Key Takeaway
The celebrity motorcycle world runs deeper than leather jackets and photo ops. Keith Richards has worn the same skull ring since 1979 — cast from a real human skull. Jason Momoa paints his Harleys pink. And Johnny Depp formed a secret skull ring pact with Iggy Pop. These are the stories most articles leave out.
Celebrity motorcycle fashion gets reduced to the same recycled photos of Brando in The Wild One. But the real culture — the rings, the custom builds, the rituals — tells a different story. Some of Hollywood's biggest names don't just pose on bikes for magazine covers. They ride daily, build from scratch, and wear jewelry that carries actual meaning.
Here's what you won't find in a typical listicle.
Keith Richards — The Ring That Started It All
In 1978, two Royal College of Art graduates — David Courts and Bill Hackett — sculpted a ring from a real human skull borrowed from a London biological supply company. They cast it in solid sterling silver and gave it to Keith Richards at his birthday party in New York the following year. That ring hasn't left his right ring finger since.
The design is jawless — upper skull and teeth only — closer to a medical specimen than typical biker jewelry. Courts and Hackett's work now sits in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Richards' ring sits on his finger, 47 years running. It became the template for an entire genre of silver skull rings that followed.
We wrote the full story in our deep dive on the Richards skull ring — including who made it and why it looks nothing like the copies.
Johnny Depp and the "Death Is Certain" Skull Ring Pact
In the early 1990s, Depp walked into NYC jeweler Alfred Albrizio's shop — a third-generation craftsman — with Iggy Pop, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, and tattoo artist Jonathan Shaw. They bought four matching skull rings and got matching tattoos to go with them.
Depp's version: a boxy skull with red gem eyes, three clear stones in the forehead, and gold accents. He also owns a "Keith" ring by Dead Ringers — a tribute to Richards — plus a gold skull with amethyst eyes designed by celebrity jeweler Neil Lane for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
If you've ever seen Depp offscreen, his hands are stacked. Skull rings, leather cuffs, silver bands. He rides a mix of vintage and custom bikes — and we carry a ring inspired by his signature style.
Jason Momoa Paints His Harleys Pink
Momoa bought his first Harley at 19 with money from Baywatch Hawaii. A 1956 Panhead he named "Mabel" after his grandmother, fitted with a 1948 springer front end. That bike launched a collection that now includes three pre-war Knuckleheads — a '36, a '37, and a '39.
The '36? He painted it pink. His favorite color.
But it's his jewelry that connects to motorcycle culture most directly. Momoa has worked with Judicael Sacred Skulls since 2017 and collaborated with Book of Alchemy on the "Bloodlines Skullring" — a 43mm bronze skull ring. He gave Lenny Kravitz a matching set of bone skull rings made by Leroys Wooden Tattoos, symbolizing their blended family bond. A man who rides vintage Harleys and gives his wife's ex-husband matching skull rings — that's a different kind of biker culture.
In 2024, he launched On the Roam — an eight-part docu-series on Harley-Davidson and craftsmanship — plus a limited-edition apparel line with Harley.
Keanu Reeves Doesn't Just Ride — He Builds
Most people know Keanu rides. Fewer know he co-founded ARCH Motorcycle in 2011 with master builder Gard Hollinger — and that the company now sells bikes for up to $250,000.
The origin: in 2007, Reeves hired Hollinger to customize his Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. Five years later, only the engine remained from the original bike. Everything else was hand-built. That personal project became the prototype for the KRGT-1 — ARCH's first production model, starting at $85,000.
Their flagship, the Method 143, uses a carbon fiber mono-cell chassis that doubles as fuel storage and air filtration — something no other American production motorcycle has done. Only 23 were built. Reeves is the primary road tester, with over 50,000 test miles logged personally. He says he gets "withdrawals" when he doesn't ride.
In 2025, ARCH entered MotoAmerica's Super Hooligan Championship and placed 7th at Daytona against nearly 50 competitors in their debut race. They're running a full six-round season in 2026.
Worth noting: Reeves' personal collection includes a 1973 Norton Commando 850 he bought in 1987 — his second-ever bike. He still rides it on LA roads. The man doesn't collect motorcycles to display them. He collects them to ride.
Norman Reedus Gets Paid to Ride (and People Give Him Bikes)
Reedus rode a modified Honda Nighthawk as Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead. Off-screen, he turned that into Ride with Norman Reedus — now seven seasons deep on AMC. Season 7 aired in September 2025, covering Georgia and New Mexico with guests like Robert Patrick and Zahn McClarnon.
