The coolest two-wheeled movie stars

Tuesday, 24 March 2020

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is regarded as the best of the Terminator series. Probably because of the bike.

Picking half a dozen cool movie cars is only difficult because there are so many to choose from. But what about bikes? Let's have a look at the top five coolest motorbikes to grace the silver screen. In no particular order…

1. Tron: Legacy - Lightcycle

Tron: Legacy already has a decent contender in the form of hero Sam Flynn's Ducati Sport 1000 shown early in the movie, but the Lightcycle scene wins for sheer sci-fi awesomeness, especially with how it digitally constructs itself by pulling apart the handlebars. If you haven't seen the movie, put it on your quarantine 'to-watch' list right now. Preferably in 4K.

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* A Harley-Davidson that's born to be mild**

2. Terminator 2 - Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy in Terminator 2 is a beaut and the chase scenes with Arnie and his Winchester 1887 shotgun are iconic. Partly due to the spinning recock motion of the shotgun and partly due to the all-American rumble of the Harley. The bike used in filming sold at an auction in 2018 for US$480,000 (NZ$841k) with 381 genuine Terminator-ridden miles on the clock.

3. The Matrix: Reloaded - Ducati 996

The highway scene in The Matrix: Reloaded is one of the all-time greats in terms of CGI fight scenes and the dark green Ducati 996 is a not-so-silent star throughout. Ridden by Trinity, the 996 helps her and the Keymaker escape the clutches of the Twins and the Agents. We'll ignore the gratuitous burnouts and full fist of front brake and focus on that glorious engine note. Ducati later released a special Matrix Edition superbike, although it was based on the updated 998 rather than the 996 of the film.

4. Top Gun - Ninja GPZ900R

Top Gun introduced the world to the Kawasaki Ninja GPZ900R. It was the first bike of the now-household Ninja family and was developed in secret over six years. Top Gun put the bike on the map and it's set to return in Top Gun 2, starring alongside the supercharged Kawasaki H2R. Count us in.

5. Batman: The Dark Knight - Batpod

Batman: The Dark Knight is widely considered one of, if not the best superhero film to date. It's dark, grim and Heath Ledger's Joker is almost untouchable now, despite efforts from Joaquin Phoenix who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the character. The Batpod in this film detaches from the Batmobile and features cannons (definitely not for killing anyone, as per Batman's personal rule) and physics-defying sideways-rotating wheels. Six were made and one has already been through the auction process.