Fun Motorcycle Flicks: Bike Movies for Enthusiasts!

Fun motorcycle movies in no particular order:

On Any Sunday

A very fun motorcycle documentary by Bruce Brown (of Endless Summer fame) following the lives of motorcycle nuts. Shows actor and bike enthusiast Steve McQueen. Not to be missed.

Why We Ride

Interesting bike documentary very reminiscent of Bruce Brown's most excellent flick. (Description from the film): A story about who we are. Individuals with a desire to dream, discover and explore. Seeking a life outside our daily confinements and sharing those moments together. It’s a story about the journey, not the destination. Motorcycles represent the milestones of our lives. From a kid’s dream come true, to a retiree’s return to freedom. From a family riding together on the sand dunes, to hundreds of choppers carving through the canyons – the bond is the same. It’s about the passion of the riders and the soul of their machines. Your senses will heighten as the world rushes in, your heart will beat to the pulse of the engine, your mind will race and set you free. Once you let a motorcycle into your life, it will change you forever.

Here are three movies my Indian film maker, adventurer and high altitute motorcycle enthusiast Gautav Jani. Both are filmed on or around the Changthang Plateau.

Riding Solo to the Top of the World (Documentary 2006).

A unique experience of a lonesome traveler who rides his motorcycle to one of the remotest places in the world. Indiscribable beauty and subtle toughness in this amazing and harsh environment. Beautifullycapturestheplacesand people.Themotorcycle aspect is what brought me to this film; the cinematography kept me spellbound. Super.

One Crazy Ride (Documentary 2009).

A motorcycle expedition on uncharted roads across the Himalayan state of ArunachalPradesh, situated in North-eastIndia. Butmore than anexpedition,it'sa film on friendship, camaraderie and the "never say die" attitude of five motorcyclists in the face of unforgiving terrain. Shot in the same format as "Riding Solo To The Top Of The World" with no back-up vehicle or film crew, in parts of India hardly seen, filmed or explored, the documentary captures the interactions and experiences of the riders who are trying to chart a route, which according to everyone does not exist.

Motorcycle Changpa

A film about the journey which Gaurav did for almost an year exploring ChangThan plateau, another virtually unexplored region in the Himalayas.

I salute to the courage & determination of Gaurav.

His films, along with others of this genre (watch the most excellent trailers), can be found on this site:

http://www.dirttrackproductions.com/trailers/ridingsolo/index.html#rs

Long Way Round/Long Way Down

These are some extremely enjoyable documentaries...buddy flicks, really.
For all the bashing and bad press these flicks received, they're really just two friends--Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman--on a motorcycle trip around the world. The two friends travel through Siberia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Alaska before ending the journey in New York. The filming is done by on-board cameras and one ride-along cameraman. Sure, they have a support crew, but that's such a small part of the story. The interaction of the two pals as they encounter beautiful people, stunning countryside, frustrating setbacks and potentially dangerous situations with senses of humor is fun to watch. These guys capture the passion of traveling, riding bikes with your mates and best of all, friendship through it all. They're both "must watch" movies (LWR is a bit better than LWD, IMHO).

Cycles South

A 1970's movie about 3 American dudes traveling south from Denver to Panama on some reliable Japanese 2-stroke motorcycles. Tight budgets, no real time limits and no specific reason for their travels. More of a "mockumentary" than a documentary, with laughs and good times a-plenty. The boys have a great time in any circumstance they run into. Bobby Garcia provides comic relief throughout. In his words, this movie is "Muy Bueno." You will love this flick for several reasons.

The World’s Fastest Indian

Based on the true story of New Zealand bike racer Burt Munro, depicted by Anthony Hopkins on an Indian motorcycle. At the time of the record attempt, Munro was 68 years old riding an Indian motorbike that was also 47 years old. That record still stands to this day.

Wild Hogs

Don't hate me for this one, but this is a fun flick. It's a story of four middle aged friends (John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macey) who take their Harleys on a memorable cross country ride. The HDs featured in the movie include a XL1200C Sportster Custom, FXSTS Springer Softail, Black Fatboy and a Screaming Eagle Fatboy. And Marisa Tomei isn't too shabby, either.

Easy Rider

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper seek freedom against a backdrop of the hippie movement showing that there is no better way to see the USA than from the seat of a Harley Davidson.

Dust to Glory

A 2005 documentary on the Baja 1000, the annual off-road race held in Baja California, Mexico that attracts hundreds of racers and thousands of fans. The cameo of Mario Andretti is icing on the cake. A film by Dana Brown, Bruce's son.

