One of the easiest ways to generate buzz in the motorcycle industry is a killer stunt with an exciting soundtrack in a summer blockbuster. From the early days of movie-making, motorcycle stunts have grown popular among the general public. Each summer, every company, from Ducati to Harley-Davidson, shoots and broadcasts a memorable stunt in a bid to elevate the sales figures. Here are 10 of our favorite motorcycle stunts from movies and TV shows.
10 Great Escape
Let's take it back to the classic days of Hollywood Cinema! Setting the scene, the cast and crew approach the final weeks of prep time for the daring new action picture The Great Escape. As many know, Steve McQueen almost turned down the role of the main character and ice house king in this prison escape film. Lucky for us, he went through with his position and brought his passion for motorcycling into the shooting schedule. In the final minutes of the wartime epic, we see McQueen steal a German soldier's patrol bike and jump the rolling hills of the border to free man's land until he crashes dramatically into the barbed wire fence of the stronghold town. This stunt is well regarded as an entry point for viewers to grow in their passion for riding motorcycles. Ironically, a proof of concept for modern-day Dual Sport and ADV riders, this scene will inspire the Evil Knievel fans in the audience to hang their new Scramblers over the nearest hillsides.
9 The Dark Knight
A modern rethink of the classic Batman character, the Batman Begins Trilogy is well regarded as Masterclass for Action Cinema and script pacing. The character development shines in each of the scenes in the first films and the stunts that Nolan commissioned to be done in real-time and at an accurate scale. One of the more memorable stunts involves Batman's exit from his air-focused chase vehicle onto his Bat-Pod Motorcycle. The bike has otherworldly maneuverability, enabling it to ride sideways on its gyroscopic tires and armed with the most high-tech artillery and combat weapons. Although the motorcycle was custom-made by the props team, the dual swingarm design is shown in some modern-day bikes like the Vyrus 987 C3 V4, owned by Tom Cruise. This bike is nothing but memorable to the viewer and has inspired many to stretch out their Hayabusa and ride the dark city tunnels, channeling their Bruce Wayne energies.
8 Point Break
Although critiqued for its departure from the classic Point Break storyline, the modern retelling of the story involves much more ambitious stunt work and the start of the film with nothing but a Red Bull promotional vide-worthy scene involving the main character and a friend on their outfitted dirtbikes. The group, filmed by a team of helicopter cameramen, decides to jump on an opposite free-standing rock structure, stopping on a dime and waving to the cameras. The audience is left in awe as the team weaves and jumps through an obstacle course of rock and sand, performing some Travis Pastrana-like stunts worthy of the 90s dirtbike craze. Unfortunately, this scene ends in horror as the main character's friend falls prey to the rocks below (spoiler alert!). This memorable scene rekindles the fire of Modern road culture and raises Troy Lee Customs stock. We thoroughly enjoy more dirtbike content on the big screen, and fans are sure to investigate the sport further after this clip.
7 Crank
Jason Statham is no stranger to motorcycle stunts in his years as an action star. We focused on one of his less memorable action suspense, but most notable in its context. This is hardly overshadowed by the scene in Crank where he rides off on a policeman's patrol cruiser, performing burnouts on his way from the location. This scene turns to calm melodies and peaceful riding as we see Jason riding through the city streets, fighting his tiredness by standing aboard the bike and spreading his arms in a sign of absolute trust in the bike's stability and engineering. Again, like most of these entries, the cycle ends in a heap as Jason approaches a streetside eating area and flies from the vehicle. We love to see the maneuvers practiced by highway motorcycle patrolmen on display in this odd but inspiring scene.
6 Hobbs and Shaw
I, unfortunately, haven't seen all of the Fast and the Furious movies. I loved seeing the clips and talking about the cars used, but none of them caught my eye until I saw the trailer for the modern-day spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw. In the apex of the trailer's suspense, we see Idris Elba’s character ride on an automated motorcycle, weaving through the streets and drifting underneath a Semi trailer as the bike reconfigures itself to protect the rider from harm. This idea seems to have been inspired by the works of Honda and other major manufacturers trying to update the design of modern motorcycles for safety and adaptability. Still, it is primarily a thrill for the audience to see this Transformers-themed two-wheel vehicle. If you pay close attention, Idris steps on the bike on the wrong side; only daily riders would recognize the mistake. We can hardly blame him for the motorcycle standing in sentry mode, perpendicular to the ground, when not in use. This would come in handy in a parking lot pinch with limited space.
