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Dan Haggarty passed away

7K views 43 replies 19 participants last post by  VonWegener 
#1 · (Edited)
Dan Haggarty lost his battle with cancer. Most know him from his title role in Grizzly Adams but us in the bike community know him as bike builder, stunt rider and custom shop owner.
Haggarty who had a minor role in Easy Rider as one of the seed throwing hippies in the commune scenes also worked on the movie taking care of the bikes.
Although the hero bikes were reportedly stolen Haggarty secured the crash bike and restored it. That bike went through different hands and eventually sold for 1.3 Mil at auction. Unfortunately that sale did not go through when it was discovered that Dan had sold 2 or maybe more "authentic Easy Rider crash bikes". It doesn't really matter - to me at least.
During the early 1970s Choppers boomed in Los Angeles and Haggarty had a shop in the North San Fernando Valley where he built bikes in between Hollywood gigs.
He was a larger than life personality and looked like the prototype biker.
Godspeed Dan!





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#2 ·
I was at Haggerty's shop, I believe it was on San Fernando Rd, near Tuxford, in, what must have been 1969. The bike was in the shop. I thought it was the coolest thing that I'd ever seen. He said that it was used in a movie. I think he must have rebuilt the crash bike between the actual crash and the release of the movie. Anyway, he was very gracious and humble. He never mentioned being in the film or hobnobbing with Peter Fonda. He even let me sit on the bike. My big claim to fame
RIP DAn
 
#3 ·
Wow, RIP Dan.

He was on American Pickers a little while back and I think they bought or wanted to buy the painting of Dan on that Shovelhead chopper. Regardless, cool episode. I do remember watching Grizzly Adams as a kid in the '70's and can clearly see him in Easyrider. Rest easy Dan.
 
#4 ·
Although the hero bikes were reportedly stolen Haggarty secured the crash bike and restored it. That bike went through different hands and eventually sold for 1.3 Mil at auction. Unfortunately that sale did not go through when it was discovered that Dan had sold 2 or maybe more "authentic Easy Rider crash bikes". It doesn't really matter - to me at least.
I'm interested why it doesn't matter that he sold three 'authenticated' replicas as the real thing. Fonda said there was pretty much nothing left of the crashed bike... although who can believe him, either. Is being a 'cool guy' enough to offset criminal behavior?
 
#7 ·
When he built the Easy Rider bikes they weren't worth much and only of sentimental value to some in the bike community. He could not envision that such a bike would be worth real money in today's overblown rich guy world.
If I wanted an easy rider bike and Dan sold me one with a good story I would have been happy in 1975 and enjoying every moment of it.
Carl LaFong sat on the crash bike in 1969 so I guess that would eliminate the concerns of nothing left. Plus we all seen the bike fly through the air with the fork apart and a few flames. Do you think they would let something burn to the ground on a movie set?

Show some damn respect for a dead guy.
 
#8 ·
Would you have been happy if you were the guy who paid 1.3 million at the auction in 2014 before finding out it was all a crock? I know Gordon Granger wasn't happy when Haggerty told him he lied about his bike being authentic. The auction was eventually voided, there had to be pending legal action with it.

I don't believe people earn respect just by dying.
 
#9 ·
Frankly I don't care if a guy who can afford to buy a 1.3 million motorcycle at auction is happy or not. He would have gotten a pretty nice motorcycle to display in his 53rd floor penthouse bragging about it to his wealthy buddies. Or wherever that guy lives or who his friends are.
Haggarty got lured or decided himself to make an ethical mistake and 40 years later it spirals into this crapfest. To me it is all about perceived value. In the end it's just a frame, forks, wheels and other assorted parts.
Maybe Karma killed Haggarty with cancer for his digressions. I certainly do not judge him for that. After all there is a restored crash bike out there that would have been just bike parts without him.
 
#18 ·
Haggarty got lured or decided himself to make an ethical mistake and 40 years later it spirals into this crapfest.
40 years later? The last one he tried to sell was just a year or so ago.
But I imagine he needed money bad.
One of the most interesting things about that bike was Fonda's recollection of riding it at 20mph all day for the cameras. It's in the extras of the Easyrider DVD. All he wanted at the end of the day was a tall, cold one and when he got it, his shoulders were so sore he couldn't lift it to his lips!
 
