Motorcycle Coasters® Newsletter

Collecting movie memorabilia is a pricey game, there's just no way around that. The stakes get even higher when you mix in a character as popular as Batman.

At a 2016 auction, a couple of props used in Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" Trilogy were sold, and the final prices blew expectations out of the water. After one of the Batsuits from the films sold for almost $250,000, the Batpod from "The Dark Knight Rises" was up for grabs. See some photos below.

You may not recognize the name Batpod; it was Batman's motorcycle, and was one of the most extravagant props in the film. It was ridden by both Christian Bale's Batman and Anne Hathaway's Catwoman.

The estimated sale price for the Batpod, which wasn't even in running condition, was somewhere between $80,000-$110,000. But, by the time the auctioneer yelled "sold" the price for the bike had reached $406,184.

The Batpod was the brainchild of production designer Nathan Crowley and built by special effects supervisor Chris Corbould. This particular model featured the original fiberglass body, non-functioning cannons, custom-made chassis, and a Honda 750 engine.

All in all, there were six different Batpods built and used during the filming of the movie, but this exact edition is the one highlighted in virtually every closeup that you see while watching "The Dark Knight Rises".

At the time of auction, the Batpod was only missing a few key elements to make it road-ready. All it needed was throttle controls, a battery, and a fuel pump. That would at least make it mechanically sound and not cost too much money. Getting the motorcycle street legal, however, would significantly raise the cost.

The cannons look pretty cool, but are non-functional

A still from the movie "The Dark Knight Rises", with Christian Bale aboard the Batpod

A still from the movie "The Dark Knight Rises", with Anne Hathaway aboard the Batpod

The Batpod, which wasn't even in running condition, sold at auction for $406,184

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Historic motorcycles: The Batcycles from the “Batman” TV series

Batman's Batcycle

The Batcycle is a secondary vehicle Batman and Robin -- the Dynamic Duo -- used to cruise the streets of Gotham in the TV series "Batman", which aired from 1966 to 1968. See photos below.

The original Batcycle, only seen in the "Not Yet, He Ain't" episode, featured a black and red design scheme to match the Batmobile and the Batcopter. When the first "Batman" movie (1966) was being produced, the Batcycle was redesigned, abandoning the black and red colors of the Batmobile. After appearing in the film, the newly designed Batcycle continued to appear in the rest of the TV series.

The Batcycle was produced by Kustomotive, conceived by Dan Dempski, designed by Tom Daniel, and built by Dan and Korky Korkes using a Yamaha Catalina 250. Kustomotive leased the motorcycle to 20th Century Fox starting on April 18, 1966 for $50 a week with an additional $350 up front. When the series was canceled, Kustomotive agree to pay royalties to Greenway, 20th Century Fox, and National Periodical Publications to use the Batcycle in car shows. Kustomotive built four replicas of the Batcycle for tours.

Robin's sidecar (a detachable self-propelled vehicle) was authenticated by Burt Ward on the television series "Hollywood Treasure" and sold at auction for $30,000.

The early version, with the black and red scheme to match the Batmobile and Batcopter.
Batman (Adam West) on the Batcycle, Robin (Burt Ward) in the sidecar.

Adam West atop the newly redesigned Batcycle

Burt Ward in the detachable, self-propelled sidecar

Batgirl's Batcycle

When Batgirl was introduced in the third season of "Batman", she naturally had to have her own set of wheels. And so, a Batcycle was designed and built for Batgirl. The motorcycle was feminine in its design, in a purple color matching her Batsuit. The motorcycle was a 1967 Yamaha YDS 5E 250cc. Batgirl, played by actress Yvonne Craig, was only in the third season of the series, after which the show was canceled.

Batgirl (played by Yvonne Craig) was very fashionable. Note the color coordination between
her Batsuit and the Batcycle.

Yvonne Craig, as Batgirl, aboard her own Batcycle. Batgirl was only in the third season of the
show, after which it was canceled.

L-R: Robin (Burt Ward), Batgirl (Yvonne Craig), Batman (Adam West)

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Meet Jack The Coaster Guy in St. Louis

Jack The Coaster Guy will be in St. Louis, Missouri, January 24-27.

As the Central Illinois Field Representative for the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club (VJMC), Jack will be working at the VJMC booth at the Saint Louis Auto Show, which features the Saint Louis Motorcycle & Custom Bike Show. The show will be held Janary 24-27, 2019 at America's Center & Dome.

Stop by and say hi and pick up a VJMC Motorcycle Coaster®.

For more information about STL Auto Show and STL Motorcycle & Custom Bike Show, see their website.

Also check them out on Facebook.

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Motorcycle Coasters® sponsors Rolling with Ronda

Motorcycle Coasters® is proud to announce that we now sponsor Ronda Brown, "Rolling with Ronda" on Facebook.

Ronda rides her motorcycle all over the country for for Law Tigers, as their first female ambassador to motorcycling. Follow her on Facebook, where she posts about her travels -- rallies, rides, and events.

Rolling with Ronda merchandise

-- Click here for Rolling with Ronda merchandise -- including
    Motorcycle Coasters®!

-- Currently, Ronda has available: T-Shirts, Stickers, Patches, and
    Motorcycle Coasters® (in green, pink, orange, and yellow).

-- Click the above link for current pricing and ordering information.

At right: A Rolling with Ronda orange Motorcycle Coaster®

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Back issues of the Motorcycle Coasters® newsletter

Back issues of our newsletter are available at the Motorcycle Coasters® - Newsletter Archive.

They are available to download as PDF files or can be viewed online (no download required).

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*** Thanks again for your interest in Motorcycle Coasters®! So long, for now, until the next edition. ***

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