Iconic 'Easy Rider' chopper sells for US$1.35 million

The iconic Harley-Davidson chopper-style motorbike ridden by Peter Fonda in the 1969 classic "Easy Rider" film sold for $1.35 million at auction this weekend.

The "Captain America" bike, complete with authenticating documents including a letter from Fonda, was sold late Saturday at entertainment industry auction house Profiles in History, said spokeswoman Sabrina Propper.

The red, white and blue stars-and-stripes panhead chopper was designed and built by two African-American bike builders, Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy, based on design suggestions from Fonda.

"After fierce bidding, we are so pleased that the buyer values this for the cultural icon that it is," said the seller, Mike Eisenberg.

There were two "Captain America" bikes built for "Easy Rider," so shooting would not be disrupted if one of them broke down. The bike sold Saturday was used in the crash scene at the end of the film.

It was sold as part of a sale of Hollywood memorabilia at Profiles in History's auction rooms in Calabasas, northwest of Los Angeles. Bids were taken online and by phone, as well as in person.

Auctioneers' boss Joseph Maddalena described the chopper before the sale as "one of the most iconic images in American film," adding: "The bike evokes powerful emotions even in non-bikers.

"It personifies the 60s, all of the good and the bad that decade brought," he said.