His collection keeps growing because — and this is real — people just give him motorcycles through the show. He now owns a custom Indian Sport Chief by Powerplant Motorcycles (his first Indian), a Harley Knucklehead by the same builder, a Hammerhead Jack Pine Triumph Scrambler, and several more.
Reedus is frequently spotted wearing skull rings and an A7-style jacket. He also prefers a full-face helmet — a practical choice that says more about how seriously he rides than any fashion accessory could.
Travis Barker — Where Punk Met Biker Jewelry
The Blink-182 drummer rides a Harley-Davidson and owns 25+ BMX bikes (including Dior-branded ones). But his biggest contribution to motorcycle fashion is bridging punk and biker aesthetics through jewelry collaborations.
His 2022 Buster + Punch collaboration produced solid cast metal skull necklaces — hand-polished and stamped with both insignias. His Clocks + Colours line includes sterling silver chains, diamond-adorned skull rings with lab-grown stones, and safety pin-inspired necklaces. Pieces range from $295 to $1,800.
Barker described the motivation: "I wanted to create necessities, pieces that didn't exist, essentials that I would wear every day." That philosophy — jewelry as daily gear, not special occasion decoration — is exactly how bikers have always approached accessories. It's also how we think about pieces in our gothic ring collection.
Riders You Didn't Expect
Pink — married to professional motocross champion Carey Hart — rides a Triumph Bonneville T100 and a Harley Sportster Iron 883. Hart gifted her a custom-built motorcycle as a "push present" after their child was born. That's motorcycle culture embedded at the family level.
Prince William passed his motorcycle test at 19 and has been spotted on a Ducati Hypermotard through London traffic. He took a ride through the city the night before his royal wedding in 2011.
Stephen King — yes, the horror writer — guest-starred on Sons of Anarchy Season 3, riding a Harley Road Glide on camera. And Brad Pitt owns a Ducati Desmosedici RR, the limited-production MotoGP-based superbike that most motorcycle enthusiasts can only dream of. In 2025, Pitt began producing a film and docu-series about the Isle of Man TT — one of the most dangerous motorcycle races in the world, running since 1907.
The Chain Wallet Comeback
Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, and Billie Eilish have all been photographed wearing wallet chains in recent years. What started as a biker necessity — keeping your wallet attached to your body while riding — has re-entered streetwear through the '90s fashion revival. K-pop and punk subcultures pushed it further.
The irony: bikers wore chain wallets because they were practical. Now they're a fashion statement divorced from riding. But the original purpose — a leather chain wallet clipped to your belt loop — hasn't changed. It still works exactly the way it did in 1960.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which celebrity has worn the same skull ring the longest?
Keith Richards. His sterling silver skull ring was made in 1978 by David Courts and Bill Hackett, and he's worn it continuously since 1979 — over 47 years on the same finger.
Does Jason Momoa actually ride vintage motorcycles daily?
Yes. Momoa owns multiple pre-WWII Harley-Davidson Knuckleheads (1936, 1937, 1939) and rides them regularly. He prefers vintage bikes because they're mechanically simple — he can work on them himself.
How much does an ARCH motorcycle from Keanu Reeves cost?
The KRGT-1 starts at around $85,000. The 1s Sport Cruiser is $128,000. The Method 143 — their flagship with a carbon fiber mono-cell chassis — runs approximately $250,000, and only 23 were made.
Why are wallet chains popular again?
The '90s fashion revival in streetwear, pop punk, and K-pop brought them back. Celebrities like Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, and Billie Eilish have been photographed wearing them. The original biker purpose — preventing your wallet from falling out while riding — still applies.
What skull ring does Johnny Depp actually wear?
Depp owns several. His most famous is a boxy skull with red gem eyes from jeweler Alfred Albrizio — one of four matching rings bought with Iggy Pop, Jim Jarmusch, and Jonathan Shaw in the early '90s. He also has a gold skull with amethyst eyes by Neil Lane and a "Keith" tribute ring by Dead Ringers.
Motorcycle fashion didn't start with celebrities, and it doesn't end with them. But the details matter — the specific rings, the actual builds, the real riding histories. If you're curious about the different expressions in skull jewelry or want to browse what we carry, the biker ring buying guide is a good next step.