Henry Winkler was recently reunited with his Happy Days motorcycle which helped cement his iconic cool character Fonzie. Winkler played Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, the breakout character of the popular sitcom for a decade. In his recently published memoir, he candidly reveals his daily battle with dyslexia during filming, which made it challenging to maintain his effortless persona as he struggled to learn his lines.

However, just as Winkler has built an impressive career for himself, his iconic Happy Days motorcycle has also stood the test of time. On Cleveland’s FOX 8 News, Winkler reunited with his motorcycle and reflected on their history together. “Okay here’s the truth. Honesty is the best policy. I have never ridden a motorcycle,” he revealed to the morning news crew.

“So they put me on the motorcycle,” Winkler continued. “We’re inside, and I have to ride 5 feet and a very slow roll into five feet. And I don’t know what happened, but I let go of the brake — the thing with the boom and the bim. We were going so fast the director of photography jumped out of the way. I put the bike down, I slid under the sound truck and they came running.”

Despite the spill, the Happy Days crew was more concerned about the motorcycle. “They wanted to make sure that the bike was fine because it was rented,” Winkler quipped.

Henry Winkler’s ‘Happy Days’ Motorcycle Fetched Some Cool Cash When Auctioned

Fonzie is perhaps the world’s most beloved biker character. Fonzie’s fame soared due to his clever one-liners, iconic hairstyle, sleek black leather jacket, and cherished 1949 Triumph Trophy 500 motorcycle.

Bud Ekins, a renowned motorcycle racer, Hollywood stuntman, and close confidant of Steve McQueen, custom-built Fonzie’s original motorcycle. The bike captured the authentic essence of a 1950s custom design. The last remaining of Fonzie’s 1949 Triumph Trophy 500 sold at auction in 2021 for a whopping $231,562. The motorcycle has found its new residence at the San Diego Automotive Museum, where it shares a home with the iconic leather jacket worn by Winkler in his role as the Fonz.

The motorcycle also helped ensure Henry Winkler got to wear his iconic leather jacket on Happy Days. Winkler recalls the network not wanting him to wear the cool duds. However, show creator Garry Marshall managed to convince the head honchos otherwise. “Garry went to ABC and he said, ‘Ya know? He could be hurt if he’s riding a motorcycle and he falls off and he’s not wearing leather. He could be scraped,’” Winkler told Entertainment Weekly in 2020.