Batcycle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Batcycle is the fictional personal motorcycle of comic book superhero Batman. 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.
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[edit] In relation to Batman (TV series)
[edit] Harley Davidson
The Batcycle made its first appearance in 1966 in the Batman TV series. It was a 1959 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".
[edit] Yamaha Catalina
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: The Movie 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 cancelled, Kustomotive used the Batcycle in car shows, paying a royalties to Greenway, 20th Century Fox, and National Periodical Publications. Kustomotive built four replicas of the Batcycle for tours.
[edit] Batblade (Batman & Robin)
The Batblade[2][3] is the name of a specialized motorcycle used by Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) in the 1997 film Batman & Robin. This vehicle can function under the most extreme weather conditions.
The Batblade was built on the body of a drag racer: the rear tire comes not from a motorcycle, but from a car. Originally the equipment for fast pursuits was conceived, and with the help of the special effects it functions also on smooth underground and under most extreme weather conditions.
[edit] Fictional technical specifications
The Batblade is a 600cc, 95 HP Honda prototype and is 10' long. Supposedly it can reach 109 mph on ice. Its special design keeps it upright even in difficult curves of the road. A cryonic ignition controls anti-freeze levels, so the engine can function even in temperatures under -40 degrees fahrenheit.
- Size: 10' long
- Drive: 600cc Honda prototype with 95 HP
- Maximum speed on ice: 109 mph
- Features: The in cylinder engine lends an enormous torque and a high agility to the Batblade; The special design keeps the Batblade upright also in close curves. It's also very helpful when turning or short taking off from the soil.
[edit] Batman: The Animated Series
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.
[edit] The Batman
The Batcycle was used by Batman only a few times because the Batmobile was missing or destroyed. Batgirl stole it once and ended up destroying it. A variation of the Batcycle is used by Robin and Batgirl with their own colors on the bike. Robin has a similar Robin styled bike in the Teen Titans animated series.
[edit] The Dark Knight
The Batcycle for the 2008 superhero film, The Dark Knight (directed by Christopher Nolan), will be called the Batpod[4], and is designed by Nathan Crowley, who designed the Tumbler Batmobile for Batman Begins (2005). The bike has 20" front and rear tires, and the engines are located in the hubs of the wheels. The Batpod is steered by the shoulders instead of hands, and the rider's arms are protected by shields. 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.[5]
[edit] Toy
Art Asylum created a toy version of the Batcycle for C3 Sets Wave 2 of Minimates in 2005.
[edit] References
- ^ Built by Dan Maglera, the Bat-Cycle was an instant success. Maglera used a donated Yamaha 250. The bike was customized with a front steering assembly (the part with scallops on it), made of Filon, a fiberglass sheet with integrated nylon. The windshield was made out of plexiglass which had to be specially molded and custom blown. The sidecar was also a go-cart that would breakaway from the cycle it self.
- ^ Batman & Robin - Bikes > Batblade
- ^ BATMAN-NEWS > Batblade
- ^ Superhero Hype
- ^ Susan Carpenter. "Wholly high-tech, Batman", Los Angeles Times, 2007-06-18. Retrieved on 2007-06-17.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Batman & Robin - Bikes
- Television - Batman: The Series - Gadgets - Batcycle
- Character Profiles - Gadgets - Batcycle
- Television - Batman: The Series - Batgirl's Batcycle
- Dark Knight Batpod
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