Beautiful, cinematic and often so death defying that you wonder how the film makers were ever able to get motorcycle insurance in the first place, bikes can provide some spectacular movie scenes and have been the backbone to some of the biggest cinema classics of all time. But which movies have served up some brilliant two-wheeled moments that stick in the memory the longest? Here are just a few:

Raising Arizona – The Lone Biker of the Apocalypse

Who can forget the haunting image of The Lone Biker of the Apocalypse as he raced through a tortured Nicolas Cage’s dreams – long before he was given “all the powers of hell” and a flaming low-rider with which to use them. Exploding bunny rabbits, lizard homicide and miles and miles of rolling desert countryside make this a scene that’s as memorable as the cinematic oddity that is this 1987 Cohen Bros classic.

Every Which Way but Loose – Right Turn Clyde

While this movie had one of the most famous actors in the world in its lead role back in 1978, it wasn’t enough to have him upstaged by everything else around him. Sure, Clint Eastwood is great as the grizzled street fighter Filo Bedo, but this is the show of his orang-utan sidekick Clyde and the hapless hells angels they both face out on the road. With the gang all lined up and ready to take down Bedo at a traffic light, all it takes is one phrase directed at the ape to see them all fall like dominoes – though it’s pretty unlikely these useless criminals had a scooter insurance policy anyway. “Right turn Clyde.”

Mad Max – Goose Gets Goosed

In terms of sheer cinematic beauty, there are few motorbike sequences in film that are as deftly handled as the moment in Mad Max where Goose’s KZ1000 Kwaka is takes an unexpected detour off the road. What makes this scene so incredible is not only do you get a real sense of the wonderful, scorched Australian landscape, you also see just how hard these bikes and cars were ridden in this movie in service of us lucky viewers.

Terminator 2 – You Could Be Mine

Back when Terminator movies were directed by James Cameron, it wasn’t too difficult to give the audience a thrill – but the second film in the series serves up some of the best two-wheeled action you’ll see anywhere. Chased by the seemingly unstoppable force that is the T-1000, John Connor makes good his getaway only for a few blocks before he needs to be saved by the shotgun-toting T-800 charged to protect him at all costs. From the incredible effects and stunt work to Brad Fiedel’s pounding score, it’s a real moment of movie motorcycle zen.

So yeah, there are some pretty large omissions from the list – there’s no mention of Easy Rider or Quadrophenia for example – but are there any individual scenes you think are better than the above? If so, let us know in the comments!