Description
Collector's Note – Why This Issue Matters
Easyriders Magazine 2020 No. 1 is not simply another issue in a long publishing run — it is a relaunch, and that distinction matters considerably for collectors. The original Easyriders had been a fixture of American biker culture since 1971, built on a foundation of custom motorcycles, outlaw ethos, and the kind of unapologetically countercultural editorial voice that few mainstream publications would touch. By the late 2010s the title had gone dormant, and its return in 2020 represented a deliberate attempt to reintroduce that spirit to a new generation of riders while honoring the publication's deep historical roots. Choosing Norman Reedus as the cover subject for this relaunch was an editorially shrewd decision. Reedus — best known globally for his role as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead — is a genuinely committed motorcycle enthusiast whose riding life is not a celebrity affectation but a documented and longstanding passion. He had already hosted the motorcycle travel series Ride with Norman Reedus on AMC, making him a credible bridge between the magazine's traditional biker audience and a broader pop culture readership. For collectors tracking the full arc of the Easyriders magazine catalog, this relaunch issue occupies a unique position — it is simultaneously a first issue and a continuation, carrying the weight of nearly five decades of publication history into a new era.
The editorial construction of this issue reflects a thoughtful attempt to honor Easyriders' legacy while updating its scope. The flashback feature on 1969 — the chaotic cultural summer that produced the film Easy Rider and helped define the outlaw biker mythology the magazine was built around — grounds the relaunch explicitly in its own origin story. The tribute to David Mann, the artist whose illustrations were inseparable from Easyriders' visual identity across its original run, signals to longtime readers that the new editorial team understood what the magazine had meant. At the same time, features on a women's global motorcycle collective, veterans' riding therapy, and custom builders from around the world indicate an editorial ambition that extends the franchise beyond its original demographic. The Norman Reedus road feature — a ride journal with his co-rider Georgia — delivers the experiential motorcycle travel content that has always been central to the genre. Taken together, this issue reads as a carefully assembled statement of intent, which is precisely what makes it worth documenting.
About the Publication
Easyriders was founded in 1971 by Lou Kimzey and quickly established itself as the defining publication of American outlaw biker culture — a world of custom choppers, long highway runs, and an editorial sensibility that existed in deliberate opposition to mainstream motorcycle journalism. Where other publications covered production motorcycles and organized riding clubs, Easyriders covered the builders, the rebels, and the road philosophers who shaped a genuine subculture. Its long-running illustrated features, particularly the work of artist David Mann, gave the magazine a visual identity as recognizable as its editorial voice. At its peak the publication reached hundreds of thousands of readers and spawned a broader media and merchandise operation. The 2020 relaunch positioned the title as a premium print publication for a contemporary custom and lifestyle motorcycle audience, updating the format while retaining the cultural DNA that had made the original run significant.
Key Highlights Inside
- Cover feature and road journal with Norman Reedus (page 124) — a ride account with co-rider Georgia documenting open highway travel, consistent with Reedus's established identity as a serious motorcycle enthusiast and host of AMC's Ride with Norman Reedus.
- Flashback: 1969 (page 008) — a feature examining the culture-defining summer that produced the film Easy Rider and shaped the mythology Easyriders was built around, explicitly anchoring the relaunch in the publication's founding context.
- Tribute to David Mann (page 072) — a retrospective on the artist whose illustrated work defined Easyriders' visual identity across its original five-decade run, a significant inclusion for longtime readers and historians of the publication.
- Sarah Shahi interview (page 026) — the actress discusses riding, risk, and personal liberation, representing the issue's reach beyond traditional biker demographics.
- The Builders Series #1 (page 092) — profiles of five custom motorcycle builders from around the world, establishing a recurring feature format for the relaunched publication.
- Road to Rediscovery (page 068) — a feature on riding therapy programs for veterans and first responders with PTSD, reflecting the issue's expanded social scope.
Condition & Rarity
As a 2020 publication, this issue does not carry the age-related preservation challenges of vintage periodicals, but its status as a relaunch first issue gives it collector significance independent of condition. Copies grading at Very Good present with only minor edge wear — the most common contact point for a magazine stored upright or handled regularly — while retaining clean covers, tight spines, and fully intact interior pages. The absence of a subscription label is a meaningful positive: label-free copies preserve the full cover image without adhesive residue or printed address blocks, which matters particularly on a relaunch issue whose cover design carries deliberate visual weight. A protective plastic sleeve maintains that presentation quality over time. Under standard periodical grading, a copy with these attributes — VG condition, no label, minor edge wear only, plastic protection — represents a solid collectible example of what is effectively a first issue of a relaunched historic title.
Looking for More Issues Like This?
A relaunch first issue with a Norman Reedus cover is the kind of item that tends to disappear from the market and stay gone — collectors who recognize its significance hold onto it. If this issue is currently unavailable, the full Easyriders collection at OriginalMagazines.com is the best place to browse for available issues spanning both the original run and the relaunched publication, and it's worth checking back regularly as new copies are catalogued.