Gorgeous Motorcycles Owned By Celebrities
One of America's favorite pastimes is gossiping about our favorite celebrities. They impact our lives through the stories they tell on television, in movies, or even through music. It's not surprising that fans want to know more. Many of those celebrities, you may be surprised to know, are avid motorcyclists and auto fans, and they have some incredible vehicles in their garages.
A combination of style and performance, motorcycles have long been both a status symbol and an indicator of coolness. In the world of celebrities, the allure of motorcycles goes beyond the ordinary, combining style, speed, and a sense of adventure.
Today, we're looking at some of the most interesting, unique, and impressive motorcycles in celebrity collections. From Orlando Bloom's unique bike to Ewan McGregor's rugged BMW R1150GS, these motorcycles reflect their owners' personalities and passions. Discover Katee Sackhoff's custom café racer and Norman Reedus' sleek Indian Sport Chief, each a testament to the star's individual style.
These bikes, ranging from custom builds to classic models, showcase not just a means of travel, but a love for design, speed, and freedom. Join us as we unveil the impressive motorcycle collections of these star-studded riders. Here are some gorgeous motorcycles owned by celebrities.
Counts Custom LS300 Chopper / Ozzy Osbourne
The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, is well known for his ability to use the F word, biting the head off a bat, and generally being a rock star. He isn't really known as a huge bike aficionado, but that doesn't mean he didn't have an eye for quality.
Count's Kustoms created a unique chopper built on an LS300 frame specifically for Ozzy Osbourne and it looks wild. The centerpiece is a black and red Celtic cross covered in red spider webs with gold lettering proclaiming, "OZZY." The rear tire hugger is adorned with an awesome-looking guitar that's flush with the design of the tire. The chopper would look right at home being ridden directly onstage at a Black Sabbath concert, or on the open road.
This special "Ozzy Chopper" was built for Osbourne himself but was reacquired by Count's Kustoms in Las Vegas in 2015. It's not clear how extensively Ozzy used the bike, whether as a regular ride or as a collector's piece. Today, the chopper resides in the showroom of Count's Kustoms, its original creators, and can be viewed by visitors looking for a unique attraction that's off the Las Vegas Strip.
Custom XL600R / Katee Sackhoff
Katee Sackhoff, widely recognized for her role as Starbuck in "Battlestar Galactica," also has a passion for motorcycles. She collaborated with Classified Moto for a custom-made café racer with an XL 600R. Luckily for us, the project was done on-camera with Café Racer TV, and you can see the whole process, along with Katee's excitement as she drives it for the first time.
Comparing the before and after versions of the bike blew viewers' minds. The transformation from the original Honda XL600R dirt bike, found in Classified Moto's backyard, to the finished product, is remarkable. The team stripped the bike down, cut the frame in half, and rebuilt it with custom elements like seats and exhaust, altering the frame to create a powerful bike with a Mad Max-style look.
It proved so popular on the show that Classified Moto took it back to the drawing board and redesigned it for a limited run called the KT675, named after and built for Katee Sackhoff.
Custom BMW S1000R / Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom is probably best known for his roles as Legolas in Peter Jackson's Tolkien films and Will Turner in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, but he's also an avid motorcyclist with a massive collection of bikes that range from standard models to custom-designed bikes.
One of the most impressive in his collection is a customized BMW S1000R built by Deux Ex Machina's Michael Woolaway. If you're familiar with the brand, you may be wondering why a clothing brand built a custom BMW. Deus Ex Machina is a clothing brand that moonlights as a custom motorcycle shop.
Deus Ex Machina has the capacity to build approximately five bikes each year, and according to them, each and every bike is sold at a loss. This is done to promote their brand, and because they really like working on bikes.
Bloom and Woolaway, who met on a movie set where Woolaway was a gaffer, bonded over motorcycles, leading to their collaboration on this unique BMW project. Bloom then visited the BMW factory in Munich and hit it off with BMW designer Ola Stenegärd.
Norton Commando 961 SE / Richard Hammond
If you're a fan of automotive shows, you're likely familiar with the "Top Gear/Grand Tour" trio: Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. If you watch enough of it, you'll notice Richard Hammond's love for American muscle cars and motorcycles, something that his counterparts don't seem to share.
Over time, Hammond's collection of vehicles has both expanded and been downsized, but his love for Norton bikes, especially the Norton Commando 961, has been a constant. Norton, with a history of bike production dating back to 1967, has continually evolved the Commando model while preserving its classic essence. This bike has become a symbol of British motorways and one of Norton's most enduring models.
One of the coolest motorcycles owned by Richard Hammond is the Norton Commando 961 SE, a limited special edition, which is valued at around £16,000. This particular bike is celebrated for its exceptional build quality, suspension, gears, and instruments, as expected from a Norton special edition model.
BMW R1150GS / Ewan McGregor
We've had fantasy actors on bikes with Orlando Bloom, and sci-fi actors with Katee Sackhoff, but how about an actual Jedi Master? Ewan McGregor was making headlines in 1999 as "Star Wars" was given its prequels, but only a few years later in 2004, he was rocking the automotive world in the TV miniseries "Long Way Round".
