Easy Rider & A Search for America
"The scene sketches how their bikes are a part of the two riders (they never get off their bikes, their motors still running), but also how the bikes symbolize something "different" and threatening for mainstream America." (Driving Visions p. 69)
Easy Rider advertises "A man went looking for America but couldn't find it anywhere," which was made prominent in several scenes during the film. The film even opens in Mexico, where Wyatt and Billy buy the drugs that fuel an American drug culture. Right away, this shows an example of some roots of the "American culture" that aren't even cultivated in the United States.
The quest these men set out for had to do with making the most of their freedom. And they found out in their journey that the freedom that mainstream America sought is much more talk than action. These men were about exercising their rights freely, and though they weren't causing any harm, they were rejected for simply living a free life. Wyatt and Billy were denied vacancy at a motel, and the likely reason they were turned away was because they were on motorcycles. The motorcycles, like Wyatt and Billy, were unconventional - and therefore frowned upon.
By embracing their freedom, Wyatt and Billy only found rejection. Others who were also free from societal norms were in the same position. After picking up a hitch-hiker and staying at a commune for a few days, you can clearly see how difficult life is when you're not melding with the rest of society. The people living there are struggling to grow their own crops. In a community prayer, they ask for a chance "to make a stand." They are non-conformists, and struggling to live because of it. They seek to make a stand, but don't have the resources to merely support themselves.
Much of this quest to "find America" was framed because Wyatt and Billy were white men. There was nothing for them to rebel against, because they were given freedom just for being the majority in power. When they spent a night in prison, and a lawyer helped to get them out, he told the guys that he could get them out in a hurry, if they haven't killed anybody..."least anybody white." White people had far more rights and were held in a higher position through society during this period. They had privilege and respect, they couldn't reach a higher point. Women and other ethnic groups had something to fight for, but these men were fighting for something they supposedly had already.
Early in the film, the men are getting their motorcycles repaired by a farmer. In this scene, the wife takes care of dinner and the dishes, and makes sure everyone is happy. The woman doesn't have a single line, though she does all of the work seen through that duration.
The America these men found had nothing to do with liberty. Those trying to grasp an idea of being free were the ones struggling, and the people who were well off and safe in the film were those who used their freedom to fit societal molds. This was a very disturbing realization, and by the time it was encountered, their lives came to a very disturbing finish.