#10 ·
Well it is sad when anyone passes away. But it does happen. If he built those bikes and was good with his choice of working on how or if they were the real thing that is his choice. But as a person who has been in the business for many years watching the ups and downs of bike building. I am sure for right money that bike could be built again and again. Rest in piece Dan you will be missed by your true friends and family..
 
#14 ·
I was surprised one night when a friend of mine and I walked into a local bar in my home town in Missouri and Dan Harggarty was there at the bar.

We didn't want to bother the guy, thinking he just wanted to have a few drinks in peace so, we both just nodded at him and sat down to our drinks. It wasn't long until the bartender brought us a coupla beers, telling us that Dan had bought them. We both got up and went over to thank him and he invited us to join him so we sat down.

I remembered him from the Grizzly Adams show but didn't know he was into bikes until the conversation turned to the subject (we both rode in and I guess he heard us ride up).

To make a long story shorter, it was a nice night shooting the shit and swapping story's, he was a down to earth genuinely nice guy.

Anyways, it is a damn shame to hear he was involved in that shit and a bigger shame to hear he lost his battle with Cancer, that shit sucks but, I hope he is in a better place now.
 
#15 · (Edited)
To Haggarty's credit, he admitted he lied about the authenticity of the bikes.
From what I've seen and experienced in my life, most people are very big on "justice", as long as the "justice" is coming down on the other guy's head. I don't know about you all, but when it comes to our own transgressions and we are the one wearing the jacket, it seems we become big fans of mercy, not justice ;).
Let the poor s.o.b. rest in peace.

Does anybody want to buy the "real" Captain America bike?
I can get you the real good one with Peter Fonda's AND Dennis Hopper's signature on it!

Geo.
 
#17 ·
The nicest replica I have ever seen was at a Ventura, CA swapmeet. It was done by a Hollywood cameraman who had built one as a young guy that was very good and built subsequently better examples. The one he displayed was the 5th attempt and it was just marvelous. Full on OCD, 1000s of hours watching the footage with the bikes, blowing up stills, talking to industry folks he included features like small dents and minute details.
I forgot his name but he was from Sierra Madre, CA and hung out with Mil Blair of D&D Choppers fame and Joe Teresi of Easyriders.
That would be the bike to own.
 
#21 ·
Please take pics of the Panhead's final firery resting spot. I think I remember a website that lists all the road movie locations in the USA.
Unfortunately everything you see on the screen is a controlled set. Whether on a sound stage or on location people, cars, buildings, vegetation etc. are placed there by the production crew.
The bike was most likely catapulted and outside of the frame there were firemen to extinguish any blaze before it started.
I'm sure there was enough left to build a bike from.
 
#23 ·
I need to get that book. Jumping off at the last minute sounds unreal but I believe it.
Those stunt guys back then had the biggest balls.
Usually the county when they issue filming permits make the production companies hire fire and police on top of what is already in their employ. But back then it may have been all guerrilla but I doubt it.
What is the name and publisher of Fonda's book Englishman?
 
#24 ·
Book is "Don't Tell Dad" published by Hyperion ISBN 0-7868-6111-8

Mostly narcissistic ramblings, praise for his worthless sister and stuff.

The Easy Rider story bit is pretty interesting, especially how out of control Dennis Hopper was through the entire thing. How much better the "A" Captain America (Benny Hardy built) was to ride than the "B" (not sure who built that one.. best guess Larry Marcus and Cliff Vaughs).
 
#25 ·
I always take the words of celebs with a large grain of salt. They tend to over emphasize their contributions or their experiences. I recall reading an interview with Peter Fonda, years ago, where he stated that, "When I built the bikes.....bla bla bla."
I'm sure he had a hand in the creation of the bikes but I seriously doubt that much grease found it's way under his manicured nails.
 
#26 ·
AEE Choppers built a replica for the studio and it was the one in the lobbies of some theaters when the movie came to town. No one has any idea where it went.
I have been told many times that AEE built the originals and I have to correct them. We got paid to build a replica in 69 and it was on the cover of Street Chopper. I am betting though it got sold more than once as the real deal.
Adios Dan.
 
#28 ·
The following is a post I made on another site at the time of the Captain America auction. It was a basic study of the difference between the hero bike and the crash bike using the dvd. I think a lot can be learned about the crash as well as the condition of the stunt bike by reviewing the crash sequence. This was written when Dan Haggarty was alive and well. No disrespect is meant or intended. Rip Mr. Haggarty.

