It’s almost universally recognized that “the birth of the American biker” occurred during the infamous Gypsy Tour in Hollister, California, during the Fourth of July weekend in 1947. Hollister ’47 seriously affected not only the motorcycle culture but the entirety of American society as well. (See the history piece by Bill Hayes in Special Reports.)

It still does.

From that point on, vicarious living, fear, envy, and a myriad of other emotions and reactions set the biker culture well apart from the mainstream.

Several motorcycle clubs were at the epicenter of the Hollister event. But the most visible club was the Boozefighters, led by the charismatic “Wino Willie” Forkner, a man who was to become a legend.

In 2005, “Arizona Thumper,” a well-respected custom bike builder, built a tribute bike to Wino Willie and presented it to Bill Hayes, the Boozefighters’ National Press & Publicity Officer.

Wino founded the Boozefighters in 1946; he passed away in 1997. Thumper designed Willie’s tribute bike to have stylistic touches from each of the six decades in which Wino had such an influence upon the biker culture. The bike has the “bobber” touches from the ’40s: details like no front fender; a rigid frame; ’40s-style floorboards; and a fringed seat, to name a few. The heavyweight “chopper” years of the ’50s and ’60s are represented with features like the apes; the upswept fish tails; the small Sporty tank; the guardless chain drive; and the raked front end. The bike even connects with the weird world that surrounded Harley’s AMF years of the ’70s: its Shovelhead is from a 1970 FL.

During the ’80s, the Boozefighters began to expand eastward, becoming a national entity. Willie appeared at events, always happy to talk about the history of the club and his own wild adventures. While having an essentially old school look, the Wino Willie tribute bike ties in the ’80s and ’90s in many ways: At “the factory” in Milwaukee, the ’80s brought the end of the Shovelhead and the beginning of the five-speed tranny; the Willie bike has both. Other bits of “modern” flavor include the wide-belt open primary; the wide rear tire and fender; and the 21-inch front wheel.

The bike is painted green, of course, in keeping with the Boozefighters’ colors. The graphics include a portrait of Wino on the rear fender, with the Hollister “skyline” in the background; “Hollister 1947” on the oil tank; and “The Original Wild Ones” on the gas tank, honoring the nickname that has been associated with the Boozefighters ever since the classic Marlon Brando film, “The Wild One,” was released in 1953.

One other important thing: The Wino Willie Tribute Bike isn’t a “trailer queen.” It was built to ride and it’s ridden regularly. Wino definitely would have wanted it that way.

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