Marvel Studios’ Captain America movies represent the best of the superhero drama, with plenty of big-budget effects, snappy dialogue, and shield-throwing action.
Yet Cap’s journey to big-screen glory has been almost as arduous as his fight against the Red Skull, as evidenced by this red, white, and blue motorcycle.
In 1979, Captain America appeared in two television movies – Captain America and Captain America II: Death Too Soon – that aired on CBS. The star-spangled avenger was played by Reb Brown, but his stuntman was a gentleman called Gary Davis.
Road & Track discovered Davis and the Captain America bike accidentally, when staff found the stuntman’s collection of vintage motorcycles for sale on Craigslist.
While the movies are forgettable, Davis has a formidable list of credits including The Amazing Spider-Man, Independence Day, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He even stunt doubled for Evel Knievel.
He may not be a super solider, but this is one cool dude.
The bike, by the way, is a Yamaha TT-500 dressed up with fiberglass bodywork and smooth wheel covers. It’s likely the first motorcycle Cap ever rode on film, and the grandfather of the Harley-Davidsons he rides in the recently-released Winter Soldier.
While there’s never been an official “Cap Cycle”, Captain America often rides motorcycles in his innumerable comic book, television, and movie appearances. After all, flight isn’t one of Steve Rogers’ superpowers, and it would be awfully hard to fling that shield through a car window.
