Sonny and Cher Sportster

Being familiar with the source of the mild custom work on the Sporty that Michael Parks rode in the TV series Then Came Bronson, Sonny Bono had a brand new 1970 XLCH dropped off at Bud Ekins' shop for a workover.

Ekins' crew handled the 21"/16" rim swaps, exhaust, cobra seat, a 4" fork extension (no rake), and the R&I of the various parts that took a trip to the platers. Von Dutch took over from there, and fabbed the sissy bar with the "SC" insert and fork covers. To duplicate the paint on Sonny and Cher's Rolls Royce, Dutch did the sheetmetal in a matching white pearl with black pinstriping. As a final touch, he lettered the duo's names on each side of the tank.

A good shot of the stripes and lettering on the tank. The Von Dutch brushwork is unmistakable. I always wonder what happens to bikes like this. Did it wind up in somebody's collection, or was it just painted over, and languished in obscurity from then on?