Was The Fonz the coolest biker ever?

**oldrider** · 29th January 2007, 09:10

It really wasn't about the bikes, it was about capturing the bikers' "image of the fifties" and having actually been there in that period, the Fonz in Happy Days did just that! (Henry Winkler was personally a dick though IMO)

The hair do, the all important comb, the leather jacket, the jeans, the bike boots and the ultra cool attitude and image, were just the way the cool guy's who could afford the top bikes and gear, behaved.

Then there were the lesser lights, those that could not afford the ultra cool gear and top bikes, the apprentices etc, I was one of those but it was a fun time to be alive.

After the second world war it was not until the fifties that people began to rebel against the strictly controlled short back and sides hair cuts of the day.

Guy's were starting to show a bit of individuality by "daring" to go against the rules and grow their hair "long" and even style it a bit, hence the importance of the comb and mirror to the Fonz!

Motorcycles were regarded as one of the tools of the rebellious and still are today to some extent. So happy days people!

cheers John.

**pritch** · 29th January 2007, 09:17

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Fuck off....Steve McQueen was the coolest biker! At least he rode/raced one!

I'll second that...

**pzkpfw** · 29th January 2007, 11:35

Originally Posted by klingon

Sunday Monday happy days!

Tuesday Wednesday happy days!

Thursday Friday happy days!

The weekend comes, bicycle hums, ready to race to you!

Isn't that:

The weekend comes, the 'cycle hums, ready to race to you!

(short for motorcycle...not bicycle...?)

**Quartermile** · 29th January 2007, 12:00

Had to go with no, haven't seen much Happy Days but from what I've seen there are cooler!

**mstriumph** · 29th January 2007, 12:19

Originally Posted by Weasel

btw, the poll is public, anyone says the fonz isn't the coolest, I'll hunt you down and feed you piece by piece to my cat.

my cat can marmalize your cat....... [she was an alligator until we cut the tail off .......]

colonials - look it up here

**mstriumph** · 29th January 2007, 12:20

Originally Posted by pritch008

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Fuck off....Steve McQueen was the coolest biker! At least he rode/raced one!

I'll second that...

absoLUTEly!!

**Squeak the Rat** · 29th January 2007, 12:35

While the bikes and the chicks were god (and hitting the jukebox), I'm sorry to say overall Fonz was uncool. Because:

- he hangs out with nerds
- he had a severe case of envy of richie and his uncool life
- he moved into a flat above his nerdy mates parents garage
- he hangs out in mens toilets!

**Crasherfromwayback** · 29th January 2007, 12:41

Originally Posted by Squeak the Rat

- he hangs out in mens toilets!

He's probably now shacked up with George Michael...

**Guitana** · 29th January 2007, 12:51

Originally Posted by Squeak the Rat

While the bikes and the chicks were god (and hitting the jukebox), I'm sorry to say overall Fonz was uncool. Because:

- he hangs out with nerds
- he had a severe case of envy of richie and his uncool life
- he moved into a flat above his nerdy mates parents garage
- he hangs out in mens toilets!

Yeah there's a name for people that hang out in mens toilets!!!!!

**Paul in NZ** · 29th January 2007, 13:18

In the first episodes Fonz rode a HD Knucklehead Chopper (be called a bobber now) that was very cool and very retro authentic....

I think the Knuckle was a bit difficult to ride / maintain so he went to a Rigid Triumph TR5 which is a VERY special, rare and very cool bike. It had a very upgrades with buckhorn bars, no front fender etc but it was pretty stock really. There were stuff all Yanks that appreciated how cool the bike really was and frankly I thought it must have been a fluke given the quality of the rest of the show.

I'd give my right tit for one...

Well....

**Ixion** · 29th January 2007, 13:40

Does noone remember Lawrence of Arabia, and his Brough ? Very cool indeed.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 29th January 2007, 13:42

Originally Posted by Ixion

Does noone remember Lawrence of Arabia, and his Brough ? Very cool indeed.

True!.....

**SpankMe** · 29th January 2007, 13:44

But is he the coolest fictional biker character?

**Deano** · 29th January 2007, 13:50

Who is the dog biker in one of the bike the magazines ? Firkin ?

He is frikken cool.

He got pulled over once and asked why he was riding so fast. He said cause bikes fall over round corners otherwise.

**Motu** · 29th January 2007, 13:55

I've known some bikers far cooler than the Fonz - but they were real people and you don't know them.

The TR5 - it was almost an in joke,very few who watched the show would of known what it was.I never saw the show when it ran,but saw some of the rerun shows.A mate of mine had a TR5....he used to call it his $3 bike,because all he paid for was the paint.He found some TR5 cases and built the rest of the bike around them - T100 top end,21in front wheel,and made some high left pipes,single pipe of course....he knew what he was building even if no one else did.

He gave the bike to his girlfriend as a birthday present when he left to ride the Pan American Highway on the '61 Bonney he built for the trip.She was actualy a dyke and I came across her years later when I used to repair her contracting lawnmowers,and our friend had passed away.The bike was in parts and in the hands of someone who was being evicted from his land.....I went up and removed the bike,and started to put it back together.I got the engine and gearbox into a rolling chassis when I hit problems of my own.I had just moved into the new house we built,just a little place on a padock with no shed,no way to work on bikes or protect them.....and then I had the lease pulled on my workshop.I took the TR5 to an old house I used to live in where one of her friends lived now - I haven't seen her or the bike since,nearly 20 years.I've got photos,maybe if I find them,and the time....

Yeah,I've known some cool bikers - and some of them rode TR5's.