Motorcycle Movies For The Quarantine

Lots of us are spending lots of time in our living rooms these days out of necessity; the coronavirus outbreak has caused many areas to issue stay-home orders. And for riders, it’s especially hard to stay put and shut down—but it just might be the perfect time to check out all those movies you’ve got queued up but never had the time to watch. So, to help you find the silver lining in this lockdown, we’ve picked out some cinematic suggestions to help you kill boredom in the time of quarantine. You’ll find some obvious classics as well as some real duds here, but we’ve found that lots of cheap brew makes anything look entertaining. So cue up your streaming service of choice and settle in for the ride. Here are some of our favorite—and not so favorite—motorcycle movies and shows, in no particular order.

Related: Top 10 Motorcycle Movies

The Wild One (1953)

Often called the original outlaw biker film, The Wild One is generally heralded for Marlon Brando’s black-leather-jacketed portrayal of rebel Johnny Strabler, which went on to influence the likes of James Dean and even Elvis Presley. Brando was an avid motorcyclist, and when asked to star as the gang leader, chose to ride his own bike in the movie, a 1950 Triumph Thunderbird 6T. Check it out on Amazon’s Prime Video.

The Wild Angels (1966)

Best known (to us, anyway) for the classic battle cry of bikers everywhere, “We wanna be free! We wanna be free to do what we wanna do. We wanna be free to ride. We wanna be free to ride our machines without being hassled by The Man!” this biker flick stars Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern as gang members in a Hells Angels chapter, with the plot revolving around parties and long rides through the desert. Actual members of the Hells Angels as well as Coffin Cheaters were used in the cast, but Fonda’s Panhead is the most interesting visual cue of the film, unless you’re into scenes of mayhem and assault. Catch it on Vudu.

Related: Movie Motorcycles

Easy Rider (1969)

A bona fide classic and one that celebrated its 50th Anniversary last year, Dennis Hopper’s groundbreaking film also became a countercultural touchstone and a box office hit. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay (1969) and it had an awesome soundtrack too, packed with popular rock songs including the now-played-out “Born to Be Wild.” But we all know the main draw here is Peter Fonda’s Stars and Stripes chopper.

The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)

Because…Indian. The story of Burt Munro, a New Zealander who spent years rebuilding an old Indian Scout to race on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the late 1960s, will appeal even to non-motorheads. It’s a feel-good flick featuring Anthony Hopkins and lots of great scenes of the Utah salt. Catch it on Amazon Prime.

Being Evel (2015)

Not a puff piece, but an awesome documentary on the original stunter with a closer look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the young man from Montana who wowed us all with his death-defying stunts over the decades. It’s also available on Prime Video.

Oil In The Blood (2019)

A modern look at the current custom motorcycle scene and the people behind it. The two-hour-long documentary from lifelong motorcyclist Gareth Roberts includes conversations with some of the most influential people in custom motorcycling and a look at the passions that drive them. Many of their bikes have been featured on this site; check out the trailer here. Available on Amazon, iTunes, and more.

Roadside Prophets (1992)

X frontman John Doe hits the road on his Harley with newbie biker Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys on a clapped-out Bonneville, ostensibly to look for a place to scatter the ashes of a coworker. Hey, good enough for us. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers makes an appearance as well, as the duo journeys from Los Angeles to Nevada meeting wild characters along the way. Great music but a mess of a plot made some critics call this a quirky distraction, but whatever—it’s on Netflix!

On Any Sunday (1971)

Sure, this classic love letter to motorcycling from Bruce Brown is an obvious choice, but how could we not include an Academy Award-winning film? And one featuring Steve McQueen, Malcolm Smith and Mert Lawwill, no less -- at all at the top of their game. If nothing else, it’ll put a smile on your face for a couple of minutes. Catch it Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube and more.

Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man (1991)

Pure cheese, but wildly entertaining cheese (IMHO). A biker buddy flick that’s definitely over the top, but who doesn’t like awesome shootouts and bad one-liners from the always-entertaining Mickey Rourke? Plus Rourke’s Black Death ride, a customized Harley-Davidson FXR, is also fun to watch in action. Check it out on Prime, Vudu, iTunes, and on and on.

Choppertown: The Sinners (2005)

An award-winning documentary about hot-rod and motorcycle club the Sinners, and a peek into their real-life workingman lives and rides. You won’t find any over-the-top builds here, just the real trials and tribulations of everyday dudes—a far cry from the Orange County Chopper stuff. Stream it on Prime.

Girl On A Motorcycle (1968)

Not your usual stereotypical biker trash, this movie from the Swingin’ Sixties stars singer Marianne Faithfull zipping around on a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide having erotic flashbacks. Turns out it was actually the first film to receive an X rating in the US (according to Wikipedia), but whatever your kink tolerance is, it’s still cool to watch Ms. Faithful ride through the European countryside. You should be able to find it on Amazon Prime.

Hot Rod (2007)

Hod Rod is hilarious. It stars Andy Samberg as Rod, a wannabe stuntman that’s trying to raise money to save his stepfather’s life, so that he can “kick his ass” when he is healthy again. The movie is filled with familiar actors and quotable lines. If you like to party, this one’s for you. On Prime, Google Play, iTunes, and others.

An amazing documentary about riding, wrenching, the people who do it and why they do. All shot on Super 16 in 2014, this film is currently available to watch for free on redbull.com!

Stone (1974)

A classic Australian biker movie, Stone is about a cop who goes undercover with the Gravediggers Motorcycle Club to find out who’s been killing their members. This movie was filmed with a real Aussie 1%er biker club, so the characters and motorcycles are all authentic. This one is available online for free as well, on dailymotion.com

Cycles South (1971)

This movie follows three Americans as they leave their homes in Colorado and head to Panama with a very small budget and no time constraints. Bike failures, interactions with locals, and psychedelics on the beach make this adventure an incredibly entertaining one.

Knightriders (1981)

If you want to watch an Ed Harris motorcycle joust for 2.5 hours, boy, do we have a movie for you. A group of bikers travels the States, making money by moto-jousting at medieval and Renaissance fairs. Conflicts and competitions arise and it’s up to the king to keep his group of bikers together. It’s a little long and it gets a little repetitive, but a fun one to have on in the background while you’re working on something monotonous.

Beyond The Law (1993)

This is one of the sleepers on the list. Charlie Sheen’s character is a cop sent undercover to infiltrate a motorcycle gang that’s dealing weapons and drugs. He commits various acts to get in with the club, builds himself a pretty sweet chopper, and before you know it…starts to think he’s Beyond the Law (oooh, the movie title!). Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu, and more.

If you’re really bored, we’ve got some iffy pieces of celluloid (or pixels) that might hold your interest for a moment or two. But no guarantees—you’ll probably be groaning through most of these, if you can even make it to the end.

Hell Ride (2008)

Don’t get your hopes up, even though Quentin Tarantino had a hand in this flick. Director Larry Bishop wanted to cook up a gritty revenge tale as an homage to classic biker gang films, but ended up with something more convoluted instead, packed with clichéd dialogue and pointless violence. It “earned” a 10 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On iTunes, Prime, and Google Play.

Purple Rain (1984)

All right, this one may not really count as a motorcycle movie, but Prince rules and his Hondamatic is an icon. Just remember… “That’s not Lake Minnetonka.” Want a hard copy? Get the DVD here.

Ghost Rider (2007)

Proof positive that not all movies based on Marvel comics series are guaranteed to be watchable. In a nutshell, it’s about a motorcycle-riding stuntman Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) who sells his soul to the devil and rides a CGI-enhanced chopper. Might that explain the 26 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes? You can catch it on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.

Long Way Down (Amazon)

Long Way Round (Amazon)

Then Came Bronson (Amazon)