The Wall Street Journal-20080119-WEEKEND JOURNAL- Picks -- Hit List - Ewan McGregor- The Scottish actor and bike enthusiast on his favorite kinds of motorcycles
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; Picks -- Hit List / Ewan McGregor: The Scottish actor and bike enthusiast on his favorite kinds of motorcycles
Actor Ewan McGregor wasn't allowed to ride motorcycles when he was a boy, but ever since he was 19 years old and out on his own, he's been a bike enthusiast. Mr. McGregor and a pal, Charley Boorman, once embarked on an almost 20,000-mile global motorcycle trek, which spawned a book and documentary. Born in Scotland, Mr. McGregor, 36, first became famous for his work in the bleak comedy-drama "Trainspotting" and went on to roles in such films as "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" and "Moulin Rouge." In the new Woody Allen crime drama "Cassandra's Dream," he plays a man driven to desperate acts due to financial woes. Mr. McGregor is also currently appearing in London as Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello." Below, Mr. McGregor names five of his favorite motorcycles.
1930s Crocker Motorcycle
These motorcycles were made in the 1930s and early 1940s. "It's a classic shape, with a high sprung saddle, a big rear mudguard over the back wheel and open V-twin action," Mr. McGregor says. "It's an iconic motorcycle silhouette."
1950s Triumph Speed Twin Bobber
"The twin unit engines in the Triumphs are fantastic engines," Mr. McGregor says about this "bobber," or customized bike.
Indian Larry Legacy Chopper
"Indian" Larry Desmedt was a New York chopper builder who died in 2004. "Following his death, several associates ran a business devoted to making bikes in the style of his," says Mr. McGregor.
1970s Moto-Guzzi Ambassador or El Dorado bike
"The Moto-Guzzi was my first-ever big bike," Mr. McGregor says. "It's a very interesting engine, with a shaft drive. It's a V-twin, but diagonally across the frame, as opposed to a Harley, which is longitudinally fixed."
1970s Ossa or Macco dirt bike
"I think it's my childhood coming back," says the actor. "As I was growing up, I'd see guys in the field where I lived riding dirt bikes. There's something about the look of them that's great fun. They're a classic style."
