The legendary gonzo journalist and author, Hunter S. Thompson, ended his own life with a bullet in 2005. A biker himself, owner at various times of an A65 BSA Lightning, Triumph T120 Bonneville, Ducati 900 Supersport, a Harley-Davidson Softail, numerous 1970’s Honda 750 Supersport demo models, and a Vincent Black Lightning of which he wrote: “A genuinely hellish bike. Second gear peaks around 65 – cruising speed on the freeways – and third winds out somewhere between 95 and 100. I never got to fourth, which takes you up to 120 or so – and after that you shift into fifth gear.”
Thompson made his name after spending a year with the San Francisco and Oakland Hells Angels chapter, culminating in his book Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.