5 Mission Impossible
Tom Cruise is synonymous with action sequences, skydiving, and motorcycles. Over the years, he's added many entries to this list and is worthy of this entry here. Perhaps his most well-known role is as Ethan Hunt in the popular Mission Impossible franchise. We see Ethan perform some daring stunts in MI3, MI Rogue Nation, and MI Fallout. One of the most memorable has to be the various stunts he performs against the random biker goons in Rogue Nation on the back of BMW M3s and S1000RR, which Tom decides to ride for himself towards the end of the fight. This impresses the rider to drag the leg and find the apex on his own time, pushing the consumer to the sportbike segment. Although the MI team started to ride BMW and Triumph bikes exclusively in later films, the stunts involved delicate maneuvers and actions for every type of rider, including a flat-out race through Paris on the BMW R Nine T.
4 Keanu Reeves Commercial
Another excellent example of the fixed suicide spread, this time performed by the crowd favorite Keanu Reeves. In this commercial, we see Keanu speak about balance and control as he rises from his bike, places his feet on the seat and tank, and surfers with his fine mane of hair wrinkling in the wind. This was inspired by Jean Claude Van Damme's stunt in which he performed an active full split between two moving semi-trucks. Unlike Jason’s example, this clip doesn't end in disaster, merely a beautiful view of Keanu's KRGT1 flying off into space like the car from Grease. A beautiful site to behold and a memorable super bow commercial, if there ever was one.
3 Walking Dead
Zombies: The location of everyone's favorite debate on how we can outsmart the living dead and an indeed entertaining category of cinema and TV shows. Over the years, the ideas of a perfect vehicle in this type of apocalypse included everything from a Toyota Prius to a Chevy Metro. However, there have never been conversations about a loud piped cruiser or a sport rat bike, in walks Daryl Dixon. With his first appearance on a custom Harley-Davidson and later showings of his customized rat bike, taken from the book of Mad Max, Daryl took the world by storm and helped us ask whether a motorcycle is the best bike for the end of the world. We may never know if it is genuinely world-ending durability or usability, but we do know that this entry came with some exciting footage from the show The Walking Dead. Every time he rides into the scene, he almost calls the viewer to experience the same type of freedom and escape from danger. We greatly appreciate Norman pleading with the team at AMC to include a motorcycle as his character's choice of transportation.
2 Knight and Day
Once again, Tom Cruise returns in pursuit of the all-time best examples of motorcycle stunts in the film. This time, in the form of a romantic action comedy alongside Cameron Diaz in Knight and Day. In this popular summer hit, the two main characters attempt to work as agents for hire and support Tom’s mission to save the world. Recruiting Cameron along the way, Tom comes roaring onto the screen on a Race Red Custom Ducati ADV bike, drifting around corners and testing the limits of the rev range with Cameron in tow. In perhaps the most memorable moment of the film, Cameron grabs the two pistols off of Tom and rides on his lap, firing behind them in hot pursuit by the bad guys of the story. While Ducati is a popular choice for most stunt directors in Hollywood, the upright Dual Sport entry is unique, most likely chosen for its seating space and ability to perform the switch in seating position stunt. Regardless, this answers the question of how well you can drift an Italian Super Bike.
1 John Wick
John Wick, a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will. This action franchise was born in the heart of the shooting process of the Matrix Trilogy, where Keanu formed relationships with the stunt team and the stunt performers he was working with. The team and Stunt Director decided to try their hand ad the movie business, focusing on real-time action stunts and practical effects. Their movies have revolutionized the film industry, and their products can be seen in films like Atomic Blonde, Nobody, and Death Wish. The most exciting of these stunts involves John running from the worldwide call of his execution via the many mercenaries for hire in the John Wick Universe. This becomes a city-wide chase in New York City involving John riding a customized street bike, evading various bikers coming for his life. Each biker holds custom firearms in tow and wields their samurai katanas at John as he avoids them. Although his horse stunts are also memorable in this film, this scene inspires adventure and suspense among the watchers and is not to be forgotten.