Motorbikes in movies might have been the inspiration for you to start riding. They are undeniably cool, rebellious and also great for fast getaways! Here are some of the most iconic classic motorcycles of the silver screen:
Terminator 2
Who can forget Arnie sitting astride that Harley-Davidson Fat Boy? Most movie-makers will heavily modify a bike or even create a purpose-built machine, but this bad boy was the real deal. Some of the most legendary moments of the film involved stunts on that bike, like the leap from bridge into the aqueduct. The rider in the stunts was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body stunt double, Peter Kent.
The Wild One
Marlon Brando rides a Triumph Thunderbird 6T in this 1953 movie. The biking scenes in this movie had a profound effect on many a young rider back in the 50s and 60s. One of the most famous and iconic shots ever taken of a motorbike is the one in which Brando is posing next to the Thunderbird. The bike was destroyed after filming and was said to have been nothing special!
Easy Rider
Another defining motorbike movie, Easy Rider must be the most famous biking movie ever produced. Whilst a flight of fancy from real bike ownership, the vehicles used in the filming must be the most iconic motorcycles ever on the big screen. The bike that Dennis Hopper rode has become known as the ‘Billy Bike’ after Hopper’s character. It was a Harley Hydra-Glide that had previously been a police bike. Two were purchased and modified for filming but both stolen and never seen again just before filming finished! Perhaps they should have thought about fitting motorcycle security!
The Great Escape
It doesn’t matter how much green paint you apply to a Triumph Trophy, it’s never going to pass as a German military BMW R75. That didn’t seem to matter to the makers of The Great Escape though who still managed to put motorbikes on the map with the 60s Triumph of Steve McQueen and that famous jump scene. After filming, the bike was given to a farmer for herding his cows but since restored to former glory, belonging to a collector.
Pulp Fiction
Tarantino is one of the most exciting writers and directors of the modern era and he loves adding a bike or two to his movies. The whole ‘Zed’s Dead’ scene in Pulp Fiction builds up beautifully to reveal a fairly average 1986 customised FXR but with ‘Grace’ emblazoned on the side and a conversation about it not being a motorbike but a ‘chopper baby’.
The Matrix
It was a Ducati 996 that appeared in the movie although the company were already selling the 998 when the movie was released. Ducati made a number of limited edition bikes to link up with the release of the film. Figures are unknown, but rumour has it that 150 special edition Matrix Ducati’s were produced, making them pretty rare. The only real difference with these special edition bikes was dark green bodywork and some decals.