As the days grow shorter and Halloween approaches, the conversation in the workshop inevitably turns to scary movies and spooky scenarios. This year, one question kept coming up: if the dead walk the earth and civilization crumbles, what motorcycle are you picking to survive the zombie apocalypse? It’s more than just a fun thought experiment; it’s a test of a machine’s ultimate utility, reliability, and versatility when the stakes are higher than ever.
The idea of the motorcycle as the ultimate bug-out vehicle is well-established. For eleven seasons, we watched Daryl Dixon navigate the walker-infested landscape of The Walking Dead on two wheels, proving that a bike’s ability to slip through gridlocked highways and traverse broken terrain is a massive tactical advantage. But what makes for the perfect apocalyptic machine?
After much debate, we landed on a few core principles. For us, the first consideration is the nature of the threat: are we dealing with the slow, shuffling hordes from Night of the Living Dead, or the terrifyingly fast sprinters from World War Z? The ideal bike must be versatile, capable of handling whatever remains of our roads and the wild country in between. It needs to be reliable, because a breakdown in the wrong place is a death sentence. It must also have the ability to carry essential gear—whether it’s supplies, weapons, or a fellow survivor. With that in mind, here are six motorcycles we’d happily trust to get us through the end of the world.
FOR THE PROVEN SURVIVALIST: DARYL DIXON’S HONDA NIGHTHAWK
If a machine has been battle-tested for years in the heart of the apocalypse, it earns the top spot. Built by the inimitable John Ryland at Classified Moto for the Walking Dead, this bike started life as a bulletproof 1992 Honda CB750 Nighthawk. The Nighthawk’s air-cooled inline-four is legendarily reliable and low-maintenance, providing a solid foundation for a survival machine. Classified Moto elevated this dependable platform into a true survival tool by focusing on practical, real-world upgrades.
The stock front end was swapped for a modern, inverted unit from a Yamaha YZF-R6, providing vastly superior suspension and braking for navigating treacherous terrain. Knobby Kenda Big Block tires offer grip on both broken tarmac and dirt, while Progressive Suspension 970 piggyback shocks handle the rear.
The custom-fabricated rack is designed to securely hold Daryl Dixon’s signature crossbow, proving its ability to carry unconventional cargo. It’s a perfectly balanced machine that proves you don’t need a specialized adventure bike to get the job done—just a reliable Japanese four-cylinder and a whole lot of ingenuity. [MORE]
FOR FAST ZOMBIES: GASOLINE’S KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE R
When the undead are sprinting, you need speed and capability in equal measure. We’re taking the keys to this monstrous KTM built by Gasoline Motor Co. They took a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R. A performance powerhouse, spec’d with a 160 hp engine, and stripped it of all superfluous bodywork; it’s a take on the legendary 950 Super Enduro. The result is a top-spec weapon for outrunning the fastest infected.
The stock bike already boasts long-travel WP suspension and Brembo brakes, but Gasoline’s modifications make it even more formidable. By replacing the bulky factory plastics with a lightweight carbon fiber fuel tank and a minimalist custom subframe, they’ve created a machine that is lighter and more aggressive.
The builders themselves described its sound as a “Dakar bike on steroids,” and its purpose is singular: to be the fastest and most capable off-road machine on the planet. When escape is the only option, this is the bike you want. [MORE]
FOR THE BUDDY SYSTEM: REVIVAL’S DUCATI ST4 SIDECAR
You don’t leave a man behind—a principle that’s hard to follow on a motorcycle, unless you have this gloriously unhinged creation from Revival Cycles. The Austin shop took a 1999 Ducati ST4 sport-tourer and turned it into what is likely the world’s first Ducati sidecarcross bike. This rig enables the unique ability to carry a second person for defense, or to haul a significant amount of extra supplies without compromising mobility, making it a force multiplier in any survival scenario.
Powered by the legendary 107 hp Desmodromic L-twin from the 916, this machine has the power to haul its extra weight with ease. This isn’t just a chair bolted to a street bike; Revival built a custom chromoly sidecar with its own long-travel suspension.
The bike uses beefed-up WP forks up front and a custom Öhlins shock in the back, with knobby Metzeler Karoo 3 tires on all three wheels. It’s an obnoxious, audacious, and utterly brilliant solution for surviving the apocalypse with a friend. [MORE]
FOR THE LONG HAUL: THE YAMAHA TW200
In an apocalypse, the most complex machine is often the first to fail. That’s where the Yamaha TW200 shines. This bike is the cockroach of the motorcycle world; it’s simple, tough, and has been in production almost unchanged since 1987.
Its 196cc air-cooled, carbureted single-cylinder engine is dead simple to work on with basic tools, and with a claimed 78 miles per gallon, its fuel-sipping nature is a critical asset when gasoline is scarce.
The TW200’s true genius, however, lies in its iconic fat balloon tires. They provide incredible traction and flotation on sand, mud, and rubble, allowing this two-wheeled mountain goat to tackle terrain that would stop more powerful bikes in their tracks. It’s not fast, with a top speed around 70 mph, but it will always get you where you are going. As a stock bike and long production run, you may also, with a bit of luck, find another one to cannibalize for spare parts when things go wrong. [MORE]
FOR WHEN THE ROAD ENDS: THE ROKON TRAIL-BREAKER
When the last remnants of asphalt have crumbled and the wilderness reclaims the earth, there is the Rokon. This is not a motorcycle in the traditional sense; it’s a utilitarian tool that trades speed for unstoppable capability. Powered by a simple 7 hp Kohler engine with a top speed of just 35 mph, you won’t be outrunning much. But with a Rokon, you won’t have to.
The Rokon’s biggest asset is its full-time two-wheel-drive system, which allows it to claw its way up a 60% grade and traverse terrain no other bike can touch. Its large, hollow aluminum drum wheels can be filled with 2.5 gallons of extra fuel or water, or left empty to allow the bike to float on its side across rivers. It’s a slow, steady, and methodical crawler that is the very definition of function over form. When every other vehicle has been abandoned, the Rokon will still be chugging along, taking you deep into the places where the dead can’t follow. [MORE]
FOR ALL-TERRAIN DOMINANCE: CLASSIFIED MOTO’S HONDA XR650L
What do you get when you combine Honda’s legendary reliability with the insane all-terrain footprint of a Yamaha Big Wheel? You get this beast from Classified Moto. Starting with the famously durable Honda XR650L dual-sport, John Ryland and his team grafted on the massive swingarm and fat-tired running gear from a Yamaha ‘Big Wheel,’ creating the ultimate do-anything, go-anywhere survival bike that refuses to take itself too seriously.
This build offers the best of all worlds: a powerful and notoriously reliable 650cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine, long-travel Progressive Suspension to soak up anything in its path, and those enormous balloon tires that sling sand, snow, and mud with equal disdain. It has the power to get out of its own way and the durability to survive years of abuse, all while offering a level of all-terrain capability. It’s the kind of machine that doesn’t just survive the apocalypse—it has fun doing it. [MORE]
So, what’s the takeaway from our workshop debate? It’s that there’s no single right answer, only the right tool for your particular doomsday. Your choice of machine is a function of your survival strategy—be it high-speed evasion, unstoppable crawling, or simply bringing a friend along for the ride.
Whether you’re dodging sprinters on the open road or picking your way through a horde of walkers, the right motorcycle is more than just transport; it’s the key to seeing another sunrise. Choose wisely, and Happy Halloween.
