Cliff 'Soney' Vaughs

Motorcycles In 1967, while working at KABC in Los Angeles, Vaughs interviewed Peter Fonda. Two 'hero' choppers were built, and two stunt doubles for the ending scenes of the movie; while the stunt Captain America was destroyed in filming the final scene of the movie, the remaining three motorcycles were apparently stolen, and never recovered. First-time director Dennis Hopper consumed the limited budget for 'Easy Rider' very quickly, and Columbia Pictures invested in the movie to finish it. At this juncture, Cliff Vaughs, and most other crew members, were fired, and a new crew hired. As part of a legal settlement for leaving as associate producer, Vaughs' contribution to the film, including the creation of the iconic motorcycles, was not included in the film's credits.

In 1976, Vaughs left the United States to live on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2009, Vaughs was credited publicly for the first time as creator of the 'Easy Rider' choppers on the Jesse James Discovery Channel television series, the 'History of the Chopper'. Vaughs, a longstanding member of the L.A. chapter of the Chosen Few MC, died on July 2, 2016, after losing consciousness and falling. He was 79.