A motorcycle or motorbike is a two-wheeled motor vehicle.
History[]
Motorbikes were utilized by both Allied and Central forces during the Great War. Military couriers relaying important documents and orders frequently used bikes to traverse dangerous environments, such as battlefields. Belgian Corporal Indiana Jones used a motorbike to deliver messages during the battle of Verdun in late 1916. However, when he was given a message to order Allied troops to advance, knowing that the Germans intended to employ the use of Big Berthas in the conflict, Jones blew up his bike, using the message itself as the fuse in order to delay the command getting through to the front line.[1]
T.E. Lawrence perished in a motorcycle accident in 1935.[2]
BMW R75 motorcycles were employed by German forces during the '30s, and up to the final days of World War II. These bikes were part of the Wehrmacht contingent deployed in 1936 to Tanis, Egypt, tasked with excavating the Ark of the Covenant and bringing it back to Berlin under the direct orders of Adolf Hitler. A gunner's motorbike, fitted with a sidecar was part of the convoy tasked with bringing the lost Ark back to the airport in Cairo, where it would be flown straight to Germany. The plan was enacted following the destruction of the Flying Wing at the hands of Dr. Jones.[3]
An R75 with a sidecar was instrumental in the Joneses' escape from Castle Brunwald in 1938. Upon hearing of the getaway, Colonel Ernst Vogel sent out some of his men on motorcycles, armed with MP40s, to chase down and and capture the Americans, a move that ultimately failed. The bike was used during further adventures in Berlin, up until Indy and his father's flight from the country.[4]
In 1944 during Jones's escape from a German occupied French Castle the archaeologist leaped from a German Staff Car onto a Motorbike & Sidecar leading to a fierce battle on the small piece of equipment with the driver and gunner. Jones ended up gaining control and ramming the sidecar section into a tree, violently uncoupling it and irradiating the threat of the remaining soldier. Jones then used the Motorbike to gain and board on the fast-moving Nazi Loot Train, ditching the equipment in the end.[5]
By 1957, Mutt Williams was a skilled motorcycle mechanic, who owned a reliable Harley-Davidson that he deeply admired. Used as a getaway vehicle while in pursuit of KGB agents, Williams took the bike with him on the flight bound for Nazca, Peru. He regrettably, was forced to abandon his ride upon being captured by Soviet soldiers on the trail of the fabled city of Akator.[6]
Appearances[]
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Verdun, September 1916" → Demons of Deception
- Field of Death
- The Day of Destiny
- Verdun, September 1916 comic
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade novel
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade comic
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade junior novel
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull novel
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull junior novel
- "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comic
- Meet Mutt
- Indiana Jones: The Search For Buried Treasure
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Non-canonical appearance)
- LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
- Indiana Jones and the Lands of Adventure
- Indiana Jones Deluxe Action Figures
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
- "The Thrill of the Chase!" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 4
- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Annual 2009
- Grail Diary (prop replica)