Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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Larry A.
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Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Larry A. »

Hello Fellow Citizens.
I was discussing the Batgirl "pilot" the other day and the question came up; what type of motorcycle was used for Batgirl's "ride" in the pilot? Does anyone have any ideas, please?

Thanks in advance and... Cheers
Larry
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Ben Bentley
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Ben Bentley »

To my understanding, Larry, it certainly looks like the pilot used the same type of Yamaha YSC1. I have the paperwork and contract pertaining to the agreement for the actual S3 bike from May 1967, but in the initial correspondence, the model is not mentioned specifically. The story goes that the pilot cycle was only ever intended to be temporarily modified and then returned immediately after the presentation reel was wrapped.
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A. Pennyworth
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by A. Pennyworth »

Since the series Batgirlcycle was a Yahama, a quick search for Yahama and I came across this model, a YA6 125 Santa Barbara. Not much to compare but if you look at the headlamp and its top gauge, the gas tank with the black insert orientation, the front rim, the handlebar brakes, to me they look the same.

I don't think it was a YSC1 because of it's gas tank black insert, the orientation is wrong for the pilot Batgirl cycle.

I'm not a motorcycle expert so I could be wrong.
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antman67
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by antman67 »

I saw someone online recreated it too and did a beautiful job "batgirlcycle" from Ed
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I'm a fan of Batman 1966 and other Batman movies too
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A. Pennyworth
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by A. Pennyworth »

antman67, Yes someone recently recreated a 1:1 TV Batgirl-cyle, but we are talking about the version that was seen in the unseen/never aired Batgirl pilot where Batgirl is wearing the down pointing eye mask, different bike, different look.
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Ben Bentley
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Ben Bentley »

A. Pennyworth wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:32 am Since the series Batgirlcycle was a Yahama, a quick search for Yahama and I came across this model, a YA6 125 Santa Barbara. Not much to compare but if you look at the headlamp and its top gauge, the gas tank with the black insert orientation, the front rim, the handlebar brakes, to me they look the same.

I don't think it was a YSC1 because of it's gas tank black insert, the orientation is wrong for the pilot Batgirl cycle.

I'm not a motorcycle expert so I could be wrong.
Great observations AP. I'm a motorcycle rider, but these bikes are long before my era of knowledge.

Hmmmmm, a deeper dive is required!

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Larry A.
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Larry A. »

Thanks, Guys, I appreciate Your help and I look forward to what You all find! Whichever "bike" was used, it seems, imho, that the pilot motorcycle was based on the one in the "Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl". Not that a lot was shown in the comic. I am thinking, based on Pennyworth's work, that the pilot bike might well have been the YA 6 125 Santa Barbara model of bike.
Larry
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Keith Mayo
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Keith Mayo »

"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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Ben Bentley
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Ben Bentley »

Thanks for sharing Keith. That's actually the same site that I grabbed the image I posted from. I really dig that someone went to the effort to write about the Pilot BG bike but as for the content of the blurb itself - quite a bit of it is speculation or patchy assumptions that have already been clarified by the Dozier/Fitzsimons paperwork on the bike. Heck, even the model of the series used Yamaha is incorrect in the article.

I do really appreciate the writer adding the updates from a reader on 01/07/2021 because those insights are indeed based on the correspondence like the example I posted above. Still, loosey-goosey stuff like the idea that there was five Batmobiles used during the production of the show is the kind of half-truth that was long disproved over at 1966batmobile.com but that gets regurgitated all over the web thanks to IMDB trivia pages and articles like this one.

Below is the part definitely worth reading as this is based on the letters and invoices that we have access to from Dozier's archive:
https://www.66batmania.com/bios/vehicles/batgirl-cycle/ wrote: ** UPDATE 07/01/2021 **

I have had a e-mail come through to me from a person using the initials ‘TM’ who has given me a fascinating insight into the history behind the backstory regarding the Batgirl Cycle & ties up some of the loose ends I have mentioned above.

TM explains; “Regarding the Batgirlcycle, I knew Richard Korkes (one of the partners of Kustomotive) and have documents from 20th Century Fox regarding the motorcycle. Yamaha provided a motorcycle of undesignated model to Kustomotive in late 1966 to modify for the Batgirl film. As of January 24, 1967, Fox, Greenway, and Kustomotive entered an agreement acknowledging the $500.00 payment to Kustomotive, and promising an additional $800 to Kustomotive if the Batgirl character and the cycle was used in the television series. Fox and Greenway also agreed to pay $50 per week in rent, up to a combined maximum payment to Kustomotive of $1,800 in connection with the television show. On May 25, 1967, Yamaha sold Greenway a red YCS1, engine no. 4436 for a total of $431.60. It was registered to 20th Century Fox (according to the invoice sent to Charles Fitzsimmons). Yamaha also sent him a letter on May 25, 1967 offering to buy back the motorcycle for $374.00 at any time in the following 18 months. In early 1968, when props from the series were being returned, Yamaha expressed its desire to receive the motorcycle in built-out condition so that it could exhibit it at car shows and the like. National Periodical Publications favored this option, but wanted to have more control over royalties and use of the Batgirlcycle. Fitzsimmons argued that Yamaha’s exhibitions would provide needed exposure for future syndication.”
But back to identifying the pilot bike itself...
A. Pennyworth wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 9:32 am Since the series Batgirlcycle was a Yahama, a quick search for Yahama and I came across this model, a YA6 125 Santa Barbara. Not much to compare but if you look at the headlamp and its top gauge, the gas tank with the black insert orientation, the front rim, the handlebar brakes, to me they look the same.

I don't think it was a YSC1 because of it's gas tank black insert, the orientation is wrong for the pilot Batgirl cycle.

I'm not a motorcycle expert so I could be wrong.
I've spent a little time on it now and like you said AP, there's not a ton of exposed base-bike to compare beyond the observations that you already made, but what I did notice (that rules out my idea that it was also a YSC1 like the series bike) is that the tail-pipe on the pilot bike is not visible from the left-hand side, implying that it's a single pipe like would be found on smaller single cylinder engine, e.g. the 125cc YA6 that you identified. The longer that I look at Yvonne on the Pilot bike the more it feels like the bike is physically smaller than the series used YSC1. Her knees are sitting higher and even with the cape blowing, there does not seem to be the same amount of remaining seat behind her in the pillion portion of the seat?

(Click to enlarge)
BGcycle-Tailpipe.jpg
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Larry A.
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by Larry A. »

This just keeps getting better and more interesting. I've learned more about cycles here than I had before.
I agree that the pilot bike looks smaller than the series bike and, while not looking cheap, the pilot bike looks like it was cheaper to make than the series bike. The front pieces look to be metal as do the rear pieces. Now, if We could just find a back view of the pilot bike. If and when We do find one, I think that it'll show that the real cowling is, indeed, made of metal as well. I am definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes. Cheers!
Larry
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Re: Batgirl Pilot motorcycle

Post by FLOYDLEWIS »

My modeled version of the Batgirl cycle for what it's worth.
https://skfb.ly/oq9Rz
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