Few things in life can match the experience of riding a motorcycle on a beautiful summer’s day in terms of sheer freedom. With their ability to elicit a range of emotions, from adrenaline-fuelled excitement to calm and tranquillity, it is no surprise that motorcycles have been the subject of many of the world’s favourite movies.
Here we look back over some of those iconic moments and the bikes that made them possible.
The Wild One (1953)
In the 1950s and 1960s, rebellion was in the air. The youth, unburdened with the war and economic depression of previous decades, feel empowered by popular culture, turning against the old, rigid establishment, and few characters portrayed this more effectively than Marlon Brando’s Johnny Strabler.
As leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, Strabler rode a Triumph Thunderbird T6 – a 650cc powerhouse which built on an earlier version of the parallel twin engine. Brando and the T6 had a powerful image that would later influence Elvis Presley for his Jailhouse Rock role and lead to James Dean purchasing a Triumph TR5 Trophy motorcycle to mimic Brando’s legendary appearance.
The Great Escape (1963)
You may already know the pleasure of riding through the countryside on your bike with the sun on your back. However, you probably didn’t do it while being chased by the Nazi’s having just escaped from a POW camp. Well, in The Great Escape’s most memorable scene, Steve McQueen does just that. The bike he was riding was made up to look like a wartime BMW, but it was a TT Special 650 Triumph, and as he rides across the field in the climax to that scene, few moments in movie history are remembered so fondly – even by people who haven’t seen the film!
Easy Rider (1969)
As the swinging Sixties came to an end, there could have been no more fitting a send-off than Easy Rider. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper wrote and starred in this counter-culture movie about two bikers discovering America on their Harley-Davidsons, and with the Steppenwolf classic Born to Be Wild on the soundtrack, there could hardly be a more perfect motorbike buddy movie.
As Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) travel from LA to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, they encounter fellow hippies and society drop-outs uninterested in conforming to normal life, and no bike could have been more fitting than the sleek and powerful Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
When people recall the Terminator movies, they will usually think of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his shades, leather jacket, and straddling a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. As the emotionless cyborg protecting John Connor from the ruthless T-1000, Arnie was the embodiment of cool on this fantastic machine, and some of the most exciting chase scenes in movie history were made in this movie. The two heroes out-riding Robert Patrick’s T-1000 while he pursued them in a huge articulated lorry was one particularly epic sequence.
The Harley-Davidson Fat Boy’s introduction in 1990 led Harley to once again become the market leader for heavyweight engines (over 750cc), and it’s not hard to see why when watching this powerful bike.
TT3D: Closer to the Edge (2011)
It seems fitting to end this list with a movie documenting the lives of real bikers, and TT3D vividly documents the greatest road race in the world – the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. We follow the exploits of these courageous riders who risk life and limb for the sport they love, and the film captures all of the 2010 races in action. The movie was shot in 3D, which recreates the drama and adrenaline-pumping speed of these breathtaking races in all their glory.
Directed by Richard De Aragues and narrated by Jared Leto, TT3D is the ultimate depiction of the breathless and thrilling motorbike experience.
So, if you ever find yourself stuck on a weekend when the weather is too wet or icy to go out on your bike, stick on any one of these incredible movies – the next best thing to pulling on your boots, gloves, and leathers and getting out there yourself.
