MCN

This stunning custom Harley gets its inspiration from the Porsche Spyder car that killed James Dean, star of iconic movie ‘Rebel Without a Cause’. Shaw Harley-Davidson’s low-riding custom is no catalogue special – what’s not manufactured, built or finished at...

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Jamie

The Porsche did not kill James Dean, BTW. Another driver supposedly did.

As to these MCN-broadcast "daily conversations" between a "Sussex rebel" and a "Californian cool dude" (or the other way around ) about jointly showing a "bad ass attitude", a great transatlantic romance, no doubt, but WHO CARES?

Jamie

The Prophet

Actually, this makes a ton of sense from the Harley Davidson marketing perspective:

James Dean - true historic research now informs us -was not much of a motorcycle rider at all, in fact bikes frightened him, and he only purchased a Triumph for publicity, or pose reasons, riding it seldom.

Sound familiar?

An overall poor cage driver as well? A 1950 Ford sedan went to turn left, not seeing a speeding Dean, James having just cut off an oncoming car into the ditch as he incorrectly passed another, and Dean and the Ford met head on. Dean had already recieved a speeding ticket that same day, and had bragged previously to friends about going "well over 130 MPH", on that same highway. Speeding recklessly on public highways is never a sign of talented, or "cool" driving. On a racecourse - that's a different story.

Dean's passenger, who survived but was badly injured, is seldom mentioned, and the driver of the Ford sedan had to suffer with the haunting memory until his death in 1995. No one ever eulogises, worries or writes about the "non celebrity" victims.

Ride Safe!

Bob

__________________

• A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
• Motorcyles are not my whole life, but they make my life whole. ` me

The Prophet

In retrospect, sorry about the usual angry, bitter, quite possibly passive aggressive (for all amatuer Psychologists out there!), self indulgant, wholly negative, glass half empty "tirade", but...

It irks me to see badly informed folks making "theme" bikes without even attempting to perform ten minutes of basic research. Then again, one would assume these overpriced, strangely titled "theme" bikes are marketed towards... morons?

The thought that James Dean, or his short lived Porsche would have offered even the most remote connection, or reference to motorcyling is bizzare, and ridiculous.

Then again, what type of hopeless poser would spend USD$30,000 on a bike like this?

A poser bike, built by posers, for posers. Hey! They should form a Club. Whoops, looks like they already have! Too late.

• "Steve McQueen" Triumph (see Bud Ekins)
• "Marlin Brando Triumph Jacket" - IMHO, wasn't Brando kind of a wierd guy in the "The Wild One" movie? His "Gang" wasn't exactly fearsome either. And wasn't Lee Marvins character (and gang) more like a typical "Biker Rebel" of that time period?
• "Easy Rider" clones - Two guys sell drugs to finance a road trip. On the road trip they continually and purposely annoy the locals until they get thrown in jail. Later they drop acid and wander around a public graveyard acting like idiots. This is...."cool"? Watch it again with an open mind. Not cool at all. Kind of a "what were they thinking" example.
• Paul Reed Smith? You be the judge.

And numerous others, but I'm feeling ill.

I'll stop now...

Ride Safe (on an un-themed bike)!

Bob