Motorcycles that made history on the movie screen
Bikers and motorcycles enthusiasts surely never miss a motorcycle appearance on screen: how many times, while watching a movie, you jumped off the sofa because the main character entered the scene on a motorcycle? It does not matter if the protagonist was riding the very same motorcycle you own or the motorcycle of you dreams; seeing a motorcycle on screen always equals to intense moments, we know the feeling very well. If it is true that motorcycles do not star in every movie (i wish they did!), it is also true that every time an Harley Davidson, an Indian, a Triumph or any other model appears in a movie, that movie automatically gets more interesting and remains impressed in every bikers’ mind.
The motorcycle that became legend: Triumph TR6 of The Great Escape (1963)
Inspired by a Paul Brickhil book, this movie directed by John Sturgis, granted Steve McQueen a place among Hollywood superstars. To shoot the scene in which Cpt. Virgil Hilts, jumps off a fence on his Triumph TR6 Steve, who was a true motorcycle enthusiast who used to also participate in races, did not want to use any double. The result was so amazing that the scene left its mark in movies history.
The motorcycles that became icons: Harley Davidson Choppers in Easy Rider (1969)
Freedom, road tripping, adventure, fear: who remembers Easy Rider, THE road movie, directed and interpreted by Dennis Hopper with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson in 1969? This movie, a window on the 60’s hippie culture, portrayed an incredible road trip between California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. The movie OST Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf, turned out to be iconic and known by everyone even today, 51 years away from the movie release. George Lucas about Easy Rider «More than any other movie before, Easy Rider opened the Corporation eyes on how a successful movie looks like. Movies needed to appeal to youngsters».
The motorcycle that became a symbol: FXR Super Glide Chopper in Pulp Fiction (1994)
The scene is now a cult and will always be remember by every movie enthusiast. After freeing himself and Marcellus Wallace from Zed and his depraved friend, Butch (Bruce Willis) has to go back to his girlfriend Fabienne before leaving the city for good. His car is completely destroyed and all he can do is taking Zed motorcycle: an Harley Davidson FXR Super Glide Chopper, an amazing bike that became a legend thanks to the movie. Word on the street is that the movie production used two identical motorcycles and that by looking closely is possible to spot a couple of difference between the two bikes. Were you able to notice any difference?
The motorcycles that made an era: Ducati 996 in Matrix (1999)
It is impossible to forget what Morpheus tells Neo «The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work… when you go to church… when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.» Also impossible to forget Trinity, interpreted by Carrie-Anne Moss, sweeping through traffic on a Ducati stolen from a track full of Matrix Green Ducati 996. I bet that this movie, directed by the Wachowski brothers in 1999, won 4 Oscars also because of sequences like this. A true cult.
The motorcycle that made you dream: Indian Chief in The World’s fastest Indian (2005)
The title of this movie, directed by Roger Donaldson and interpreted by Anthony Hopkins in 2005, leaves nothing to imagination. The movie tells the real story of a New Zealander, Burt Munro, who managed to travel to Bonneville salt lake to fulfill his dream: participate to the annual Speed Week with his 1920 Indian Chief. Will he manage to beat the record? To know that, you will need to watch the movie.
