Veteran Enhancement Project

Benjamin F. Hardy was an African-American custom motorcycle builder who made the Captain America and Billy choppers for the 1969 Peter Fonda road movie Easy Rider.

The Captain America bike, made from a then 20-year-old, heavily customized Harley-Davidson panhead is considered one of the most iconic motorcycles ever built, one which captured the zeitgeist of a generation and became an anti-establishment symbol.

Working with another Black motorcycle builder, coordinator Cliff Vaughs, Hardy built two 'Billy' bikes and three 'Captain Americas', one of which was destroyed in the making of the movie, the rest of which were stolen. The 'Billy' bike was typical of the custom motorcycles Black bikers were riding at the time.
Hardy and Vaughs remained largely unknown and uncredited for 25 years as they were not accepted due to being African-Americans, and were not welcomed into the mainstream motorcycle world in the USA.

Known locally as "Benny" and "King of Bikes" Ben Hardy's Motorcycle Service was located at 1168 E. Florence in Los Angeles. He was a mentor to many of the local motorcyclists in South Central, Los Angeles.
His work was featured in the “Black Chrome” exhibition at the California African American Museum.

Happy Halloween from VEP!🎃

https://www.uso.org/stories/2276-8-purple-heart-facts #:~:text=The%20Purple%20Heart%20Was%20One,secured%20grand%20victories%20in%20battle.

💟🇺🇸🇺🇸Update-delivered💟🇺🇸🇺🇸
VEP delivered the completed bike to Vietnam Veteran, John Allen Bordeaux! See the attached pictures for the results of the build.
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**VEP project alert***

Our current VEP build is for an adored Grandfather/Veteran, John Allen Bordeaux.

His Granddaughter contacted VEP to rehab a much loved motorcycle(28 years old), which had fallen into disrepair. He had attempted to have it repaired and a series of awful situations left him very disappointed. Not to worry, Tom was up for the challenge and the drive!

After a good look at the bike, it was just beyond safe repair. Thankfully a generous donor has stepped in with a great bike for him. It still needs a total overhaul, maintenance and a custom paint job fitting this hero.

We learned a bit about John and found out he has been riding since he was just 15 years old. He was a draftee to Vietnam, having to leave his young wife and two girls behind. He twice earned the Purple Heart during his tour (1967-1969) in the 1/40th FA. He is the kind of guy that, “would give you the shirt off his back if it meant that you stayed warm and he would give you his last dollar if it meant you had a drink or a snack”. His greatest wish is to get back on a motorcycle.