_________________________________________________________________

There wasn't as much evidence of a 2nd Captain America bike as there was of the Billy bike in the movie itself. It appears Fonda rides the same hero bike throughout the movie as there are no glaring changes to the look or spec of the bike. The stunt bike is a bit different though. Here are the basic views of the hero bike in the movie:

Front Forks / Handlebars








The mirror, grips, lever, cables, and small plastic chrome wrapped wire never change throughout the movie until the very end. This is a pretty good sign that 1 hero bike was used throughout the movie. If Fonda is shown on it, it appears to be the same bike. Also the first 3 pictures are from the same scene in the film where the bikes are first shown. The negative is flipped for this scene. Look at the tire, the "Avon Speedmaster" is backwards and that cable in the foreground is the throttle cable.

Tank




The tank paint never really appears to change either. One of the big differences in the Billy hero and stunt bikes was the paint on the tanks. It was simply different. The Captain America paint seems to stay consistent throughout the movie. Even the crashed bike at the end seems to have a very similar paint job.

Left Side


There is a dent in the oil tank on the left side. It is hard to see in this picture but you can see it in the movie once or twice. I have also seen it in some of the production stills on the internet.

Right Side


In both side views the extra bullet lights are clearly visible.

Here comes the crash. These pictures are in order as they appear in the film. As a basic breakdown there are 5 different camera angles of the crash.

The first is right off the ramp at ground level:




It appears the front wheel may have gone flat. The wheel dug into the ramp itself and ripped pieces of wood off. The fork tube actually bent and broke below the lower tree. There was also a fire started above the transmission.

The second camera angle is a little more eye level:


This angle follows the bike as it hits the ground and moves forward eventually falling on its right side. The front wheel and fork are shown bouncing along and appear to rest up against the fence. In the next scenes the bike itself and the wheel seem to remain in the same positions they fell in. From this image you can see there is no mirror on the handlebars and the rear bullet lights are not there. The handlebar risers are different as well.

The third camera angle is the bike on its side in the grass:




There is an explosive charge that goes off rather quickly and results in a lot of smoke. The rear bullet lights are not on the bike and neither is the chainguard.

The fourth camera angle is a different perspective on the bike laying in the grass.




Another explosive charge goes off. This one appears to be slower. I think we can assume the cut was done to rig the final explosive charge and ensure the bike caught fire which it clearly does. The fifth camera angle is from a helicopter and shows the bike burning. The position of the bike seems to line up with the other scenes of the bike on its side.

What does any of this mean. It appears a different bike was used for the crash scene than the rest of the movie. It also appears the bike was intended to burn as it was subjected to at least 3 explosive charges. I think this puts to rest the myth that the stunt Captain America didn't actually burn in the film. It also gives some credence to Fonda's description of the state of the stunt bike. Whatever Haggerty rebuilt he was clearly not using most of the original parts of the bike. Haggerty also claimed that the stunt bike didn't even fall over in the movie which would reinforce his claim that he had 90% of the original parts in usable condition. I think it would be the opposite. He may have had only 10% of the original bike. Haggerty also claimed the first bike he authenticated may have had the Captain America stunt bikes rear fender. If so his supply of usable stunt bike parts for this recently sold bike must have been very small.

Scott
 
#32 ·
The following is a post I made on another site at the time of the Captain America auction. It was a basic study of the difference between the hero bike and the crash bike using the dvd. I think a lot can be learned about the crash as well as the condition of the stunt bike by reviewing the crash sequence. This was written when Dan Haggarty was alive and well. No disrespect is meant or intended. Rip Mr. Haggarty.

_______________________________________________________________

There wasn't as much evidence of a 2nd Captain America bike as there was of the Billy bike in the movie itself. It appears Fonda rides the same hero bike throughout the movie as there are no glaring changes to the look or spec of the bike. The stunt bike is a bit different though. Here are the basic views of the hero bike in the movie:

Front Forks / Handlebars
The mirror, grips, lever, cables, and small plastic chrome wrapped wire never change throughout the movie until the very end. This is a pretty good sign that 1 hero bike was used throughout the movie. If Fonda is shown on it, it appears to be the same bike. Also the first 3 pictures are from the same scene in the film where the bikes are first shown. The negative is flipped for this scene. Look at the tire, the "Avon Speedmaster" is backwards and that cable in the foreground is the throttle cable.

