The Easy Rider Billy Bike: Building a Modern Replica of the Famous Movie Bike

When most people think of Easy Rider, the first motorcycle that comes to mind is Captain America.

But there were two bikes.

And I've always thought the Billy Bike deserved a little more attention.

The Other Easy Rider Chopper

The Billy Bike was ridden by Dennis Hopper's character alongside Peter Fonda on Captain America.

It wasn't as flashy as Captain America, but that's part of what gives it its personality. It's a simpler-looking motorcycle with that unmistakable old-school chopper stance.

When I built mine, I wanted to capture that look without creating a motorcycle that was only good for sitting on display.

My goal was to build a modern replica of the famous Easy Rider Billy Bike—one that looked authentic but was fast, safe, reliable and could actually be ridden.

Building My Easy Rider Billy Bike Replica

The build started with a Paughco frame that I modified and powder coated.

For power, I used an S&S replica Panhead engine with an S&S carburetor. Behind it is an Ultima six-speed transmission, concealed belt drive and Barnett clutch.

That combination gave me the traditional Panhead chopper look I wanted with a drivetrain that was much more usable in the real world.

A lot of the details couldn't simply be bought from a catalog. I hand fabricated a number of parts to get the bike closer to the appearance and character of the original movie bike.

But looking right was only half of the job.

Old-School Look, Modern Reliability

There's a big difference between building something that looks like a vintage chopper and building something you actually intend to ride.

My Billy Bike has front and rear disc brakes for safety and modern electronics for reliability.

Those aren't necessarily the things somebody notices when they first walk up to the bike.

And that's exactly the point.

I wanted the old-school appearance without giving up the things that make a motorcycle safer and more dependable.

The result is a Billy Bike that's fast, safe, reliable and can actually be ridden anywhere.

Captain America and Billy Belong Together

Building the Billy Bike by itself would have been cool.

Building it alongside Captain America was something completely different.

Park the two together and you really don't have to explain what they are.

People recognize them.

Even people who haven't watched Easy Rider in years know they've seen these motorcycles before. That's how deeply the two bikes became embedded in motorcycle and pop culture.

Why I Didn't Build Exact Replicas

I've never really looked at these bikes as museum replicas.

They're my versions of motorcycles that made an impression on me a long time ago.

I wanted to capture what I remembered about the originals—the stance, the attitude and the feeling—while still building motorcycles I could own, maintain and ride.

I took that same approach with Captain America, making some deliberate changes rather than trying to reproduce every detail of the movie bike.

Read why I didn't build an exact Easy Rider Captain America replica →

More Than 50 Years Later, People Still Know These Bikes

That's probably the remarkable part.

Easy Rider came out more than half a century ago, yet put these motorcycles in front of people today and they still generate a reaction.

Some remember the movie.

Some remember the bikes.

Some want to tell you about the chopper they had years ago.

And younger people who may not know the whole story still recognize that they're looking at something different.

That's why I built them.

Not to create perfect museum reproductions.

To keep a little piece of that era alive—and to be able to fire it up and ride it.