The On-Screen Mystery Bike and John Wayne’s Behind-the-Scenes Honda…
The 1971 John Wayne western Big Jake is full of gunfights, horses, and frontier grit — but sharp-eyed viewers often spot something unexpected: a motorcycle buzzing across the screen in the middle of a Western set in 1909. Even more surprising, John Wayne himself spent much of the production riding around on a modern Honda dirt bike between takes.
So what were these motorcycles doing in a Western? And what bikes were they exactly? Here’s the full story behind the on-screen motorcycle and John Wayne’s personal Honda used behind the scenes.
The On-Screen Motorcycle in Big Jake
A Modern Dirt Bike Disguised as a Turn-of-the-Century Machine…
Early in the film, one of the McCandles ranch hands, Michael — Wayne’s character’s son — appears riding a motorcycle. It’s an unmistakable anachronism in a story set in 1909, decades before motorcycles looked anything like this. The bike seen on screen is not a period-correct antique, but a modern (for the era) dirt bike disguised to resemble an early 20th-century machine.
For years, many assumed the production used a Harley-Davidson Baja 100 or one of Harley’s Aermacchi-built small-displacement off-road models. However, most vintage off-road historians now believe the motorcycle was far more likely a Montesa — probably a late-1960s Montesa Cappra or Montesa Scorpion — modified to look era-appropriate for its brief cameo.
Why a Montesa?
A Montesa makes sense for several reasons:
- Montesa had strong distribution in Mexico, where Big Jake was filmed
- Spanish two-strokes were a favorite among Hollywood stunt riders at the time
- The frame geometry, shock angle, and tank proportions resemble Montesa design
- Montesas were light, rugged, and easy to repair on set
- Local stunt teams often used Montesa, Bultaco, and OSSA bikes for off-road work
True turn-of-the-century motorcycles were too heavy and fragile for stunt riding, so the production team took a lightweight, reliable off-road machine and dressed it up to look roughly period-correct.
Clues That Reveal Its True Identity
Even with the cosmetic disguises, several details give away its modern origins:
- Lightweight, high-mounted off-road frame
- Tall seat height and upright dirt-bike stance
- High-travel suspension uncommon before the 1960s
- The sound and character of a Spanish two-stroke
- Proportions consistent with Montesa off-road models
For a split-second cameo, the illusion worked — and the bike became one of the most famous (and charming) motorcycle anachronisms in Western film history.
John Wayne’s Motorcycle: The Honda SL350
While the Baja 100 appears on-screen, John Wayne himself was riding something entirely different when the cameras stopped rolling: a Honda SL350. This wasn’t part of the movie — it was John Wayne’s personal on-set transportation.
Why the SL350?
By the late 1960s and early ’70s, Wayne had developed a strong preference for Honda motorcycles. He owned several scramblers and trail bikes, using them on his ranch and while filming. The Honda SL350 was the ideal choice for the rugged dirt roads of Durango, Mexico, where Big Jake was shot.
What the SL350 offered Wayne:
- Smooth, reliable four-stroke power
- A comfortable upright riding position
- Good ground clearance
- Easy starting and simple maintenance
- Enough power to scout shooting locations quickly
There are production photos of John Wayne in his costume sitting on the SL350, smiling proudly — proof of his affection for the bike.
John Wayne’s Own 1971 Honda SL350
After filming Big Jake, John Wayne didn’t just ride a Honda SL350 around the set — he liked the bike so much that he went on to purchase his own 1971 Honda SL350, which became one of the most well-documented motorcycles he ever owned. While the on-set SL350 was a workhorse for navigating rough terrain during production, this personal bike became the one he used and enjoyed at home long after filming wrapped.
Wayne’s SL350 was a 1971 model featuring the signature high-mounted scrambler exhaust, a 326cc four-stroke twin, and Honda’s rugged semi-double-cradle chassis — a machine perfectly suited to ranch life, rough dirt paths, and the expanses of Wayne’s properties.
Why The Duke Favored the SL350
By the early 1970s, Wayne had taken a real liking to Honda motorcycles. Aging knees and lingering injuries from decades of stunt riding made horses increasingly impractical for long distances on uneven terrain.
Those who worked with Wayne in the early 1970s often described him as surprisingly at home on a dirt bike. A few recurring stories include:
- Wayne using the SL350 to scout filming locations, riding ahead of crew trucks because it was faster and easier than navigating in a 4×4 on rocky roads.
- Crew members joking that Wayne preferred the SL350 to horses, because “the Honda didn’t bite, didn’t buck, and didn’t talk back.”
- Wayne riding the bike around his ranch in Arizona, often checking fence lines or reaching remote corners of the property.
- Wayne allegedly remarking that Honda made “a damn fine ranch bike,” a quote repeated by crew who heard it firsthand.
Even as a Hollywood star, he treated the SL350 as a dependable working machine, not a prop or a collector item. It was a practical tool, but also something he genuinely enjoyed riding.
Auction Details: Where the Bike Ended Up
Wayne’s personal 1971 Honda SL350 eventually surfaced decades later with complete provenance, having been retained by the family before making its way into public auction.
At auction, the SL350 featured:
- Documentation linking it directly to John Wayne
- Period photos of Wayne on the bike
- Signs of actual use — not a pampered display piece
- The bike sold for $30,000 — not bad for a celebrity-owned bike
When the bike crossed the block at a major automotive and motorcycle auction, it drew interest from both movie memorabilia collectors and motorcycle enthusiasts. While not a high-performance machine by modern standards, the combination of Honda reliability and John Wayne provenance made it a standout piece.
It represented a charming and humanizing part of Wayne’s life — the Duke riding a lightweight scrambler across dusty backlots and ranchland.
Did a Honda Ever Appear on Camera?
No — despite Wayne’s frequent off-camera rides, the Honda SL350 does not appear in the film. The only motorcycle visible in the final cut is the disguised enduro ridden by actor Christopher Mitchum (son of Robert Mitchum), who plays the youngest son of John Wayne’s character, Big Jake.
But Wayne’s Honda is arguably even more iconic, thanks to the behind-the-scenes stories of the Duke cruising across the desert in full cowboy gear.
Why Motorcycle Fans Still Talk About Big Jake
Big Jake occupies a special niche in motorcycle-film trivia because it showcases:
- One of the earliest uses of an off-road motorcycle in a Hollywood Western
- A modern bike masquerading as an early 20th-century machine
- John Wayne as an enthusiastic Honda rider
- A rare intersection of cowboy cinema and dirt-bike culture
Few Westerns have such a delightful mechanical contradiction — and fewer still have a star who rode a Japanese scrambler around the set between takes.
Two-Wheeled Cowboys…
These two bikes — the disguised screen bike and Wayne’s SL350 — help paint a fascinating picture of Hollywood filmmaking in the early ’70s. It’s part motorcycle lore, part movie history, and all wrapped in the unmistakable charisma of John Wayne.
I was fighting Malcolm Smith was doing the stunt riding always wonder who it was doing the riding
figuring