Batcave Treasure -
Batman, the
Dark Knight, has been captivating audiences in cinemas across the globe for decades. Beneath the cowl and behind the black mask, this
Caped Crusader patrols the streets of
Gotham City, tirelessly pursuing and defeating criminals. He accomplishes this with a variety of highly specialized rides, custom-made for him and his trusted allies, including
Robin,
Batwoman,
Batgirl, and
Catwoman.
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The most recent appearance of the Batcycle, as pictured in a 1/6-scale action figure recreation of the Dark Knight and his motorcycle by Hot Toys, was featured in the film 'The Flash' (2023). (Picture from: CoolThings)
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With these vehicles at his disposal,
Batman can speed after criminals in the
Batmobile, pursue them on water with the
Batboat, or apprehend them from above using the
Batwing. However, there are times when a more streamlined approach is required, and that's when the compact
Batcycle comes into play.
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Actually the first character to ride a bat-designed motorbike was Batwoman, and first appeared in Detective Comics #233 which was published in July 1956. (Picture from: Kincir) |
The
Batcycle, an iconic part of
Batman's arsenal, was not initially associated with the
Dark Knight. In fact, the first character to utilize a bat-designed motorbike was
Batwoman, as depicted in
Detective Comics #233, published in
July 1956.
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Batgirl (played by Yvonne Craig) posed along with her Batbike and the Batmobile on the Batman TV series of 1966. (Picture from: GroovyHistory)
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Batwoman's Batcycle, though simple in design, allowed her to reach crime scenes more swiftly than
Batman could in his
Batmobile. The initial
Batwoman's Batcycle was a standard motorcycle adorned with bat-shaped ornaments, lacking any special features. Subsequently,
Batman didn't immediately have a
Batcycle of his own.
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The first Batcycle version built based on the 1965 Harley Davidson Electra-Glide with attached sidecar, made its first appearance in 1966, and was only used for the first season episode "Not Yet, He Ain't". (Picture from: HDForums) |
The second character to wield the
Batcycle was
Batgirl, the alter ego of
Barbara Gordon. She promptly modified her motorcycle with bat-themed accents and spotlights for tracking tire marks left by vehicles. Additionally, she added an extra seat to the motorbike, often used by
Robin during their joint endeavors.
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The second Batcycle version built based on the 1966 Catalina 250 with a detachable self-propelled side car, and was produced by Kustomotive, designed by Tom Daniel, and built by Dan Dempski, Richard 'Korky' Korkes. (Picture from: 1966Batmobile) |
While, in the comic book universe, the
Batcycle is a customized street-bike equipped with a
786 cc liquid-cooled V-4 engine. This vehicle boasts a computer-controlled carburetor and a bulletproof wind-guard.
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