George Clooney is no longer riding motorcycles, according to his publicist. The actor and bike enthusiast, 57, has been riding for years but is giving up the pastime for good and selling one of his Harley-Davidson motorcycles for charity.
A listing on eBay features the star’s 2017 dresser touring ultra-limited FLHTK Harley-Davidson. Proceeds will benefit the Homes for Our Troops charity, which gives specially adapted homes to veterans who were injured after 9/11.
Clooney’s friend Jake Tapper set up the auction, which had an opening bid of $25,000. The motorcycle has just 25 miles on the odometer, and Clooney will autograph the bike if requested. The winner must pick up the motorcycle in Los Angeles.
According to the listing, Clooney’s “wife Amal has told him he’s off two wheels for good.” The actor’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield, confirmed that Clooney is finished with motorcycles but did not elaborate.
Over the summer, Clooney sustained minor injuries after a car hit his scooter on the Italian island of Sardinia. He was in the country filming the Hulu series Catch-22 based on the classic Joseph Heller novel. Clooney was travelling around 65 miles per hour after he was hit head-on. He was launched an estimated 20 feet, and his helmet was cracked on impact. Clooney reportedly hurt his pelvis and bruised his knee and arm.
It wasn’t the first time Clooney was in a crash involving two wheels. In 2007, he was in a motorcycle accident in Weehawken, New Jersey. His passenger, then-girlfriend Sarah Larson, sustained a leg injury.
Clooney and Amal wed in 2014 in Venice. The pair welcomed twins, Ella and Alexander, in June 2017. It’s not uncommon for people to give up motorcycling when they start raising a family, and Amal may have given her husband an ultimatum after the incident in Italy.
Motorcycles are more dangerous than cars and don’t offer the same protection during a crash. One report estimates that Canadian motorcyclists are 13.5 times more likely to die in traffic collisions versus people in cars. Contributing factors are lack of experience, alcohol use, and exceeding the speed limit.
