Top 5 must-watch motorcycle movies

1.      Easy Rider

Easy Rider is the story of two bikers – played by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper – who travel through the American Southwest and South in search of freedom. Set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of the hippie movement, and the increased polarization of American society, Easy Rider also is a befitting example of exploring a country on a motorcycle. The movie features some classic old school choppers. Scenes of Fonda and Hopper riding their choppers with beautiful scenery going by and some great background music are the best parts of this 1969 flick.

2.      The Motorcycle Diaries

Based on the written memoir of 23-year-old Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, the film recounts the 1952 motorcycle expedition across South America by Guevara and a friend when they were medical students. The movie features an old Norton 500, fondly called La Poderasa (The Mighty One) by Che, which ironically keeps having mechanical problems every now and then. The movie follows the two young men on an eight-month, 12,000 km long journey through South America and witnesses the birth of a revolutionary and a narrative of the formative experiences that turn Ernesto into Che. Best part? The Norton features a lot in the movie!

3.      The World’s Fastest Indian

This is a movie based on the true story of Kiwi Burt Munro, who spends years modifying and rebuilding a 1920 Indian Scout. Against all odds, he then takes his bike to Bonneville to set several land speed records. With a brilliant performance by Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro, this is a must-watch. Whether you’re an Indian Motorcycle fan or not, watch the World’s Fastest Indian; it’s for every motorcycle lover.

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4.      Riding Solo to the Top of the World

If adventure travel is what sets your pulse racing, then this is one movie you should definitely watch.  Riding Solo…. gets our pick as one of the all-time favourite motorcycle movies. The movie is about filmmaker Gaurav Jani’s solo motorcycle journey from Mumbai to one of the remotest places in the world, the Changthang Plateau in Ladakh, bordering China. Jani operates as a one-man film unit, shooting, riding, and even featuring in shots you can imagine how he set up the camera and rode the motorcycle through the frame. He astonishes you, filming the landscape he passes by and the people he interacts with, capturing moments of beauty, pain, love, hardship, self doubt and spiritual triumph. This is not only a motorcycle movie, but a great all-round adventure movie – a must watch!

5.      Long Way Round

Technically speaking, this is not a movie, but a documentary television series which is also available on DVD. Long Way Round documents the 31,000 km journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles. The title takes its name from the route charted out for the journey. The duo travel eastwards through Europe and Asia, including some interesting terrain in Russia and Siberia, and then fly to Alaska and continue by road from there to New York. The more interesting parts of the documentary are the travels through eastern Russia, particularly the Road of Bones to Magadan section, which is considered one of the toughest adventure travel sections in the world. The duo used three BMW R1150GS Adventure all-terrain bikes for the epic journey. This is reality TV at its very best. Get the DVD today!