What motorbike did Marlon Brando Triumphantly ride into town in The Wild One? We will give you a clue. We already have.

For some reason, everyone thinks it was a Harley Davidson that Marlon Brando rode into town in The Wild One. Not so! I mean, I get it. The Wild One defined that American spirit of freedom, rebellion and the alure of the open road. Nothing says American spirit like blue jeans, a black leather jacket and Harley. But the bike in question was actually British.

Flooded with British made

After World War II, America was flooded with all sorts of things made in Britain. It was repayment for the Lend-Lease deal between the US and Britain during the war. America gave much-needed supplies during the conflict and Britain would pay them back after. This meant that after the War, 70% of Triumphs motorcycles were headed to the States.

The Thunderbird was Triumphs answer to America’s demand for motorcycles suited long-distance riding. They took their well-established 500cc Speed Twin design and beefed it up a bit to 650 cc’s. The Thunderbird was released in 1949 and stayed in production in many forms until 1966.

Between Brando’s thighs

It gained… em… notoriety in the 50s followed by unfettered renown for the rest of time when it appeared in between Brando’s thighs in The Wild One. Well, at least it should have done… Like we said, most folks think it’s a Harley. But that aside, at the time it was a massive publicity boost in the US for Triumph.

There’s no pleasing some

You’d think they would be overjoyed. Not the case! In fact, they were not at all happy. In the book Triumph Motorcycles In America, you can see a letter from Triumph’s importers complaining to the producers as to the use of their machine in this film about “rowdy motorcycle gangs”. There’s no pleasing some folks.

Back home in their native land, the movie didn’t have any impact on the brand, notorious or otherwise. No one saw it. The Wild One was banned in the UK until 1967, one year after the Thunderbird ended production.

What’s in a name?

The Thunderbird name didn’t die in 1966. For one thing, Ford thought it was so good they licenced the name for use for a car model. In relation to motorbikes, the Thunderbird name has been used by Triumph in three distinct models. The Triumph Hinckley: T309RT Thunderbird (triple) was, in fact, instrumental in bringing the brand back after it went bust in 1983.

So, next time The Wild One graces your TV screen, take a closer look. Instead of an American made hog, you are looking at a British designed filly.