Tom Cruise and his love for Bikes!

Tom Cruise is known for his love for bikes right from when he was young. No Tom Cruise movie is complete without him riding a motorcycle. Be it Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from Top Gun or agent Ethan Hunt from Rogue Nation, he has always managed to ride his bikes charismatically and pump up the on-screen drama (also increase the adrenaline rush inside us).

Not only on-screen but also in real life he has a great taste in motorcycles. He is always spotted with some of the best motorcycles available in the market. No doubt he has a great collection of motorcycles hidden somewhere but for now lets take a look at some of the amazing motorcycles he has used in the movies and he’s been publicly seen with.

1. Kawasaki GPZ900R (Top Gun)

Developed in secret over six years, it was the world’s first 16-valve liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder motorcycle. The 908 cc four-cylinder engine delivered 115 bhp allowing the bike to reach speeds of 151 mph (243 km/h), making it the first stock road bike to exceed 150 mph (240 km/h). Tom Cruise is seen blasting this bike on the air fields and streets in 1986 hit Top Gun.

2. Triumph Speed Triple 955i (Mission Impossible 2)

Who can forget the epic chase scene at the climax of Mission Impossible 2! The 955i is the second generation of Speed Triple sporting a 955cc three cylinder engine capable of generating 120hp. (And a marvellous sound!)

3. Ducati Hypermotard/Aprilia SXV 550 (Knight and Day)

What Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are riding in the movie Knight and Day looks like a Ducati Hypermotard but it actually isn’t. Not the entire time. The bike used for action and stunt scenes is actually an Aprilia SXV 550 disguised as Hypermotard and the one in close up shots and slow moving scenes is the real Ducati. The reason behind this was Hypermotard was too heavy and more of a fast street bike whereas SXV 550 was lighter and more versatile and more suitable for performing the action scenes.

4. Futuristic Bike/Honda CRF450X (Oblivion)

The futuristic bike Tom Cruise is seen riding in Oblivion is a Honda CRF450X customised by Glory Motor Works located in Southern California.
Justin Kell, the owner of GMW says-

Working with Tom Cruise is good and it’s bad. Most actors that are supposed to ride bikes never actually ride bikes and have no idea how. But Mr. Cruise is a really good rider. Not a really good rider for an actor, but a really good rider. So it makes our job easy and hard at the same time. We can’t fool him. He is very particular and knows exactly what he wants.

5. Triumph Thruxton (Edge of Tomorrow)

This charming British motorcycle with cafe racer styling uses 865cc air cooled parallel twin engine to generate 60bhp.

6. BMW S1000RR (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation)

Who doesn’t love the S1000RR. Cutting edge BMW technology and the 999cc inline 4 generating 193 horses and a sinful exhaust note!
Tom Cruise + a handful of goons + S1000RRs= Treat for petrolheads

7. Ducati 999R Evo

The 2006 Ducati 999 is known as an extremely high performance, race oriented motorcycle. With its traditional Ducati L Twin Desmodromic Valve actuated engine layout, it has a linear power delivery, with high power and torque figures available even at low RPM. Additionally, with its high spec suspension and trellis chassis, it is one of the finest handling motorcycles for its time.

8. Ducati Desmosedici RR

The first Ducati Desmosedici RR in United States was delivered to Cruise for a reported $72,500. It is a limited production road-legal version of the Desmosedici MotoGP racebike. It houses a 989cc desmodromic V4. The bike weighs just 171 kg(dry) and produces a staggering 197 hp.

9. Vyrus 987 C3 4V

The Vyrus 987 C3 4V is a highly rare and expensive ($1,00,000) Italian bike. The bike uses 1198cc L-twin sourced from Ducati and generates 167 hp weighing at just 159 kg(dry). Cruise was seen riding this bike after his 51st birthday celebration.

10. Honda Valkyrie Rune

Honda introduced the limited edition Valkyrie Rune in 2003 with 1832cc straight six engine.
The size of the bike is humongous and it weighs at 367 kg(dry).

11. Confederate F131 Hellcat

Confederate Hellcat is a rare and highly expensive bike costing about $75,000. It uses 2147cc V-twin and weighs at 223 kg. Every model is completely hand-made in USA.

Fact- Tom Cruise’s real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV

**note- this is my first proper article on car throttle. Feedback and suggestions are welcome :)
I had previously posted this article in bikes community but realised that blog was more appropriate. So here it is with some minor improvements.