4 of the Worst Movie Motorcycle Casting Choices in Hollywood
Directors and Hollywood creatives strive to match their characters with fitting cars and motorcycles. Sometimes, however, a movie motorcycle casting choice is a swing-and-a-miss, especially considering the other options on the market.
These four movie motorcycles didn’t have the performance to match the role
| Make and model | Movie |
|---|---|
| BMW R nineT Scrambler | “Mission Impossible: Fallout” (2018) |
| Triumph Thruxton R | “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018) |
| Harley-Davidson Street 750 | “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) |
| Kawasaki ZZR250 | “Kill Bill: Volume 1” (2003) |
The BMW R nineT Scrambler is an eager urban ride. However, in “Mission Impossible: Fallout,” the sound produced by the Beemer is none other than a high-revving four-cylinder sportbike. It’s definitely not the lazy, bassy rumble of the BMW’s boxer engine. Furthermore, Ethan Hunt throws a leg over a BMW S 1000 RR in an earlier film. In comparison, the S 1000 RR is a much more capable movie motorcycle.
Like the BMW R nineT Scrambler in “Mission Impossible: Fallout,” the Triumph Thruxton R café racers in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” are better-looking than ballistically fast. From the same manufacturer, the 2018 Triumph Speed Triple RS produces 148 horsepower, 52 more than the Thruxton R in a bike that weighs 25 lbs less. Those Speed Triple RSs would have been a much more capable casting choice. And that’s coming from someone who owns a Thruxton R.
In what is perhaps one of the worst movie motorcycle and character pairings in modern cinema, Captain America rides a Harley-Davidson Street 750 into battle in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” It’s hardly the high-powered ride you’d expect Cap to use in such a capacity. Compared to the torquey Harley-Davidson Softail Slim and Breakout the Avenger rode in earlier movies, the Street 750 is a bit of a toy. Moreover, it’s a paltry performer in the face of the LiveWire EV motorcycle’s big-screen debut in the same movie.
The Kawasaki Ninja 250, or ZZR250 as it appeared in the film, isn’t a terrible choice at face value. However, the fact that the rev-happy little Kawasaki didn’t feature in any chase scene is disappointing. After all, “Kill Bill” is a gritty, gory action franchise. Paired with the anemic 23 lb-ft of torque from its 238cc mill, the Kawasaki isn’t exactly heroic. Instead, the yellow bike is more of an accessory to match the eye-popping jumpsuit Uma Thurman wears than a formidable movie motorcycle. I mean, it’s no GPZ 900R from “Top Gun.”
