The Batcycle, Batblade, or Batpod is the fictional personal motorcycle of the DC ComicssuperheroBatman.[1] In the comic book universe, Batman's personal Batcycle is a modified street-bike with a 786 cc liquid-cooled V-4 engine. It contains a computer-controlled carburetor and bulletproof wind-guard.
The Batcycle made its first appearance in 1966 in the Batman TV series. It was a 1965 Harley Davidson with a side car, but it was taken on lease and was only used for the first season episode "Not Yet, He Ain't".
Later that year, a new Batcycle was introduced. It was produced by Kustomotive, conceived by Dan Dempski, designed by Tom Daniel, and built by Dan and Korky Korkes using a Yamaha Catalina 250. It was leased to 20th Century Fox starting on April 18, 1966 for $50 a week with an additional $350 up front. The new Batcycle was first used in the 1966 film Batman and continued to appear in the rest of the TV series. Hubie Kerns and Victor Paul did most of the stunt work with the motorcycle throughout the series. The total amount paid to Kustomotive was $2,500. When the series was canceled, Kustomotive used the Batcycle in car shows, paying royalties to Greenway, 20th Century Fox, and National Periodical Publications. 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 Batpod from The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises
The Batcycle is known as the Batpod for The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).[4][5][6] The bike has 20" front and rear tires and is powered by a high-performance, water-cooled, single-cylinder engine - geared toward the lower end for faster acceleration and with no exhaust pipes: the exhaust is routed through the hollow steel/aluminum/magnesium tubing used for the frame of the bike.[7] The Batpod is steered by the shoulders instead of hands, and the rider's arms are protected by shields. The two foot pegs are set 3½ feet apart on either side of the tank, which the rider lies on, belly down.[8] The engine noise was designed around the Shepard tone, for which sound effects came, in part, from the sound of the Tesla Roadster's electric motor.[9] The Batpod ejects out of the Tumbler's front end, with the Tumbler's front wheels becoming the Batpod's front and rear wheels. Because the Tumbler is ordered to self-destruct, the Batpod allows Batman to continue his pursuit. For the film, the bike is armed with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. Six models were constructed for the film's production to anticipate some of them crashing.[10] One action sequence in the film shows the wheels rolling against their normal axes, seemingly for added stability in sharp turns or other maneuvers. This also allows for instant changes in direction - if the driver approaches a wall, the Batpod's central frame will rotate to keep the driver upright. The Batpod's chassis also elongates, allowing the rider to pass under low-hanging obstacles, as when Batman slaloms underneath a tractor trailer the Joker is driving.[7] The term "Batpod" is mentioned by Alfred Pennyworth only once in the movie.
The Batpod is used again in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). At first, it serves as Batman's primary vehicle. Later, Selina Kyle uses the Batpod during the final battle against Bane's forces for the fate of Gotham. Batman uses the Bat to fight Bane's stolen Tumblers from the air while Selina uses the Batpod to open a tunnel to allow Gotham civilians to escape, to shoot Bane, and to destroy at least two of Bane's Tumblers while tracking the nuclear bomb Bane and Talia al Ghul intended to use to destroy the city. During filming on August 9, 2011, a stunt performer collided with an IMAX camera while filming a chase scene involving Kyle's Batpod.
The Batcycle appears in The Flash when Batman is in pursuit of Carmine Falcone's son Alberto Falcone, who steals a virus from the Gotham General lab. Batman launches the Batcyle from the armored troop carrier vehicle "Flying Fox" he and Cyborg repair in Zack Snyder's Justice League. The Batcyle is presumably destroyed when one of Alberto's henchmen derails a petrol tanker and blows it up, leading Batman to continue the chase on foot.
Features
The Batcycle appears to have two regular front tires combined together and one single massive rear tire. The body is bulletproof, able to shrug off rounds from assault rifles. It has an afterburner that can be routed to its sides to help with sharp turns by retractable vents that close on the afterburner during turning. Additionally, the Batcycle appears to have front-mounted machine guns, though this is not shown, and the capability to launch extendable spike strips in the form of spheres. It also has a retractable battering ram in the shape of a huge, crossed arrow that allows it to go through wreckage easily, and the flaps directly in front of the rider can rise up to provide cover from gunfire. Behind the scenes, it's shown that the two front tires are a prop covering a single tire. Production on The Flash was halted after a camera operator was injured following crashing into a Batman stunt double aboard the Batcycle.[11][12]
The Batcycle is the Batman’s sleekest mode of transport, and perfect for racing through Gotham’s streets at breakneck speeds.[13] Throughout the movie Batman had a second main motorcycle, dubbed "Drifter Motorcycle". This one is primarily used by Wayne in his civilian Drifter Outfit, while the Batcycle is used by Wayne as the Batman. He used his Drifter Motorcycle to spy on Selina Kyle, during his investigation on the serial killer, known as The Riddler. Following Riddler's defeat, Batman would use the Batcycle to visit Selina Kyle at her mother's gravesite. He would then leave the gravesite on the Batcycle and followed Selina on her motorcycle until they went in separate directions.
The Batcycle was one of the many vehicles used by Batman and Robin in Batman: The Animated Series. The Batcycle was themed to look like Batman's other vehicles, the Batmobile, Batwing, and Batboat. Batman would use it in certain episodes, as would Robin. Perhaps the most important part the Batcycle played in the series was in the movie Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, where Batman jumped off the Batcycle so it would crash into a giant fan that was being controlled by the Joker. The Batcycle saw a little more use from Robin, particularly in the episode "Robin's Reckoning." Robin would continue to use a variation of the Batcycle in later seasons after he had become Nightwing. Batman always donned a helmet, modeled to accommodate his cowl's ears, before driving the Batcycle.
The Batcycle makes only a few appearances in The Batman. The first is in the episode, "The Cat and the Bat," in which Catwoman steals Batman's utility belt and inadvertently sends the Batmobile careening out of control on autopilot. Batman uses the Batcycle to catch-up with and retrieve the other vehicle. The Batcycle's second appearance on the program is in the episode, "RPM". The Batmobile is wrecked during a pursuit of Gearhead, and Batman must use the Batcycle to continue the battle against the villain when the rebuilt Batmobile is not fully operational in time. The Batcycle ends up destroyed after Gearhead infects its computerized system with a nanotech virus during this same episode.
Robin uses a variation of the Batcycle featuring his own colors in The Batman. Robin also has a similarly styled bike in the Teen Titans animated series.
Video games
Batman & Robin (Robin drives the Redbird, and Batgirl drives the Batblade)
Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (the Batcycle and the Nightwing Cycle are unlockable 3D Models in the Trophy Room)
Art Asylum created a toy version of the Batcycle for C3 Sets Wave 2 of Minimates in 2005. LEGO paired the Batcycle with "Harley Quinn's Hammer Truck" for their LEGO Batman line. In 2008, Mattell's Hot Wheels line released a 1/50 scale of the 1966 Batcycle, and in 2009, released a 1/12 scale of the same model. Both featured detachable sidecars. An upgraded 'Elite' version of the 1/12 model is also expected, with even greater detail. The Batblade has also been mentioned as a candidate for the 2010 series of 1/50 Bat-vehicles.
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