Motorcycles have been a pillar of films for decades, representing freedom, insurrection, and the great road. From classic movies to modern blockbusters, motorcycles have been essential in some of the most well-known movies ever.
When two of our favorite things: motorbikes and movies come together, we cannot help but enjoy it! Fortunately, there are driven and interested filmmakers who enjoy all things two-wheeled.
Though there are many documentaries out there, we compiled a list of what we thought to be “Must-see” films in addition to highly recognized ones.
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Top 10 Motorbike Documentaries Movies
1. On Any Sunday
This motorcycling documentary views the lives of hard-core riders and explores the fundamental but elusive question: Why do they ride?
Originally made in 1971, On Any Sunday is among the first and most famous motorcycle flicks ever. It is still among the most well-known motorcycle films available globally today.
This classic film examines the grassroots origins of racing and the lives of luminaries, including Steve McQueen, Malcolm Smith, Mert Lawwill, and others.
Motorcyclists and their responses to this issue vary greatly under filmmaker Bruce Brown’s microscope among the many types under examination.
2. TT Closer to the Edge
The second great film is a classic. This superbly shot documentary focuses on the 2010 Isle of Man TT event. It is a classic dumbfounding documentary, the sort that shocks viewers with people doing it.
We are reminded of the peaceful, unmoving horrors encircling this disaster with a sudden acceleration. Closer to the Edge, might also catch the audience’s attention.
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3. Dust To Glory
Dust to Glory largely covers the 2003 Baja 1000. Director of On Any Sunday, Bruce Brown, offers a close-up perspective of the venerable Mexican off-road race. For non-riders, the uncommented race film times could look outdated. Still, they are rather ideal for off-road enthusiasts.
This is a race of machines, not only concerning motorcycles! There are some wonderful scenic views all around in this movie.
4. Fastest
Famous motorcyclist Ewan McGregor narrates this MotoGP documentary, which was filmed in 2001 and 2002. Apart from catching the young and lately dominant Valentino Rossi, Faster highlights a particularly dangerous age in motorcycle racing.
Though he is bursting with fantastic action scenes, he spends time researching characters faster. It focuses on one major resemblance among racers: the obsessive and maybe destructive urge to get faster.
Fastest centers on Valentino Rossi’s development and championship-winning tactics in great detail for a solid part of the documentary. Fastest is a fascinating documentary since it’s Mark Neale’s “middle” movie on MotoGP.
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5. Long Way Round
Any ADV rider should see this as it follows Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York City, the long way around.
Long Way Round will inspire viewers with a passionate trip part riding and half-travel documentary. You will carefully study maps and submit orders with BMW Motorrad before the credits start.
6. Why We Ride
Why We Ride is a documentary about assembling a broad spectrum of people from various walks of life with one thing in common: motorbikes.
“Why do you ride?” Bryan H. Carroll and his team ask each one individually. Collected their answers from this documentary. This is a rather poignant viewpoint for every rider.
This 2013 documentary pays mad homage to motorcyclists. It radiates pride for the sport and pays some incredible cinematic respect for riding culture. Riding enthusiasts of different stripes and ages show the simple excitement of the documentary in interviews.
7. Brittown
Brittown is more about the rider than the riding itself. That rider here is Meatball, a mechanic with experience customizing British motorcycles.
This is a close-up picture of his life with the real charm low-budget documentaries may offer. The regular rhythm of this documentary catches a real-life situation experienced in biker culture. This is a refreshing departure from the intense, pumped-up films of top motorsports.
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8. Hitting The Apex
Six of the fastest MotoGP riders tracked closely in a documentary across 2014. Called MotoGP most often, the Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship is the height of motorcycle racing.
Having started in the middle of the 1990s, it has seen legends grow, champions rise, rivalries span seasons and occasionally even the sport evolve.
Following six top-tier riders in the 2014 season, Hitting The Apex cast includes Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Marco Simoncelli, and Casey Stoner.
It highlights their friendships, rivalries, on-track crashes, and everyone trying to be the absolute best they can be on prototype race bikes with over 200 HP weight less than 200 kg.
Among the most intimate documentaries made on the sport, Brad Pitt narrates it. It captures actual points of view, mistakes, challenges, and feelings.
This is necessary viewing for everyone who loves MotoGP in any form, even though it spans a season over ten years ago.
9. The Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid
Filmed over the 2010 MotoGP championship season and narrated by renowned motorbike super-geek Ewan McGregor, it is a great time capsule of one of the best events in MotoGP history.
This two-hour, forty-minute documentary is interesting. It is aimed at the MotoGP Career and rivalry among Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, and Nicky Hayden.
Rossi and Lorenzo struggled tooth and nail, wheel to wheel, exchanging paint and more than a few ugly words. Casey Stoner suddenly came slamming between them, creating a three-way duel for the title.
Like in Hitting The Apex, the documentary crew had unheard-of access to all levels of the paddock, teams, riders, and even Moto GP owners, Dorna.
It’s one of those amazing films you know would be terrific, yet you sit fixed on exactly how close some clashes were on and off the track.
10. Being Evel
This gem in the entertainment industry highlights how 500GP uses 2-strokes. Listen to the thrilling narratives of riders bringing amazing creatures to the finish line, recounted from their perspective.
Jackass founder and star Johnny Knoxville, who also produced and led the narrator and documentary interviewee, is passionate about this project. From his first encounter with a motorbike to his death in 2007, it examines Evel Knievel’s life.
Thanks mostly to Evel’s incredible ability to entertain and create suspense in his stunts, the documentary also explores the development of motorcycling stunts from a fringe funfair attraction to mainstream TV coverage.
It also examines numerous near misses and mistakes that might have killed him over his lifetime. Yet, he always seemed to be able to recover.
Being Evel is one of our favorite documentaries; its tempo is superb. It never feels slow or boring, nor is it rushing at all.
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