This could be the greatest film since "Mars Attacks"!
I'm a follower of this genre growing up in Fresno in the '60s where, of course Harley was king. But, the true counter culture were the Britbike riders for all those same reasons the Jap bikes became so popular. They were light, fast and great handling. The poor reliability came from those guys who didn't know how to work on their own bikes, since this was an essential part of owning a Brit bike. Those guys who complained, but remained in motorcycling bought the new Jap bikes and subsequently changed history.
But, in the Central Valley and West Coast of California the Triumph, BSA and Norton were tearing up dirt tracks. When I came of age (~1972) the Triumphs were still winning at Daytona. So, the logical choice for a motorcycle was to buy a Triumph, even after the Honda 750 came out, which was not known for reliability at that time. The Honda 350 and 450 buzzed like hell at speed and had no more power than a well sorted Triumph 650. The Honda 750 was probably really too good to be true. Little did we know.
What we didn't have is the cafe racer style. The Harley influence was so strong that nearly all customized Brit bikes followed the chopper look.
What this movie looks to be about is the influence of the "Ton-up", "Cafe Racer", "Rockers" influence from Britain on us geezer Brit bikers here in the States that began in the late '70s. That influence ultimately led to us modifying our old Brit bikes to look like the British Cafe Racer. All those parts came from aftermarket companies here and overseas within the last 25 years. And I believe this is what ultimately generated the market for the Hinckley bonneville.
This British bike phenomena really got going in the late 1980s when the price of old British bikes really started going up and many restorations were undertaken. The machines are easy to work on, parts were still readily available and a lot of the old successful shops were still around. There were so many restorations that you wouldn't win anything at the shows, if it lacked one original part. Don't ask how I know that. The movement fell a bit flat in the mid-'90s, but has been accelerating a bit lately now that most of these Brit bikes are finally elegible for vintage status (>35 years old) and their price is increasing.
Motorcycling was reborn with the new Jap bikes and as you can tell a few of us are still suspicious of them. The Harley phenomenon actually followed a parallel path with full factory support. But the old Brit bike culture is truely a grassroots effort.
Anyway, I love the Hooligan logo!