RIDE TO BIKE MOVIE LOCATIONS
You, too, can play at being Steve McQueen, Hilts, Maverick and more once you know exactly how and where…
‘Sadly we weren’t able to recreate the actual jump’
We all, if we’re completely honest, dream about playing at being movie motorcycling heroes such as Tom Cruise’s Maverick aboard his GPZ900R in Top Gun or Steve McQueen on a Triumph in The Great Escape.
But the thing is, to a greater or lesser degree depending on how obsessive you are, you actually can. In its simplest form that could be taking a selfie aboard a replica of The Great Escape bike on the National Motorcycle Museum’s stand at a bike show. Fleeting, admittedly, and slightly foolish, but fun all the same. Or if you want a more real deal you can visit Triumph’s new free-to-enter Visitor Experience at the Hinckley factory to see, among others, the original, restored, McQueen machine. It’s actually a TR6 and not a Bonnie as many assume. Or you might be one of those who’s bought a replica ‘Maverick’ sticker kit and Top Gun jacket (both readily available online) to let you dress up as Tom Cruise. Of course, cruising around Southend or Skeggy on your be-stickered Ninja isn’t quite the same as a sunset in San Diego but that can be fixed, too. While the more committed (or flush) of you can treat yourself, as many have, to, say, an Easy Rider-replica Harley (£15K-up, from Blackpool specialists AR Harley), Metisse McQueen Desert Racer (about £15k, although, strictly speaking, it commemorates McQueen’s Baja racer rather than any movie) or even one of Triumph’s, limitededition (just 1100 built) Bonneville T100 Steve McQueen editions, which came out in 2012 and can still be had on 0-miles at mcnbikesforsale.com for £10k. Which is why, that same year, I found myself on board that exact bike, wearing a repro ‘Hilts’ sweatshirt and Chinos, blasting like a looney around The Very Same Wooden Hut from The Great Escape in southern Bavaria, (where the movie was filmed in 1962) feeling, not just like Steve McQueen but a millions dollars. Seriously. It still ranks as one of my greatest-ever experiences. And why am I so sure it was The Very Same Wooden Hut and
that our recreation was authentic? Because the full story of The Great Escape, like many other films, is today, thanks to the digital age, thoroughly documented online. Full details of its shoot and locations are described at www. thegreatescapelocations.com and iconic spots, such as the hut (near Zell, if you must know), remain virtually unchanged and are found with the help of a map and a few screen grabs from the film. Which is exactly what I did.
It didn’t end there, either. A couple of miles down the road, near Pfronten, lies the bend where Hilts trip-wired the bike in the first place before donning the hapless German’s uniform and firing off towards the Alps. So I, with the help of a fancy dress uniform rented from Leicester (http://costumehire.co.uk for about £60) did the same, even though the turn now has an Armco barrier and I looked more like Benny Hill than The Cooler King.
A few miles further on, in Weissbach, I recreated the classic ‘kicking the German in the chest before riding off’ scene (although, admittedly, the small town is a bit more modern these days, with a Spar and everything, and I certainly didn’t kick any locals). In fact, the whole day was evocative, hilarious and simply hugely entertaining fun. Of course I’m no McQueen but in more than a few moments I convinced myself I was. It was also an absolutely brilliant biking experience with the only regret being my failure to recreate the classic fence jump. Yet, to be honest, I was not at all surprised. Of all TGE locations it was always the most temporary due to the prop barbed wire and guard towers while the exact spot was landscaped soon after. Just as importantly, although an admittedly extravagant trip, it is one that’s achievable to all. Yes, the photographer and I vanned our borrowed Triumph down to the Austrian border in what was a five-day trip all told. But I can easily imagine it being the focus of a great biking holiday for a group of mates. If you’ve done it, we’d love to feature it in the Trip column on the letters page.
Make like Maverick
If The Great Escape isn’t your bag, there are plenty of alternatives: that GPZ scene in Top Gun was outside ‘Charlie’s House’ (Kelly McGillis) at 102 Pacific Street,
‘The GPZ scene was shot at 102 Pacific Street’
Oceanside, just north of San Diego. It’s still there today, albeit a little run down. Why not have a memorable afternoon out if you’re bored of SeaWorld? Find out more at www.locationshub.com.
And then there’s that other Hollywood favourite, Where Eagles Dare. Although, sidecar scenes apart, it is short on bikes, it makes up for with snow and Schmeissers. It was largely filmed at Hohenwerfen castle in Austria with visitor tickets today costing €13 (although there’s no cable car; sadly, that was shot elsewhere). You can rent a bike from nearby Salzburg for the fully immersive experience (go to: www.salzburgburgen.at or www.movielocations.com).
And finally, if all of that sounds too exotic, expensive or daft, you can still explore your biking movie fantasies in dear ol’ Blighty as well. Quadrophenia, that 1978 mods and rockers fest MCN revisited recently, was mostly shot in Brighton and around Shepherd’s Bush. All of the locations, some of which survive unscathed, are here: http://www.movie-locations.com/ movies/q/Quadrophenia.php And there is, of course, that Sheene-era racer-fest, Silver Dream Racer, all David Essex and re-faired Barton square fours. And while a silver repli’-racer or 70s perm may be beyond the realms of possibility, tooling around Donington, Brands, Bovingdon in Hertfordshire or even the Humber Bridge (which all feature (see more here https:// www.reelstreets.com/films/silverdream-racer), on, say, the reborn Katana, should raise a smile.
‘Recreate Quadrophenia in Brighton’