Tank
The tank paint never really appears to change either. One of the big differences in the Billy hero and stunt bikes was the paint on the tanks. It was simply different. The Captain America paint seems to stay consistent throughout the movie. Even the crashed bike at the end seems to have a very similar paint job.

Left Side

There is a dent in the oil tank on the left side. It is hard to see in this picture but you can see it in the movie once or twice. I have also seen it in some of the production stills on the internet.

Right Side

In both side views the extra bullet lights are clearly visible.

Here comes the crash. These pictures are in order as they appear in the film. As a basic breakdown there are 5 different camera angles of the crash.

The first is right off the ramp at ground level:

It appears the front wheel may have gone flat. The wheel dug into the ramp itself and ripped pieces of wood off. The fork tube actually bent and broke below the lower tree. There was also a fire started above the transmission.

The second camera angle is a little more eye level:

This angle follows the bike as it hits the ground and moves forward eventually falling on its right side. The front wheel and fork are shown bouncing along and appear to rest up against the fence. In the next scenes the bike itself and the wheel seem to remain in the same positions they fell in. From this image you can see there is no mirror on the handlebars and the rear bullet lights are not there. The handlebar risers are different as well.

The third camera angle is the bike on its side in the grass:

There is an explosive charge that goes off rather quickly and results in a lot of smoke. The rear bullet lights are not on the bike and neither is the chainguard.

The fourth camera angle is a different perspective on the bike laying in the grass.

Another explosive charge goes off. This one appears to be slower. I think we can assume the cut was done to rig the final explosive charge and ensure the bike caught fire which it clearly does. The fifth camera angle is from a helicopter and shows the bike burning. The position of the bike seems to line up with the other scenes of the bike on its side.

What does any of this mean. It appears a different bike was used for the crash scene than the rest of the movie. It also appears the bike was intended to burn as it was subjected to at least 3 explosive charges. I think this puts to rest the myth that the stunt Captain America didn't actually burn in the film. It also gives some credence to Fonda's description of the state of the stunt bike. Whatever Haggerty rebuilt he was clearly not using most of the original parts of the bike. Haggerty also claimed that the stunt bike didn't even fall over in the movie which would reinforce his claim that he had 90% of the original parts in usable condition. I think it would be the opposite. He may have had only 10% of the original bike. Haggerty also claimed the first bike he authenticated may have had the Captain America stunt bikes rear fender. If so his supply of usable stunt bike parts for this recently sold bike must have been very small.

Scott
Yeah, that was a great analysis. As close to the truth of the matter we'll ever get. I'm still convinced that Benny Hardy built the first two (hero) bikes. The Billy bike is exactly the same as all the other chops he was building at the time. The Captain America appears to have had a few people with design credit but again, built by Hardy. It seems likely the stunt bikes were copied from them, probably by Larry Marcus and Cliff Vaughs. Of course depending on when he's asked, Vaughs takes credit for a lot more. Despite Paul D'Orleans believing everything he says, I'm not so sure.
 
#30 ·
Dean Lanza's son made an interesting post on instagram a few months ago (since deleted ) , apparently there were more than one of Fonda's bike (maybe a grand total of five -but as said the post got deleted),apparently there were frame(springer???) breakages and while his Dad was busy fixing them ,Hardy and Vaughns were invited to build two more ( apparently Lanza owned the building those fellas worked from) .
If you go to Dean Lanza Jr's instagram he has photos of american flag (and other flag ) tanks that were painted pre Easy Rider.
Some how to me (if I have recalled the original instagram post correctly ) it makes sense that Dean Lanza was in on the Bikes construction after all he had worked with Fonda before (wild angels)and was well known builder of Movie Choppers.Lanza has been an usung legend of Choppers for way too long ,I think the whole quicksilver Resto by 3Gknuck kinda made him get noticed a bit more by the broader Custom bike crowd .
I'll leave it at that ,but its food for Thought.
Cheers
R
 
#33 ·
When I was searching for the location of the final shot I contacted the Dept. heads of the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana Tourist Bureau as well as their counterparts in the city and Parish where it was filmed. Not a SINGLE ONE had ever heard of the movie or had any idea that part of it was filmed in Louisiana. After finding the site on my own I recontacted them and set the wheels in motion to have a historical plaque placed at the site and to have it included in tourist brochures of the area.
 
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