The best motorcycle movies and TV shows to stream right now

We only had a few of these because motorcycle videos were expensive, hard to find, or both. You either had to special order them, borrow one from a friend, or hope to get lucky with the selection at a nearby dealership. Even then, the variety of two-wheeled stories and storytellers was limited.

These days, we’re deep in the throes of streaming video. Endless options at the click of a button. But therein lies the problem: endless options.

There’s so much content that figuring out what to watch or knowing what’s available isn’t much easier than dealing with mail-order movies. Especially if you’re still committed to the idea of going outside and actually riding bikes every once in a while.

Enter your humble author, currently stuck at home amidst the Great Distancing of 2020. For the last few days I’ve scoured the internet in an attempt to make a guide of what motorcycle content is streaming and which ones I think are worth watching. It goes without saying, but this doesn’t include every piece of motorcycle video content anywhere on the internet and it mostly reflects my personal preferences. Still, it’s better than nothing. And it might even be better than "Tiger King."

Paid streaming services

Amazon Prime — Top picks

Amazon Prime has the widest selection of motorcycling movies and TV shows that I’ve come across. You have to sort through a lot of mediocrity to find the good ones, but there are definitely good ones to be found. Whether you’re into choppers, sport bikes, dirt bikes, or adventure films, there’s something on Prime for everyone.

“On Any Sunday”

The perennial favorite, for good reason. If you’ve never seen it (or know a friend who hasn’t) I highly recommend catching up on this classic that inspired an entire generation of riders.

“Hitting the Apex”

I didn’t follow MotoGP as a kid and Apex is the movie that helped me understand what all the hype was about. Focused on six racers over the course of the 2014 season — and narrated by Brad Pitt — the documentary captures the heartbreak and triumph that comes with racing street bikes at the highest level in the world.

“Sit Stay Ride: The Story of America's Sidecar Dogs”

Not everyone is into motorcycles. Some people don’t like dogs. But I dare you not to be a little heartwarmed at the sight of a dog in a sidecar, happily inhaling a face full of wind. It’s a light and fluffy documentary (sometimes literally) about motorcyclists and their canine co-pilots.

Also available:

• “Blood Lines: The Life and Times of Brian Deegan”
• “Blood Sweat and Gears”
• “Champion Kenny Roberts: Profile of a Legend”
• “Great Racing Motor Cycles, Vol. 1”
• “I, Superbiker”
• “Mission: Impossible — Fallout”
• “On Any Sunday II”
• “Out of Nothing”
• “Phantom Lake”
• “Runaway Ralph”
• “Silver Dream Racer”
• “Somewhere Else Tomorrow”
• “Strong: The Destry Abbott Story”
• “The Flying Dutchman”
• “The Greasy Hand Preachers”
• “The Way We Rode”
• “True Champion: The Johnny Campbell Story”
• “Vamos Cuba”
• “Why We Ride”

Netflix — Top picks

For a company that’s famous for producing billions of dollars worth of new content each year, it sure seems like they could spare a penny or two for some motorbike movies. But, here are a couple of options to keep your eyes out for and bear in mind that Netflix shakes up its library quite frequently. 

“Unchained: The Untold Story of Freestyle Motocross”

As I was researching this article I watched a lot of movies and this is the one that surprised me the most. Unchained tells the story of how a couple of snowboard filmmakers and a group of renegade motocross riders (including a 14-year-old Travis Pastrana) accidentally invented a new form of motorcycle competition and redefined the limits of what could be done on two wheels. HIghly recommended.

“The Place Beyond the Pines”

Hollywood rarely gets motorcycles right and the biggest issues are typically physics-defying stunts or wildly inaccurate sounds. "The Place Beyond the Pines" is guilty of the latter offense, randomly mixing two-stroke and four-stroke sounds for the main character’s XR and DR-Z motorcycles. But, if you can forgive that sin then I think it’s worth watching — the story of a motorcycle stunt rider who turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his family and how those actions ripple through his life for years to come.

Hulu — Top picks

Since Hulu focuses primarily on licensing content from other networks, the motorcycle options here are pretty limited. But, it’s a great streaming platform overall and there are still two wheels to be found, as long as you know where to look. 

“Mythbusters” (S11E01) — Bikes and Bazookas

Adam and Jamie test if motorcycles are better for the environment than cars. Tory, Kari, and Grant test whether you can save yourself by shooting at an RPG that has been fired at you.

“Mythbusters” (S14E06) — Motorcycle Water Ski

Is it possible for a motorcycle to ride across the surface of a lake? Can you build a parachute out of the stuff in your hotel room and jump to safety from the 20th floor?

“South Park” (S13E12) — The F Word

The boys confront a group of obnoxious bikers, but their methods force the townsfolk to redefine the meaning of a rather offensive word.

MotorTrend On Demand — Top picks

The user interface on this platform can be frustrating and reality-show car content overshadows just about everything else, but if you’re any kind of gearhead then there’s bound to be something that speaks to your interests.

“Throttle Out”

Full disclosure: “Throttle Out” is a show I made with Zack and Ari for a year and a half while the three of us worked at MotorTrend. I’m proud of the adventures we went on and I’m excited for the three of us to bring that same hare-brained creativity to the RevZilla YouTube channel. My favorite episodes include "1,000 Miles in Baja on Honda Monkeys," "Building a 5-Seater Motorcycle," "Texas Iron Butt Challenge" and "Racing Vespa Motocross in Italy."

