What Motorcycle Does Captain America Ride In The First Avenger?

If the various origin stories in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have taught us anything, it's that a hero's weapon says a lot about their personality. The same could, arguably, be said of their preferred mode of transportation. Case in point, can you imagine Tony Stark driving up to the Avengers' compound in anything but a high-powered, and absurdly expensive sports car like the Audi E-Tron GT concept EV seen in "Avengers: Endgame?" Similarly, it's hard to think about Steve Rogers — the MCU's O.G. Captain America – cruising around on any vehicle with more than two wheels.

More specifically, it's impossible to imagine him riding a motorcycle not manufactured by iconic American bike maker Harley-Davidson. As depicted in 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger," Rogers indeed terrorized German and Hydra forces across the European continent astride a Harley-Davidson during his World War II heyday. As fitting as it is that Cap chose such a distinctly American brand to charge the battlefields in the film, that particular bike — the Harley-Davidson WLA — was a relatively common fixture in the U.S. Army's WWII fleet, with the bike maker manufacturing as many as 90,000 Liberators for use during the conflict.

As the U.S. Army stormed Europe, the WLA was affectionately dubbed the "Liberator" due to its battlefield prowess. Though Cap's Liberator has clearly been outfitted with weapons upgrades, the bike is unmistakably a Harley-Davidson behind all those additions, and quite frankly, the super soldier couldn't look more patriotic riding it into action.    

Fans of Marvel's Captain America comic book series would likely be quick to point out that it's not only period-specific for Steve Rogers to ride a Harley-Davidson in "Captain America: The First Avenger," but also faithful to the franchise's origins. Indeed, since his introduction in 1941, Cap has pretty much always preferred to ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Given that fact, die hard fans no doubt got a kick out of watching the super soldier take down German and Hydra forces aboard a Liberator in the character's first MCU offering.

As for the bike itself, it typically ranks among Harley-Davidson's best builds. Some might even argue the Liberator played as vital a role in America's WWII success as any other vehicle, with the bike reportedly being hailed by some as "The motorcycle that won the war." Given Harley-David's WLA production numbers during wartime, it's safe to say the Liberator was present at virtually every important battle on the European front.

The bike was, of course, inspired by Harley's then popular WL build, with certain modifications made to get it combat ready. Those mods account for the "A" tacked on after WL, which designates that this specific model was made for the Army. Harley-Davidson's design team reportedly began producing prototypes of the Liberator as early as 1939, outfitting the single-seat bikes with the same 45 cu. in. (738 cc) flat-head, v-twin engines as the WL. The 3-speed bikes were capable of producing 23.5 horsepower and boasted a top speed of 65 mph, making them a suitably speedy mode of transport on and around the battlefield.

Yes, Steve Rogers utilized vehicles other than a Harley-Davidson motorcycle during his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was once even hilariously forced to drive an iconic Volkswagen Beetle, which is, of course, German in origin. However, in many instances when the heroic super soldier was alone on the road, he was sitting proud in the saddle of a Harley. Steve Rogers' affinity for the American motorcycle brand stretched far beyond the breach of World War II. His affinity for the Harley-Davidson brand also stretched beyond the WLA Liberator.

That is in part because, well, Cap famously used that "First Avenger" Liberator to blow up a Hydra base. But even after several decades frozen in ice, when Rogers returned to action in "The Avengers," his affinity for the brand was still clear, as he's seen riding a Harley-Davidson Softail Slim. By the time The Avengers were facing off against Ultron in the super-team sequel, Cap's tastes had changed slightly, as he was seen astride a Harley-Davidson Street 750 while charging another Hydra base.

The Street 750 made another cameo in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," with the Cap making a daring escape atop a largely blacked out version. The Avenger is also seen riding a Softail Breakout in "The Winter Soldier," and even though Cap didn't ride a Harley in its follow-up, "Civil War," that film still featured a Dark Custom Street 750 – as operated by his ride-or-die bestie Bucky Barnes – as well as a souped up Iron 883, which was piloted by his badass buddy Black Widow.