It was at this time that his love of motorcycles and travel became well known, when he and Charley Boorman made the grueling ride from London to New York riding east. Their choice of vehicle for this challenging expedition was a customized BMW R1150GS, highlighting BMW's exceptional engineering and the bike's durability.
The journey spanned over 20,000 miles and took four months to complete, a remarkable testament to both the riders' endurance and their motorcycles' reliability. It's an impressive feat for any machine and a dream trip for any enthusiast.
Charley Boorman's bike made its way back to BMW headquarters where it's still on display today, and Ewan McGregor kept his for a short time before it was auctioned off to support UNICEF.
Custom Indian Sport Chief / Norman Reedus
In a zombie apocalypse, everyone argues about what is essential, but a good motorcycle and a solid companion are always high on the list. And who better to have on your zombie apocalypse team than Norman Reedus and his custom Indian Sport Chief?
Indian Motorcycle Custom Garage has the distinction of being America's first motorcycle company, and has been engineering incredible bikes ever since 1901. Norman Reedus of "The Walking Dead" is also a huge gearhead and fan of bikes, and commissioned a custom-built bike by Indian Motorcycle.
It was designed and built by Yaniv Evan of Powerplant Motorcycles and features the frame of an Indian bike. At first glance, it resembles the stock Indian, but the longer you look, the more you can see how it was chopped and customized for slimmer lines and a sleek feeling without sacrificing any performance.
Yaniv Evan is a huge name in custom bikes and Norman Reedus' Indian Chief is a stunning example of design and quality.
90 Bore Brough Superior / Jay Leno
After almost a decade, Jay Leno is still enjoying his retirement, which is easy considering he has one of the largest private automobile collections in the world, which you can see a portion of at the Saratoga Auto Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York.
If you're lucky enough to be in the area, you can explore Jay Leno's Brough Superior room, which houses all of his Brough Superior motorcycles. He acquired a significant number of these Brough Superiors when a friend was selling off their collection to help raise funds to build a hospital wing.
The collection in the museum ranges from one of the earliest Brough Superior models to the newest, all maintained in pristine condition as if they just came from the factory. Among these, Leno particularly favors the 1934 Brough Superior 1150, originally designed with a sidecar for police enforcement. Despite its age and value, Leno still occasionally takes it out for joyrides and photo opportunities.
Custom Shinya Kimura / Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt is a hard actor to pin down. He's had incredible roles in action films, comedies, feature-length animations, and everything in between. He can go from a serious action role to a goofy comedy that keeps the audience laughing and isn't defined by any particular role. As a motorcycle enthusiast, it only makes sense that he has a bike as unique as his film career.
Probably the most unique bike in all of his collection is an original bike built by Shinya Kimura. Shinya Kimura is a legend in the automotive world, who began his career making custom bikes and opened Chabott Engineering in California in 2006. His approach to bike building blends engineering with art, resulting in unique, street-worthy bikes that could just as easily be featured in an art gallery.
Brad Pitt's bike is nicknamed "Flash" and features an asymmetrical design, primarily due to the oil cooler positioned next to the headlamp. This design gives the bike a distinctive, almost anthropomorphic feel, as if it could easily be driven onto a Japanese Tokusatsu show like "Kamen Rider" and feel right at home.
Norton 850 Roadster / Keanu Reeves
Action star Keanu Reeves has featured in some of the most iconic action films in history and has sparked numerous memes and stories of him just being a generally excellent dude. However, if you're lucky, you may also find him cruising around Hollywood on one of the many bikes in his collection.
If you keep your eyes peeled, you may see the "John Wick" star riding around on a Norton 850 Roadster. The classic British-made bike is on the wishlist of many motorcycle enthusiasts and has developed a huge fan base over the years. Originally produced in 1973, the 850 was the larger, improved version of the 750, with a larger engine, and although it improved power and performance, it wasn't the most impressive improvement made by Norton.
The 850 featured Norton's new Isolastic frame design that isolated the swingarm and the engine from the frame of the bike. This may not sound exciting if you're not a gearhead, but the second you fire up the engine and take it on the road, you'll notice the difference immediately. It limits vibrations and creates an incredibly smooth ride. The Norton 850 to this day is a highly sought-after classic bike that wins on all scores — looks, comfort, reliability, and power.
Triumph Bonneville T100 / Olivia Munn
Olivia Munn is known for her roles in "Newsroom," "New Girl," and "X-Men," and has an interesting origin story when it comes to riding motorcycles. Her first bike, a BMW R1200R, was actually a gift for her boyfriend. When they broke up, he returned the bike, saying he didn't want it. Undeterred, Munn decided to keep it and found her love of riding instead of simply returning the bike.
Since then, she's traded it for a Triumph Bonneville T100. The Triumph Bonneville T100 is a smaller bike, better suited to her frame and her driving style. She enjoyed riding, but like most riders, was hesitant to take out the bike during normal traffic, and enjoyed the clear roads in the early morning and at night.
The Triumph T100 is the smaller version of the T120 and is a superb bike. It isn't as powerful as the T120, but as a street bike, it performs admirably. It has a sleek retro look and is perfect for cruising on roads, especially if you only ride it in the early mornings or late evenings when you have the road to yourself.