So wadda’ ya’ do on those days when you can’t be out riding? Watch movies about riding, of course! Hollywood has blessed us with some incredible (and some incredibly bad) motorcycle-related movies for every taste and inclination. Check out these top motorcycling movies:
Easy Rider -- “A man went looking for America. And couldn’t find it anywhere.” If there’s one motorcycle movie that people instantly think of, it’s Easy Rider. Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson explore counter-culture America on two wheels. Throw in drugs, hippies, the New Orleans cemetery and two of the most iconic motorcycles to ever grace the silver screen.
The Great Escape -- Just the fact that it stars Steve McQueen makes this must-see movie awesome. Throw in ingenious POW-camp breakouts, Nazis looking incompetent, an amazing cast and possibly the coolest motorcycle jump in the history of movies, and you have a winner.
Wild Hogs -- A group of suburban biker wannabes hit the open road, but get more than they bargained for when they encounter an outlaw motorcycle gang. Staring John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy, Wild Hogs is goofy but still worth a watch, especially considering the surprise cameo at the end. No spoilers here; you’ll have to watch it for yourself.
The Wild One -- Many folks consider this movie to be the original “biker flick,” and who are we to argue? The Wild One follows the story of Johnny (played by the great Marlon Brando) and his gang of motorcycle hell-raisers as they invade a small town after being kicked out of a motorcycle competition.
The World’s Fastest Indian -- Sir Anthony Hopkins portrays legendary motorcycle icon Burt Munro on a mission to create the fastest Indian on the planet. A true story, this movie will make you feel great as you follow Burt’s trials and tribulations on his quest to get his bike from New Zealand to the Bonneville Salt Flats.
On Any Sunday -- This important motorcycling documentary—maybe the best ever made—is narrated by none other than Steve McQueen himself and follows the lives of track and off-road motorcycle racers and racing enthusiasts.
Long Way ‘Round & Long Way Down -- Granted, these two documentary series aren’t movies, but they’re absolutely spectacular to watch, especially if you have a yearning to light out into parts unknown. Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride around the globe in the first, and from the top of Scotland to the southern tip of Africa in the second. This is adventure riding at its best!
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man -- As a new interpretation of the motorcycle-based rebel films, this movie is as much fun watching now as it was back in 1991. Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke portray a motorcycle-riding duo intent on saving their buddy’s bar. When they steal from the wrong guys, hilarity ensues.
The Motorcycle Diaries -- Overlook Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s later political alliances, violence and Marxist revolutionary stance, and you’ve got a great movie about his and his friend’s 8,000 km motorcycle adventure throughout South America. If you like vintage Nortons, wild road trips and a bit of history thrown in to boot, this movie is a must-see.
TT3D: Closer to the Edge -- This documentary follows the rivalries of the racers who put their lives on the line to win what many consider to be the most dangerous motorcycle race in the world—the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT). A spectacular insight into the minds of some of the best motorcycle racers in the world.
The Wild Angels -- “Their credo is violence! Their god is hate!” With a tag line like that, what’s not to love? A number of real honest-to-God members of the Hell’s Angels were actually cast in this 1966 flick, and with its scenes of death, rape and murder, it was considered to be the most edgy biker movie of its day.