Every Motorcycle Used By Batman (Or His Friends) In Movies & TV

Unlike most heroes, Bruce Wayne doesn't have superpowers. Instead, he has impressive training, loads of money, tons of cool gadgets we would love to own in real life, and a knack for putting down bad guys in Gotham City. As the owner of Wayne Enterprises, his access to a wide range of futuristic tech that other vigilantes can only dream of puts him ahead of many of his opponents. Thus, the Batman franchise has played host to some of the most interesting and popular fictional pieces of technology in cinema, including cars, boats, helicopters, and some really cool motorcycles.

If you're a fan of two-wheeled vehicles, you've probably come across some of the fascinating designs, from those in the comics to the ones that have made it to the screen and those that emerged along the way. 

While in reality, most of these bikes are not nearly as practical or powerful as they look on the silver screen, they are still awesome designs. And it's not just Batman mounting these cool toys. From Batman to Robin to Catwoman, we see a range of interesting combinations of heroes and motorcycles throughout the franchise. That said, here is every motorcycle used by Batman and his friends in movies & TV.

The Batcycle is Batman's primary motorcycle companion, and we get to see a number of variations throughout the Batman cinematic universe. Like the Batmobile, different designs for this vehicle have emerged in movies and TV, but the first time it ever appeared on screen was in the 1966 "Batman" TV series created by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and William Dozier.

In the comics, the Batcycle is a street bike customized and equipped with a 786cc liquid-cooled V-4 engine. However, the first Batcycle we see in the TV series is a black 1965 Harley-Davidson motorcycle with red pinstriping, which was modified to include a sidecar for Robin.

Due to the budget, the bike was taken on lease and only used in the first episode. However, since the viewers loved it, the show produced a motorbike for "Batman: The Movie," released in 1966. This time, it was designed by Tom Daniel and built by Kustomotive with inspiration from the Yamaha Catalina 250. The new motorcycle was featured in subsequent TV series, and even after the show, Kustomotive took the bike for shows and made replicas for tours.

The most recent Batman movie featured the latest version of the Batcycle. Directed by Matt Reeves, "The Batman" came out in 2022 with new designs for the Batmobile and Catcycle while also introducing the new Drifter bike. Artist Ash Thorp designed all three.

Thorp took a more subtle, sophisticated approach to this Batcycle than the previous models. According to him, the bike was designed to look like it was built for Batman. Picking elements from various sources, he devised a motorcycle that looked somewhat scary but fast and cool, just as he had crafted the Batmobile.

Modified versions of the Suzuki Hayabusa came as an inspiration, most notable in the Batcycle's extended wheelbase. Thorp also incorporated structural elements from Ducati bikes and some features from the Batcycle from the animated series. He featured an enormous rear tire and an exaggerated motor to add to its dramatic appeal. The motor comprises two deconstructed and stacked-together BMW engines, giving it some extra personality and the pizzazz of a fictional Batman device.

The Drifter is another motorcycle the Batman protagonist rides, but it's designed specifically for Bruce Wayne when he's not in his costume. Viewers get to see this ride in the 2022 movie "The Batman" alongside the two other motorcycles featured.

Ash Thorp also designed the Drifter bike. He wanted to evoke a modified, beat-up cafe racer. Built with the Honda CB 750 DOHC as a foundation, it's a much less fancy ride than your typical Batman mechanical device. But that's the point— Bruce Wayne must navigate Gotham City under the radar, and the Drifter helps him look like a regular civilian. In the movie, Batman uses this bike to spy on Selina Kyle.

The Drifter is a utilitarian design that keeps cartoonish elements to a minimum while depicting a motorcycle built for optimum speed. It utilizes an inline four-cylinder engine with enough power to give bad guys a good chase. According to Ash Thorp, the Drifter bike retains the DNA of the Batcycle, and this translates to an edgier look on the render than what was eventually produced for the movie, which has a more realistic feel.

Catwoman, the alter ego of Selina Kyle, also has her own two-wheeler. It's another motorcycle featured in the Matt Reeves movie and has now been dubbed "the Catcycle". Promotional posters for the film gave fans a glimpse of this motorcycle ahead of its release, showing the actress Zoe Kravitz portraying Catwoman on the fully black vehicle that helps her navigate around Gotham City. In the movie, we see her ride it when visiting her mother's gravesite.

This unique bike was inspired by the Cherry Company's Highway Fighter, a customized version of one of BMW's many successful models, the R nineT. In fact, the production used the same designer, Kaichiroh Kurosu, a Japanese motorcycle artisan. Kaichiroh had redesigned the R nineT back in 2014, and it became a sensation online, so when it was time to build a motorcycle for the Catwoman in 2022, Warner Bros contacted him to do a special version of the bike.

While it does look quite similar to the R nineT, the idea for the Catcycle was also partly inspired by race bikes from the 1970s. There are also several aesthetic tweaks. Most noticeable is the entirely matte-black color, but there is also an added custom 2-in-1 exhaust system, LED lights concealed behind the tinted fairing, and some changes to the exhaust routing.

