The Real Motorcycle Prince Rode on Purple Rain

The small genius from Minneapolis, Prince, released a phenomenal album in 1984 that became an authentic cultural icon. We are talking about Purple Rain.

On the cover of the record, Prince appears sitting on a striking motorcycle with a front fairing, raised handlebars, and a tall backrest — a bike that many people mistakenly assumed was a Harley-Davidson .

However, it is worth noting that Prince had an extremely slim build, weighed under 50 kg, and was only about 1.60 meters tall. Interestingly, in the photograph he looks perfectly proportional with the motorcycle. Knowing this, it becomes clear that it would have been impossible for the bike to be a full-sized Harley-Davidson.

The truth is that Prince posed on a customized Honda CM400A. This model, produced by Honda Motor Company between 1979 and 1982, featured an automatic transmission, a twin-cylinder engine, and electronic ignition.

The seat was upholstered in black leather with diamond-shaped purple inserts, and the fairing was a classic Vetter Windjammer from the 1970s — although Tommy Summers claims it was actually a Howe Kutter.

The paint color used was the famous Plum Crazy C7 shade from Mopar.

Purple Rain was also the soundtrack of the film of the same name , where The Kid (Prince), a poor musician haunted by family conflicts, struggles against a turbulent home life and his own anger, seeking refuge in music.

In the movie, Prince is seen riding the motorcycle, and as mentioned before, the bike looks almost smaller than he is — further confirming how specially adapted it was for him.

The motorcycle was rebuilt for the film by Low Riders by Summers, a custom shop founded in 1979 by Tommy Summers, specializing in personalized chopper-style builds.

The exact dimensions of the bike, customized specifically for Prince, were never widely documented — or perhaps nobody took the time to investigate this curious detail.

In his personal legacy, Prince left behind numerous automobiles and three motorcycles, one of which was this small and distinctive Honda — a machine that added an unforgettable touch of style and vertigo to one of the most legendary songs ever performed on stage.