Benjamin “Benny” Hardy was a prominent Harley-Davidson motorcycle mechanic and custom builder. His business “Hardy’s Motorcycle Service” was located at 1168 E. Florence in Los Angeles CA. He was well-known in the Black motorcycling community and was a mentor for motorcyclists in the area.
Benny Hardy built both iconic motorcycles used in the movie “Easy Rider.” The "Billy Bike" encapsulated Benny's idea for a cut down or "chopped" Harley and set the style copied by Black builders of that era.
Benny Hardy passed away in 1994 at the age of 73.