The Batpod made its first and rather dramatic appearance in the 2008 Christopher Nolan-directed movie "The Dark Knight" as a new version of the Batcycle. However, the idea of the Batpod was conceived much earlier, for the making of "Batman Begins," but it was built in secret. It turned out that this innovative concept just didn't quite fit into the storyline, so its unveiling was postponed. Production designer Nathan Crowley believed that the 2005 movie was one they had to get past to build what was eventually achieved in "The Dark Knight".

The Batpod was a fully custom device with a refreshing concept unique from any other Batcycle. It was designed as an escape mechanism for the iconic Batmobile, built with Hoosier racing tires and a bespoke frame that's sleek and impressive to look at. For combat, it featured grappling hook launchers and gun turrets attached to the wheels to attack enemies from a distance.

The motorcycle emerges for the first time in "The Dark Knight" when The Joker uses a bazooka to destroy Batman's primary mode of transportation. It serves as an auxiliary vehicle that detaches from the Batmobile, allowing the hero greater mobility and an opportunity to escape danger. The motorcycle also appears in "The Dark Knight Rises". This time, Selina rides the pod while attempting to defeat Bane with the support of Batman. In 2023, the original Batpod was put up for auction, valued between $1 to 2 million.

Batwoman was originally featured in the comics in the 1950s as Batman's love interest. Interestingly, this character created and used the first ever Batcycle, though it didn't have any special capabilities. She disappeared from the comic scene for a while before reappearing in 2006 as Batman's cousin. Fans, however, got to see much of her exploits in the CW series, "Batwoman" that aired from 2019 to 2022.

The Batbike, a Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron, is the heroine's mode of transportation in Gotham City. In the show, the bike is given to Kate Kane by Luke Fox to help her move around in vigilante mode without being detected by using her everyday motorcycle. There is no Batmobile for the entire first season of the series, but this doesn't hold her back, as the Harley-Davidson motorcycle is all Kate needs to speed around the city and apprehend bad guys. This was partially because CW was working with a limited budget for the series. 

The Batbike doesn't have any bat-like cosmetic modifications. However, it features upgrades that take it from a regular motorcycle to one suited for combat, with add-ons like smoke darts and grappling hooks.

Batgirl has served as an alter ego for different characters, the first being Batman's niece, Betty Kane. The Batgirl cycle debuted on screen in 1967 in an unofficial pilot for the "Batman" series that aired in the 1960s. The character that aired with the Batgirl Cycle was Barbara Gordon, who also assumed the alter ego of Batgirl.

Barbara created this bike in the comics by modifying her usual motorcycle, adding light beams that allowed her to trace the tire tracks of her opponents. Kustomotive was awarded the contract to create the motorcycle for the show. It was eventually featured in the promotional video but did not end up on the screen.

What eventually became the Batbike in the "Batman" series was a Yamaha YDS-5E, which underwent many aesthetic modifications. The color scheme was made to match the Batgirl costume, with a vibrant purple shade and gold accents. On the front fairing were dramatic wing-shaped curves with a bat emblem imprinted on it, and right above that was a clear windshield with purple framing.

In the series, the bike is hidden in a garage behind a revolving wall in Barbara's apartment until she's ready to hit the streets of Gotham in her Batgirl suit. The character's actor, Yvonne Craig, did all the on-screen motorcycle riding and stunts.

While we see Robin ride in the sidecar of the Batcycle in the 1966 "Batman" as the sidekick of the main protagonist, the character gets his own means of transportation in subsequent productions. His two-wheeler, which is named the Redbird motorcycle, first appeared on screen in the 1997 movie "Batman and Robin". This was a different approach from the comics, where what was known as the Redbird was actually a car.

Harald Belker, a German automotive designer, created the conceptual design for the motorcycle. What's quite interesting is that the Redbird and the Batmobile were his first projects when he delved into the entertainment scene, spurring subsequent fantasy and futuristic designs.

The Redbird is one of the most unique bikes on this list from a design perspective, but it isn't too surprising, given the creative liberties Belker had on the project. In his words, "There were no limitations. Nothing was too over-the-top. They just let me roll with my ideas." The bike, painted red and black, was 10.5 feet long and built with a prototype Honda engine. It came with some special features like grappling hooks attached to the front and two nozzles that allowed it to rise in the air for a few seconds.

The Batblade is yet another variation of the Batcycle, but it specifically refers to the version featured in the 1997 "Batman and Robin" film directed by Joel Schumacher. In the movie, the motorcycle is owned and driven by Batgirl, Barbara Wilson.

Like the Redbird, the Batblade is a car in the comics but was changed to a motorcycle on screen. This vehicle was designed using a drag racing bike as inspiration and used a rear wheel from a car, ultimately delivering a striking appearance.

The Batblade incorporates futuristic elements on sophisticated black and silver paintwork. The iconic bat logo is on the front fairing, surrounded by glowing blue light, and on the rear end are dramatic silver extensions resembling bat wings or fins. The wheels also incorporate these bat-like elements that are hard to miss.

The Batblade is not all about aesthetics, though. One of its major perks is its capacity to operate optimally in any weather. It can cruise through the snow and maneuver underground without a hitch, allowing Barbara Wilson the flexibility to confront her opponents.