Some screen motorcycles are famous as recognizable production models; others are customs or fictional machines built to serve a character or a scene. This curated selection spans films and television, with each entry identifying what viewers see and distinguishing the bike’s screen identity from its underlying model where the available sources allow.
Famous motorcycles from movies and TV shows
1. The Great Escape — Triumph TR6 Trophy
The motorcycle associated with Steve McQueen’s escape attempt is a Triumph TR6 Trophy. Triumph says McQueen pushed for motorcycle stunt riding in the film and recommended his friend Bud Ekins to the producers. Ekins—not McQueen—performed the celebrated jump. Triumph identifies the TR6 Trophy as the first choice for McQueen and Ekins, and says the restored motorcycle Ekins used for the jump is displayed at its Factory Visitor Experience in Hinckley. Triumph’s heritage account gives the bike’s history; GQ describes the film motorcycle as a 1961 TR6 Trophy Bird. That year and name are GQ’s attribution.
Triumph lists around 42 bhp peak power for the 1962 TR6 Trophy in its 2020 heritage material. That is a period specification for the model, not a performance comparison with the other bikes on this list.
2. Easy Rider — Captain America Harley-Davidson chopper
Peter Fonda’s Captain America bike is remembered for its long, customized chopper silhouette and its close association with the film’s road-trip imagery. It is not a factory motorcycle model called “Captain America”: GQ describes the custom as modified from a 1952 Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide and reports that four bikes were used in filming. The screen build, rather than a stock Harley, is the famous motorcycle.
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3. The Wild One — Triumph Thunderbird
Marlon Brando’s motorcycle helped cement the image of the rebellious biker in this 1953 film. GQ identifies the bike as a 1950 6T Triumph Thunderbird and says Brando rode his own motorcycle for the film. Triumph also includes The Wild One in its movie-motorcycle roundup, though the year and model identification here are attributed to GQ.
4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day — Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
The T-800’s Fat Boy becomes part of the film’s high-speed pursuit, making the motorcycle an instantly recognizable companion to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character. GQ reports that the bike sold at auction in June 2018 for $482,000. That figure is a reported historical sale, not a current valuation.
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5. Top Gun — Kawasaki GPZ 900R Ninja
Maverick’s Kawasaki GPZ 900R Ninja is a memorable part of his screen persona, especially in the runway sequence. Both GQ and Brazilian outlet Quatro Rodas identify the motorcycle as a GPZ 900R Ninja. This entry concerns the original Top Gun, not motorcycle models that may appear in the later sequel.
6. Ghost Rider — Harley-Davidson-based chopper
The flaming motorcycle ridden by Johnny Blaze is a customized film bike, not a stock production motorcycle. GQ describes the 2007 film’s chopper as based on a Harley-Davidson Panhead and modeled on the Captain America bike from Easy Rider. Its supernatural appearance and custom design are central to the character; it should not be mistaken for a showroom Panhead.
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7. The Dark Knight — Batpod
The Batpod is a fictional, purpose-built movie vehicle that gives Batman a distinctive two-wheeled escape and pursuit machine. Quatro Rodas includes it in its coverage of motorcycles from films. The available identification supports describing its screen design and role, but not assigning it detailed production specifications or a retail equivalent.
8. The Walking Dead — Daryl Dixon’s modified Triumph Bonneville 650
Daryl Dixon’s motorcycle is a rugged, heavily modified-looking machine that reinforces the character’s practical, survivalist image. Quatro Rodas identifies it as a modified Triumph Bonneville 650. The model attribution belongs to that editorial source; the on-screen bike should not be described as an unmodified retail Bonneville.
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9. Happy Days — Triumph Trophy TR5
The motorcycle ridden by Henry Winkler’s Fonzie became part of the character’s instantly legible look on television. Triumph’s movie and television roundup connects the Fonz with a Trophy TR5. The manufacturer’s roundup provides that model identification, but less detail about the specific screen bike than Triumph’s account of The Great Escape.
10. No Time to Die — Triumph motorcycles
Triumph says it was the official motorcycle partner for the 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die. That confirms the marque’s involvement, but does not establish a specific Triumph model for every scene. The careful identification is therefore the brand, rather than a model name.
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Why these screen bikes are not all the same kind of motorcycle
A screen bike can have several identities at once: the model family it started from, the customized vehicle used on camera, and the machine associated with a character. Those distinctions matter here. Captain America is a custom build based on a Harley-Davidson; the Ghost Rider chopper is a customized film bike; and the Batpod is fictional rather than a retail model. In The Great Escape, the distinction is also between actor and stunt rider: McQueen advocated for the riding, while Ekins performed the jump.
The list is curated, not a definitive ranking. Its entries are memorable for different reasons: a stunt, a striking design, a character’s identity, or a motorcycle’s place in a story. The sources do not provide comparable specifications across all ten, so a technical-performance ranking would suggest a precision the evidence does not support.
Sources and model attributions
- Triumph’s heritage account supports the The Great Escape stunt history and the display of Ekins’s restored jump bike; Triumph’s separate movie roundup identifies the Fonz’s Trophy TR5.
- GQ supplies the specific model identifications for Easy Rider, The Wild One, Terminator 2, Top Gun, and Ghost Rider, as well as its attributed year for the Great Escape TR6.
- Quatro Rodas identifies the Batpod, Daryl Dixon’s modified Bonneville 650, and Maverick’s GPZ 900R Ninja.
- Triumph’s Bond partnership announcement supports the marque’s association with No Time to Die, but not a model-by-model identification.
Sources: British GQ’s movie motorcycles roundup; Triumph on Bud Ekins and the Bonneville; Triumph motorcycles in movies; Quatro Rodas on famous motorcycles from film and TV; Triumph’s No Time to Die partnership announcement.
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