Pride & Joy
PRIDE & JOY
A FEW MORE FAVORITES
Discussing an individual’s taste in motorcycles is, at best, unwise and, at worst, dangerous. After all, folks feel strongly about their bikes. And when someone’s taste is called into question, disagreements can arise, tempers can flare and things can get downright nasty. Knowing all this, Cycle World threw caution to the wind and asked several celebrities to discuss their favorite motorcycles.
It seems only fitting to begin with Malcolm Smith, whose name is synonymous with riding in general, and offroad racing in particular. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Steve McQueen’s On Any Sunday costar calls his long-gone 1958 Matchless SOOcc Single his favorite. He says it holds such status because it’s the bike that brought him back to motorcycling after an accident in which he almost lost his leg. And it’s also the bike that gave him his first taste of real racing.
Speaking of real racing, the favorite motorcycle of four-time World Champion Eddie Lawson is his 1988 Yamaha YZR500, the Grand Prix bike that shepherded him to his third world title.
“it was probably the best bike I ever rode because everything came together in a nice combination,” he says. High praise from someone who spent 10 years in the GP ranks, and who admits no emotional ties to any particular motorcycle. In fact, he even says, “I have never been real brand-loyal. If they work good, I take ’em out and beat the hell out of ’em.”
On the other end of the motorcycling spectrum is Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. One of Congress’ more politically incorrect members, the Colorado Republican is a long-time supporter of motorcyclists’ rights and an avid Harley-Davidson admirer. He divides his riding time between a 1993 Custom Softail and his fave, a ’96 Road King. “I can’t go cross-country on my custom cruiser. My kidneys would be gone in the first 100 miles,” he laughs. About his love of bikes in general: “I just like two wheels better than four.”
Not that there’s anything wrong with four. Just ask four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears. In his spare moments, the Marlboro Team Penske manager (and childhood MXer) delights in his four HarleyDavidsons: a ’94 Heritage Softail, a ’92 Springer Softail, a ’94 FXLR and his custom Softail. It is the custom that he loves most. “My favorite bike has to be my custom-made Harley that I began building around the 1994 Indy 500.1 was looking for a project that I could work on myself, in my own garage, and I found it in that bike.”
Mears isn’t the only motorcyclist racing for Marlboro Team Penske. AI Unser Ir. also came of age on two wheels. “Growing up in the Unser family meant being exposed to anything fast: cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, you name it,” says the two-time Indy 500 winner and son of Indycar legend AI Unser. Interesting, then, his description of his favorite bike: “I decided that a Harley was the way to go, cruising nice and slow,” he says about his ’92 Softail. “I would have to say that it’s still my favorite bike because I have the most time and money in it, plus it’s a real eye-catcher.”
When it comes to eye-catching, however, it’s difficult to beat Italian male supermodel Fabio. With a Beverly Hills home filled with 63-yes, 63-dirtbikes, the Milanborn Fabio is
an off-road connoisseur. Surprisingly, choosing a favorite was easy: KTM’s 380 M/XC, he says, is “a very light bike, it handles like a 250 but it’s powerful like a 500.1 am a big guy, and if I sit on a 250 I take away some horsepower.”
Meanwhile, motorcycling takes on a powerful significance for award-winning country singer Wynonna ludd. Her favorite bike is her ’93 HarleyDavidson Fat Boy, on which she found comfort during her first year of solo concert touring. “I think riding gave me peace, a confidence that I really needed,” she says. “Riding helps me to keep on keepin’ on. I’m thankful that I can be a rebel with a cause. I believe a woman can be sexy and spiritual. Riding my Harley inspires both.”
Finally, there’s Chicago Bulls’ bad boy, Dennis Rodman, whose passion for motorcycles is surpassed only by his love for basketball. Like Wynonna, the crossdressing Rodman
claims his Harley-Davidson Fat Boy is his favorite. “I like it because it’s big and strong,” he says of the bike upon which he perches au naturel on the cover of his book, Bad As I Wanna Be. Indeed, strength and power are traits that Rodman admires. In his book he writes, “I’m not afraid of death. I’m not going to stop doing the things I do-going out to clubs, riding my motorcycle, going out on my power boat-just because there might be a risk involved.”
-Wendy F. Black
