Batpod up for auction: Why Batman’s Honda-powered bike was barely rideable

• Estimate: 450,000 to 900,000 pounds, opening bid 225,000 pounds
• Technology: Honda 750 engine, custom chassis, 31-inch Hoosier racing tyres
• Condition: not road-ready, rolling display piece only

When auction house Propstore calls Lot 35 in London on 4 December, a piece of Batman history goes under the hammer. The Batpod from “The Dark Knight” (2008) and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) is expected to fetch between 450,000 and 900,000 pounds (around 604,000 to 1.21 million US dollars / 539,000 to 1.08 million euros). Bidding opens at 225,000 pounds (around 302,000 US dollars / 270,000 euros). From a motorcycling point of view, the big question is how a machine with a Honda engine and tyres almost 80 centimetres in diameter could ever be ridden through the streets of Gotham. The answer: only with a lot of practice and a stunt rider who had to completely abandon his usual feel for riding.

How is the Batpod built?

The Batpod consists of a purpose-built chassis, a Honda 750 engine and two 31-inch Hoosier racing tyres, roughly 787 millimetres in diameter. On top sits a metallic grey fibreglass body that hides the engine and the steering.

Many components are in unusual places. The radiator and hydraulics are located behind the seat, and the exhaust system is integrated directly into the frame. Braking is done via controls on the left grip and a pedal on the right-hand side. The brakes actually worked. Black foam padding on the body, seat and knee rests was meant to make riding a little more comfortable.

Two cannon barrels made of plastic, resin and fibreglass are mounted at the front, and an illuminated laser targeting unit sits above the right grip. Both are pure film props. At 380 centimetres long, 120 centimetres wide and 107 centimetres high, the Batpod is considerably larger than a normal motorcycle.

It was designed by director Christopher Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley. It was built by Chris Corbould, the production’s special effects supervisor and an Oscar winner for visual effects. He made a total of six examples for “The Dark Knight”. On set, the Batpod was nicknamed “The Beast”.

Why was the Batpod so hard to ride?

The rider lies on his stomach and steers not with a conventional handlebar but with his arms and shoulders. Combined with the extremely wide tyres, this makes the Batpod behave completely differently from a motorcycle.

Nolan wanted to do without computer effects and green screen. So the Batpod really had to be ridden. Corbould explained that his team never really regarded the vehicle as a motorcycle because it handled so differently. Several riders initially struggled just to stay on it.

Propstore founder Stephen Lane also describes the Batpod as difficult, both for the actors simply sitting on it and even more so for the stunt team riding it. He speaks of several incidents in which the Batpod got away from its rider. In one of them, captured on video, the vehicle ploughed into a camera and knocked it over.

In the end, French stunt rider Jean-Pierre Goy took over the riding scenes. To do so, he had to forget practically everything he knew about riding normal motorcycles. According to Corbould, Goy focused entirely on the Batpod’s peculiar handling and did not ride any other motorcycle until filming had wrapped.

Which film scenes feature this Batpod?

This example can be seen in the chase after the Joker in “The Dark Knight”. Propstore can prove this through several distinctive scratches and marks on the right-hand side of the vehicle.

In the scene, Batman escapes from the wrecked Tumbler on the Batpod and continues his pursuit of the Joker. Later he uses it in the failed attempt to rescue Rachel Dawes and in the search for Harvey Dent. In “The Dark Knight Rises”, Batman and Selina Kyle ride the Batpod against Bane and the new League of Shadows. Afterwards, the vehicle became part of the Warner Bros. archive and appeared at numerous promotional events for both films.

According to Lane, it is the only one of the six examples built that Warner Bros. has officially released. A certificate of authenticity from the studio is included.

Three auctions in ten years: a record, no buyer, a new attempt

The Batpod has already been offered twice. On 27 September 2016, Warner Bros. sold it through Propstore. At the time it was listed as the “Hero” Batpod from “The Dark Knight Rises”. Hero vehicles are the particularly detailed examples used for close-ups. The estimate was 60,000 to 80,000 pounds (at today’s exchange rate around 81,000 to 107,000 US dollars / 72,000 to 96,000 euros). In the end, it fetched 312,000 pounds including buyer’s premium, around 419,000 US dollars / 374,000 euros at today’s rate. Guinness World Records still lists this as the highest price ever paid for a Batpod at auction.

In June 2023, it went up for auction again in Los Angeles. This time the estimate was 1 to 2 million US dollars (at today’s rate around 0.9 to 1.8 million euros). It failed to find a buyer.

For the third auction, Propstore has clearly attributed the Batpod to the Joker chase in the first film. The upper estimate is now three times the 2016 price. If it is reached, the Batpod would come close to the most expensive motorcycles ever sold at auction. The record is held by a 1915 Cyclone, which changed hands at Mecum in 2025 for 1.32 million US dollars (around 1.18 million euros).

In what condition is the Batpod being sold?

The Batpod is not sold in running condition; it can only be pushed. All fluids have been drained, and the battery, fuel tank and throttle have been removed.

The years on set and at promotional events have left their mark. The bodywork shows wear, the chassis has light rust, and the left cannon mount was damaged during filming. Overall, Propstore nevertheless rates its condition as very good. A metal display stand is included.

When and where will the Batpod be auctioned?

The Batpod is part of Propstore’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, which runs from 4 to 6 December 2026. Bidding on the Batpod closes on Friday, 4 December. The first lots close from 3 pm UK time, which is 4 pm in Germany.

The first day of the auction takes place at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) building on London’s Piccadilly. Bids can be placed in person there, as well as online, by phone or in writing in advance. Online bidding has been open since 5 November.

Anyone wanting to see the Batpod beforehand can visit an exhibition at the Cumberland Hotel in London. More than 100 items from the auction will be on display there from 19 to 22 November. Alongside the Batpod, other Batman pieces are going under the hammer, including a complete Batsuit worn by Christian Bale in “Batman Begins” (2005) and one worn by Val Kilmer in “Batman Forever” (1995).

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