Batman Bike and Other Iconic TV Cars on Display in Los Angeles

Top Quote Batman Bike, also known as the Batcycle, was displayed as part of "Good Guys, Bad Guys, Hot Cars" exhibition opening at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. End Quote
  • (1888PressRelease) October 15, 2010 - Batman Bike, more commonly known as the Batcycle in the 1960's Batman television series and a number of other iconic TV automobiles including "Herbie the Love Bug", The Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee, and the Rolls-Royce from the Thomas Crown Affair were on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

    The exhibition highlights the role of automobiles in popular American television shows over the decades and celebrates these iconic cars. Automobiles like the Batman Bike, the Green Hornet's Black Beauty, the Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari 308, and a bevy of famous television and movie show cars were all out in display in Los Angeles.

    Of all of the automobiles on display the single car that drew the most attention was the Batcycle. The Batman Bike made its first appearance in 1966 in the TV series starring Adam west. It was, in fact, a modified 1965 Harley Davidson with a side car, but it was later taken on lease and was only used for only one episode.

    Later that same year, a new Batman Bike was introduced in the series. It was conceptualized by Dan Dempski, designed by Tom Daniel, produced by Kustomotive and built by Dan and Korky Korkes using a Yamaha Catalina 250. However, when the series was cancelled, Kustomotive continued to use the Batman Bike in car shows. There are currently four replicas of the bike for tours.

    Since then the bike has had a few versions over the years. Its recent live-action incarnation was in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight in 2008. Dubbed the "Batpod", the bike has 20" front and rear tires and is powered by a high-performance, water-cooled, single-cylinder engine for faster acceleration and with no exhaust pipes--a far cry from the Batcycle of the 1960's series.

    The sleek design of the Batpod has even inspired Mattel to create a children's version of the Batman Bike, which is available at http://www.BatmanBike.com. The website is the online hub for Batman collectors and hobbyists.

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