“2019 Isle of Man”

With the 2020 Isle of Man canceled due to COVID-19, I strongly encourage you to catch up on last year’s broadcast of the race. It’s one of the most iconic competitions in the world of motorsport and MotorTrend’s coverage is excellent.

“Top Gear”

MotorTrend has 186 episodes of Top Gear and 19 episodes of the Top Gear Specials, but of course I have to recommend the motorcycle-oriented Vietnam Special. The guys get $1,000 to buy bikes that will take them 1,000 miles in a foreign country — what could go wrong?

Also available:

• “2019 MXGP FIM Motocross Season”
• “2020 Dakar Rally”
• “British Superbike”
• “FIM Freestyle Motocross World Championship”
• “Joey — The Man Who Conquered the TT”
• “On Two Wheels (the original episodes featuring Ari Henning with dreadlocks!)”
• “Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel”
• “Speed Dreams”

Free streaming services (ad-supported)

YouTube — Top picks

There’s no larger repository of motorcycle video content in the world than what is available on YouTube. The truth is I spend more time making motorcycle content for YouTube than I do watching motorcycle content on YouTube, so I’m not an expert one what’s out there but here are the channels I go to for inspiration and entertainment.

RevZilla

I may be new to the team here at RevZilla but I’ve been watching their YouTube channel for years because the hosts are knowledgeable and the production quality is great. Whether it’s the bike reviews, tech tips, or the Highside/Lowside podcast, there’s new content up on a weekly basis and that will only increase as Zack, Ari, and I start contributing as well.

FortNine

Funny, creative, thoughtful, and educational. The work being done by Ryan Kluftinger and Aneesh Shivanekar inspires me to be a better filmmaker and has raised the bar for what motorcycle entertainment can look, sound and feel like.

Classified Moto

There aren’t a lot of videos on the Classified Moto channel, but the ones that are there (especially the “Restricted” series) make it count. The bikes are beautiful, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the writing is far more clever than most would expect from a motorcycle show.

Grind Hard Plumbing Co

An 85 mph Barbie Jeep? KTM 525 Power Wheels? You had me at hello. If there are better motorcycle-adjacent build videos out there, I haven’t seen them.

Red Bull — Top picks

The Red Bull logo at the beginning of a video almost always means high production value and unparalleled access. They have short-form TV shows (around 10 to 20 minutes), race highlights, plus feature-length documentaries, and I’ve never watched one that was genuinely bad. Best of all, the videos are free. I have no idea how they can afford to make such quality content. (Cracks open an energy drink.)

“Andrea Dovisioso: Undaunted”

Lance wrote an article about this film for good reason — it’s fantastic. An honest and vulnerable look at the life of a MotoGP racer that isn’t named Márquez, Rossi, or Lorenzo.

“General Sipes”

This six-episode series follows off-road racer Ryan Sipes as he takes on a variety of motorcycle disciplines in his 2019 quest to become the world's most well rounded racer. The show is well crafted and it’s nice to see an everyman like Sipes get the spotlight.

“Racing Together”

As I mentioned with “Hitting the Apex,” I didn’t grow up watching MotoGP or following roadracing of any kind. “Racing Together” is a documentary that dives into the history of motorcycle grand prix racing, giving newbies like me a newfound appreciation for the sport.

Also available:

• “Bike Builds with Aaron Colton”
• “Jorge Prado: Feet in the Dirt”
• “Marquez Unlimited”
• “Moto Spy”
• “Nuts and Boltons”
• “Red Bull Straight Rhythm 2019 (Full Event)”
• “Ride: All In”
• “Silver Linings: The Jesse Nelson Story”
• “The Silent Samurai (Dani Pedrosa)”

Tubi — Top picks

One of the best kept secrets in the world of streaming, Tubi is an ad-supported service owned by Fox that is loaded with motorcycling movies. The list goes well beyond what I’ve included here but these are the ones that stood out.

“The World’s Fastest Indian”

Uplifting and charming, it tells the story of New Zealander Burt Munro (played by Anthony Hopkins), who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle in pursuit of a world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats.

“12 O’Clock Boys”

This documentary from 2013 follows a young boy named Pug as he aspires to join a group of illegal dirt bike riders in West Baltimore known as the 12 O'Clock Boys. It’s not an easy thing to watch. I can’t help but cringe as these dirt bikes terrorize the road and give riders everywhere a bad reputation. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder if I would do things so differently if I was born into the same circumstances. Either way, the documentary is worth watching and the conversation about it is worth having.

Also available:

• “Arrows of Fire”
• “Bonneville Speed Week (2018)”
• “Champion Barry Sheene”
• “Champion Kenny Roberts”
• “Hogslayer”
• “Isle of Man Review (2018)”
• “Joey Dunlop: No Ordinary Joe”
• “Knightrider”
• “Moto 1-Moto 8”
• “Off-road Essentials”
• “On Any Sunday”
• “Rip to the Tip”
• “Slay: The Axell Hodges Story”
• “The Salt Ghost”
• “TT Top 20 Greatest Riders Ever”
• “Why We Ride”