 1969, Fonda was born in New York City on February 23rd, 1940, Fonda, by his own accounts, grew up trying to live up to his famous father's expectations. An exceptionally bright young man, he entered the University of Omaha as a sophomore at the age of seventeen, without even finishing high school. He then went to New York to pursue his acting career, first working with the Cecilwood Theatre and then debuting on Broadway at the age of twenty-one in a production of Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole. Fonda continued to be consigned to romantic leads until he appeared in Roger Corman's The Wild Angels in 1966. A motorcycle enthusiast whom Corman cast after the film's original star, George Maharis, demanded a stunt double, Fonda seemed a natural for the role of a motorcycle gang leader. The film, which cast actual Hell's Angels and co-starred Bruce Dern, was a violent, drug-addled affair that catalyzed Fonda's reputation as his father's delinquent spawn and direct antithesis. This reputation was furthered by his starring role in Corman's The Trip, a 1967 film about the healing powers of LSD. Co-starring Dern and featuring a screenplay written by Jack Nicholson, The Trip, with its emphasis on sex, drugs, and societal estrangement, provided a preview of the film that would give Fonda both fame and notoriety.
In 1969, Fonda starred in Easy Rider, a film that he also produced. Directed by Dennis Hopper, it starred Fonda, Hopper, and Nicholson as freewheeling, pot-smoking adventurers who find their counter-culture lifestyle threatened by the encroaching confines of the Establishment. One of the cultural landmarks of the late 1960s, it was also an unexpected commercial success, grossing over $19 million at the box office, earning Fonda an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, and contributing to Hollywood's new interest in young audiences and socially relevant movies.
Fonda, who had exiled himself from L.A. in 1969 to live in Montana, where this Harley-Davidson Road King is registered in his name, seemed more aware of this than anyone: in an interview, he was quoted as saying, "I was Captain America and where....can you go with that? You can only ride so many motorcycles and smoke so many joints." Fonda's true comeback was Ulee's Gold, Victor Nunez's 1997 exploration of loss and family ties. He won raves for his portrayal of the title character, and the Best Actor Oscar nomination he received for the film served as the industry's formal recognition of his re-emergence as a Hollywood player.

While participating at the Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary celebrations with his Road King he gave an interview with Anderson Cooper CNN anchor, about the Impact of Harley-Davidson on American Culture

Anderson Cooper:�. in the 1950s, the emergence of motorcycle gangs such as those seen in The Wild One began to tie motorcycles, sometimes negatively, to specific lifestyles. ���..but it was really Easy Rider that made the Harley Chopper an enduring emblem of freedom and rebelliousness. What is it about Harley-Davidsons that makes them so popular and legendary?
Peter Fonda, : Well, first of all, if you've had a pictorial of their career, I guess you would call it, as making motorcycles, it was the largest and loudest motorcycle than anything in the world. It was a very American thing. We had bigger cars and so we had bigger bikes.
Cooper: How big a party is happening? How loud is it in Milwaukee right now? You know, all those Harleys getting together it has to just be quite an event going on?
Fonda: It is major, Anderson. It is totally major. And I was here on the 90th and rode here on the 95th. There's so many motorcycles in this town right now. Everybody has a couch to rent is probably doing that.

In Peter Fonda�s own words when he recently commented on the Harley-Davidson �Road King� Bonhams & Butterfields is proud to be offering at auction he said:

�The bike has been to Milwaukee for the Harley-Davidson 95th anniversary,
100th anniversary, and 7 Love Rides. I've ridden it to Sturgis seven times,
to Four Corners three times and many runs over the Beartooth Highway. Many
rides I took through Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and
throughout western Montana. Of the 20,000 miles put on the bike, less than
1,000 of them have been on freeways. I changed the front fender to a Fat Boy
fender, removed all emblems from the tanks and bags, and installed a Thunder
Header 2 into one exhaust system. Painted front fender the original Fat Boy
silver-gray. It has inserts for the hard bags and the removable three pouch
bag for the back fender. I had the stage 2 kit installed by Harley-Davidson
of Glendale. The paint was put on in 2004 and the solo seat (the 7th one I
tried that gives me a very comfortable ride) was put on in 1998. The bike
runs extremely well and has had no mechanical problems from the get-go.�

-Peter Fonda June 2007

The bike was purchased at the Harley-Davidson of Glendale dealership which belongs to Fonda�s old friend and �Love Ride� creator Oliver Shokouh (an event that has raised over $20 million for charity since he started it). The original invoice, under stock number 6919 on November 8, 1997 bill of sale and all service records come with the bike. Bonhams & Butterfields recommends close inspection of this Harley-Davidson which represents a possibly unique opportunity to acquire �Captain America�s� personal motorcycle.