The Girl on a Motorcycle

A 1968 gem with Marianne Faithfull as a married woman who leaves her husband, hops on her motorcycle and speeds off to see her lover. Sure, reviews will state that his is a "pretentious and nearly completely pointless film and "a rather unintelligent piece of psychedelic excess that won't entertain anyone but those who enjoy this kind of kitsch." Sure, that's fairly accurate.

Electra Glide in Blue

Robert Blake is an Arizona cop who rides a Harley Electra Glide. Some fine cinematography of Monument Valley and other places you might've ridden your cruiser.

One Week

Ben Tyler (played by Joshua Jackson) learns he has terminal cancer with a survival rate of 1 in 10. On a whim, he buys a 1973 Norton. His girlfriend tells him something all of us has heard: Riding a motorcycle is the height of stupidity. Yup.

Knowing he will die soon, he hops on the Norton (hearing jeans, a tight leather jacket and an open-faced helmet. OK!

He leaves Toronto for British Columbia to see big things along the way. You know, BIG things. Along the way, we are treated to a lot of beautiful Canadian roadside. You might like this flick.

The Motorcycle Diaries

I'm conflicted on this one. One one hand, there are some great scenes of two guys hopping on an overloaded bike and exploring the world. On the other hand, it glamorizes the scumbag killer, Che Guevara. I dunno.

21 Days Under The Sky

If you enjoy motorcycle flicks, and I'm guessing you do, you'll like this very cool documentary.

https://vimeo.com/157336355

Available on Netflix, This 1:10 minute flick goes back and forth between a recent cross-country ride by 4 friends on their way to a New Jersey chopper rally and old video of the El Forastero Motorcycle Club doing the same thing in the 60's.

Worth watching...unless you really don't like watching Dope-smoking hipsters doing their thing...

Bikes I've Owned

I've been riding since the age of 12 or 13. I've had more than a few bikes. I sure wish I still had a few of them.

Here they are:

It all started with a 1975 Honda XR75...

Soon followed by a Honda SL100, circa 1977

My mom somehow came into possession of a 1980's Kawasaki KZ LTD 250

I acquired two bikes from friends while in the Marine Corps.

A 1984 Honda XL600

And a 1980 Honda 500 Shadow (that I still own...looking good, Pops).

I then bought the following bikes in rapid succession:

A 1981 Honda Goldwing 1100

A 1981 Yamaha TT500

A 1987 Yamaha TT600

A 1986 Yamaha XT600

A 1978 Suzuki RM400

A 1987 Yamaha YZ490 (widowmaker!)

A Kawasaki VN1500 Vulcan Nomad 1500

A 2005 Yamaha Raptor 660 quad

A 2009 Triumph Rocket III Touring (a 2300 cc monster bike)

A 2004 BMW R1150GS dual sport

2018 BMW R1200GSA

A 2011 Kawasaki KLR650

Hmmm, what's next?

Selected Motorcycle Quotes

Motorcycle Quotes: Here are some gems about riding motorcycles for those of us who enjoy being on two wheels, headed somewhere; maybe nowhere.

Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle.

One of the things that make motorcycling so great is because it never fails to give you a feeling of freedom and adventure. - Steve McQueen

"Dad, can I get a motorcycle when I grow up?"

"Son, you can't do both." 

I'd rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about God than sitting in church thinking about my motorcycle.

I spent all my money on motorcycles, guns, rock and roll music, whiskey and women...the rest I just wasted.

If I could marry my motorcycle, I'd roll her right up to the altar.— Flip Wilson

Love is the feeling you get when you like something as much as your motorcycle — Hunter S. Thompson

You can't go faster if you're wrapped in plaster.

Riding in a car is like watching a movie. Riding a motorcycle is like starring in a movie.

Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it. —Evil Knievel

Never dress for the weather, always dress for the fall.

Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere; and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself. 

A motorcycle functions entirely in accordance with the laws of reason, and a study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. That's all the motorcycle is, a system of concepts worked out in steel. — Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)

It didn’t look that far on the map...

Riding a motorcycle isn't a matter of Life or Death. It's much more important than that. 

Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death. —Hunter Thompson

And I to my motorcycle

Parked like the soul of the junkyard

Restored, a bicycle fleshed

With power, and tore off

Up Highway 106, continually

Drunk on the wind in my mouth,

Wringing the handlebar for speed,

Wild to be wreckage forever.

James Dickey (Cherrylog Road)

Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul.

Respect the person who has seen the dark side of motorcycling and lived.

Young riders pick a destination and go... Old riders pick a direction and go.

There’s no such thing as bad riding weather, just bad riding gear.

The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome.

A friend is someone who'll get out of bed at 2 am to drive his pickup to the middle of nowhere to get you when you're broken down.

