The Winter Soldier is back on a Harley-Davidson in Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts*’– Well, kind of
Harley-Davidson and Captain America. At the height of Marvel’s popularity in the last decade, you could spot Chris Evans aboard a bike from the Bar & Shield in nearly every one of his appearances as the star-spangled superhero. Today, Harley-Davidson is back to the big screen with a Pan America adventure bike in Marvel’s upcoming “Thunderbolts*.” However, there’s something a bit off about the bike.
Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts*’ will pit a Harley-Davidson Pan America with a peculiar voice against bad guys
Over 13 years after Chris Evans first appeared on-screen with a Harley-Davidson, the MoCo is back to making movies with Marvel. However, don’t expect to see a celebrity riding a modified WLA or an FXSB Breakout like in previous films.
No, the latest Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Marvel movie partnership will feature a version of the RA1250 Pan America 1250. In a recent “special look” at Disney’s D23 Expo in Brazil, Bucky Barnes, also known as “The Winter Soldier” throws a leg over the liquid-cooled adventure bike in a desert chase.
Consequently, you’d likely expect the bike’s 1250cc twin to belt out a recognizable Harley-Davidson song. However, at several points in the desert chase scene, the bike seems to produce something from the high-revving four-cylinder orchestra section. Think 1,000-cc Suzuki GSX-R or Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP more so than the Harley’s bassy soundtrack.
Still, the Pan America is a much more capable companion for Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes than some of the Harleys from previous Marvel films. For instance, the Harley-Davidson Street 750 from “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) produced just 57.6 horsepower from its Revolution X powerplant. On the other hand, the Pan America produces 150 horsepower at 9,000 RPM. Much more heroic, even with the fake on-screen revs.
Of course, this is far from the first time movies and TV shows have dabbled in dubbing. Frankly, it’s not even the first time Marvel has inserted faux engine noises to liven up a scene. For instance, in the blockbuster 2019 film “Avengers: Endgame,” Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark pulls up in an Audi e-tron GT concept car. However, according to electrek, Audi included a “digitally-generated sound” for the EV.
Check out the D23 special look featuring the Pan America model below!
