Easyriders

Easyriders is an American motorcycle magazine founded in 1970 that focused on custom motorcycles, biker culture, and lifestyle. The publication covered technical aspects of choppers, café racers, and bobbers while featuring profiles of builders, celebrities, and events in the motorcycling world. Over decades Easyriders intersected with subcultural movements, mainstream media, and legal debates surrounding obscenity, publishing both photographic spreads and editorial features.

History

The magazine was launched during the era of the counterculture and post-1960s shifts that involved figures such as Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, Allen Ginsberg, and Tim Leary in broader cultural currents. Founding aligned with the rise of independent publishers like W. A. Gaylord and niche periodicals such as Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Playboy, High Times, and Penthouse. Early circulation growth paralleled events like the Woodstock Festival and movements connected to Vietnam War-era veterans returning to American life. Easyriders covered builders and shops linked to personalities from the custom scene traced to innovators associated with fictional clubs and real clubs such as Hells Angels, Bandidos, Pagans MC, Outlaws Motorcycle Club, and Vagos Motorcycle Club. The magazine documented crossovers with popular culture through connections to actors and musicians such as Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Fonda, and chronicled races and rallies like Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Daytona Bike Week.

Publication and Format

Easyriders adopted a monthly tabloid format similar to magazines like Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Hot Rod, Esquire, and GQ. The layout combined photographic centerfolds, technical articles, step-by-step builds, and classifieds reminiscent of publications like Bizarre (magazine), Car Craft, Custom Rodder, and Vogue for stylistic contrast. Printing and distribution involved partnerships with chains such as Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks, and specialty dealers comparable to Cycle Gear and independent newsstands frequented by members of clubs like The Outlaws and aficionados linked to brands like Harley-Davidson, Indian Motorcycles, Triumph Motorcycles, and Honda Motor Company. The magazine featured long-form interviews influenced by journalistic techniques used by writers for New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune.

Notable Contributors and Artists

Contributors and illustrators included photographers and artists who worked across subcultural publications alongside contemporaries like Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, and illustrators akin to Norman Rockwell and Robert Crumb. Writers and editors had backgrounds overlapping with names from Esquire, Rolling Stone, and LA Weekly; guest pieces referenced personalities like Hunter S. Thompson, Thompson's peers, and journalists from Time and Newsweek. Custom builders and personalities profiled included iconic builders and fabricators who shared the stage with innovators associated with Arlen Ness, Chicano Lowrider culture figures, and customizers linked to Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers, Paul Jr. Designs, and shops akin to Indian Larry Motorcycles. Photojournalists and pin-up models echoed careers similar to those of Twiggy, Pamela Anderson, Bettie Page, and models featured in Playboy and Penthouse.

Cultural Impact and Reception

Easyriders influenced motorcycle customization trends and the visual language seen in media properties such as Easy Rider (film), Apocalypse Now, The Wild One, The Terminator, The Sopranos, Sons of Anarchy, and music videos by artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Metallica, Johnny Cash, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The magazine contributed to the mainstreaming of biker aesthetics in fashion labels comparable to Levi Strauss & Co., Schott NYC, and licensing deals with entertainment companies such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. Academics and journalists at institutions like University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, Harvard University, New York University, and cultural critics writing for The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The Guardian analyzed Easyriders’ role in shaping representations of masculinity, status, and subcultural identity. Its photography and editorial approach were exhibited in galleries and museums alongside exhibits by curators from Museum of Modern Art, Smithsonian Institution, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Controversies and Legal Issues

The magazine faced controversies related to explicit content, nudity standards, and distribution, leading to legal scrutiny similar to cases involving Miller v. California standards and censorship debates handled by entities like American Civil Liberties Union, Federal Communications Commission, and postal regulations under the United States Postal Service. Libel suits, trademark disputes, and obscenity investigations drew attention from media lawyers associated with firms that represented clients in matters before courts such as the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and state-level judiciaries in California, New York, and Florida. Actions by retailers, local ordinances in cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco impacted distribution. Debates over portrayal of outlaw clubs engaged organizations such as National Coalition Against Censorship and prompted coverage in outlets like CNN, Fox News, BBC News, and The Washington Post.

Category:Motorcycle magazines