Calling upon my years of experience, I froze at the controls.– Stirling Moss

There's something ugly about a new bike on a trailer.

Everyone crashes. Some get back on. Some don't. Some can't.

Only a Biker knows why a dog sticks his head out of a car window.

"Oh crap!" is usually the moment when your plan parts ways with reality.

Got a $5 head? Get a $5 helmet. 

You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. - Robert M Pirsig

If you think you don't need a helmet, you probably don't. 

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, Wow! What a Ride! —Hunter S. Thompson

Never trade the thrills of living for the security of existence.

A zest for living must include a willingness to die. 

NEVER argue with a woman holding a torque wrench.

The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror.

Pie and coffee are as important as gasoline.

Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think straight.

Riding faster than everyone else only guarantees you'll ride alone.

Never hesitate to ride past the last street light at the edge of town.

A cold hamburger can be reheated quite nicely by strapping it to an exhaust pipe and riding forty miles.

Never do less than forty miles before breakfast.

If you don't ride in the rain you don't ride. 

A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.

I want to leave this world the same way I came into it: Screaming and covered in blood.

A good mechanic will let you watch without charging you for it. 

Sometimes the fastest way to get there is to stop for the night.

Two-lane blacktop isn't a highway it's an attitude.

When you look down the road, it seems to never end, but you better believe it does.

A motorcycle can't sing on the streets of a city.

Keep your bike in good repair: Motorcycle boots are NOT comfortable for walking.

Remember to pay as much attention to your partner as you do your carburetor.

Well-trained reflexes are quicker than luck.

Learn to do counterintuitive things that may someday save your butt.

The twisties, not the superslabs, separate the riders from the squids.

Catching a yellow jacket in your shirt at 70 mph can double your vocabulary.

If you want to get somewhere before sundown, you can't stop at every tavern. 

Practice wrenching on your own bike.

Don't argue with an 18-wheeler.

Never be ashamed to unlearn an old habit.

Maintenance is as much art as it is science.

A good long ride can clear your mind, restore your faith and use up a lot of fuel.

No one ever complains about the cost of their second helmet.

If you can't get it going with bungee cords and electrician's tape it's serious.

If you ride like there's no tomorrow there won't be.

Gray-haired riders don't get that way from pure luck.

Do not mix whiskey and gasoline. 

There are drunk riders. There are old riders. There are NO old, drunk riders.

Thin leather looks good in the bar, but it won't save your butt from road rash when you go down.

Always replace the cheapest parts first.

You can forget what you do for a living when your knees are in the breeze.

Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly.

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. —Ursula K. LeGuin

Middle age starts when you have been warned to slow down, not by a motorcycle cop, but by your doctor.

What do you call a motorcyclist who doesn't wear a helmet? An organ donor. 

Remember folks, street lights timed for 35 mph are also timed for 70 mph. 

If you want to complain about the pace being set by the road captain, you better be prepared to lead the group yourself.

It takes both pistons and cylinders to make a bike run. One is not more important than the other.

If the countryside seems boring, stop, get off your bike, and go sit in the ditch long enough to appreciate what was here before the asphalt came.

It’s a world with 20,000 television channels...get as far away from it as you can. 

Work to ride and ride to work.

Burn rubber, not your soul, baby. 

Sometimes the best communication happens when you're on separate bikes. 

When I finished high school, I wanted to take all my graduation money and buy myself a motorcycle. But my mom said no. See, she had a brother who died in a horrible motorcycle accident when he was 18.  And I could just have his motorcycle. 

I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol. 

Life may begin at 30, but it doesn't get really interesting until about 150.

Time spent riding a motorcycle is not deducted from your lifespan. 

The wet, cold and miserable days are the ones when legends are born.

You can go as fast as you like on a motorcycle - just never hurry on a motorcycle.

Saddlebags can never hold everything you want, but they CAN hold everything you need.

Life without pleasurable pursuits is hardly worth living, and while the best things may be free, some pretty excellent ones cost money and have wheels. — Paul D’Orleans

A good rider can overcome marginal equipment. However, even the best equipment can’t overcome a marginal rider.

I have to lead...I'm allergic to dust!

Sometimes I get off the bike before it has come to a complete stop.

Ride a BMW GS...it'll make your butt look smaller.

When my mood gets too hot and I find myself wandering beyond control I pull out my motor-bike and hurl it top-speed through these unfit roads for hour after hour. — T.E. Lawrence

When we travel, we are children again. And when we travel by motorcycle, we have nothing to think of when we wake but throwing a few belongings into our panniers and riding off down the road, unencumbered by regrets and concerns. On a motorcycle, every day is still an adventure and a new beginning. On a motorcycle, I am still a boy on a bike.