These Are The Only Yamaha Motorcycles Featured In James Bond Films

Anyone who's ever watched a James Bond movie can tell you that the famed super spy has, historically, held a deep appreciation for a fine automobile. In fact, 007's affinity for supremely stylish vehicles — such as the fan-favorite Aston-Martin DB5 — has led to some of the more memorable chase scenes in not just the Bond franchise, but the history of movies.

Many of those vehicles have rightfully been branded icons in the time-honored annals of cinema. It is, however, rare that you might see a motorcycle listed alongside the likes of the unforgettable Lotus Esprit submarine. That's a little surprising, as motorcycles have, arguably, played as memorable a role in the James Bond franchise, which currently sits at 25 official films, as well as a pair of unofficial entries. Less surprising is that the motorcycles that have appeared in Bond films have proven every bit as impressive as the cars, even on occasions when 007 himself is not actually riding them.

Given the franchise's general affection for vehicles that have British or European origins, you might be surprised to learn that several motorcycles boasting origins from the Asian continent have indeed appeared in James Bond films over the years. Yes, in a pair of Bond flicks that made their way to theaters in the early-1980s, two of those bikes — an XT500 and an XJ650 — bore the branding of Japanese motorcycle titan Yamaha. Here's a look at the builds and the Bond movies in which they appeared.   

It's hardly a surprise that Yamaha made its James Bond franchise debut in the 1980s, as the brand itself was experiencing a global rise in popularity thanks, in large part, to a newfound dominance on the world's racetracks. The brand was, of course, building just as strong a reputation for trail ready motorcycles, including the Yamaha XT500, which is the exact build a pair of black-clad baddies rode as they chased James Bond (then played by longtime 007 Roger Moore) down a snow-covered mountain in 1981's "For Your Eyes Only."

That unforgettable chase indeed found Bond fleeing a pair of would-be assassins on a set of skis. That fact ranks it simultaneously as one of the more ingenious, and absurdly over the top scenes in the franchise's storied history — even if some franchise diehards might argue the snow chase scene in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is far superior. Wherever you stand in that debate, the 1969 flick didn't feature a pair of guys taking the ski slopes by storm on machine gun-clad Yamaha's, so it has no place in this particular cinematic conversation.

As for the XT500, by the time the bike earned its closeup in "For Your Eyes Only," it had already been in the Yamaha lineup for five years. The build had also earned semi-legendary status among Yamahas, having claimed victories at the first two runnings of the famed Paris-Dakar rallies in 1978 and 1979. And it's a safe bet those profile-raising wins aided the always reliable XT500 in its journey to the big screen. 

Released in 1983, "Never Say Never Again" is a legitimate anomaly in the big screen history of James Bond. It's actually considered an unofficial entry in the Bond franchise, as it was a remake of 1961's "Thunderball," and was produced without the backing of MGM or the former guardians of the franchise, the Broccoli family. The release of "NSNA" was even more confusing as it debuted with Sean Connery in the lead, who'd not only starred in "Thunderball," but had relinquished the role of Bond to Roger Moore after 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever."

Apart from the canonical oddities of the film, "NSNA" is regarded by many as a low-point in Bond lore. It did, however, still deliver a few Bondian thrills, including a fun little motorcycle chase that marks one of the few times that 007 rides into action astride a bike tricked out by the mad lads at MI-6's Q-Branch. 

Given the Q-ification of the bike — which includes rocket boosters and a futuristic fairing — it's a little hard to recognize the build itself. Even still, it is widely understood Bond is riding a Yamaha XJ650 Turbo in the scene, though theories abound that the bike is actually a hybrid build with an XJ650 body resting on a trail bike chassis. Whatever the case, like the XT500, the XJ650 was well-regarded in the Yamaha lineup prior to its cinematic debut, with the company naming it as one of the game-changing builds of the era. We'd wager Yamaha regrets not placing it in a better Bond flick.