Obi Wan Loves His Bikes – And You Should, Too
It’s been a minute since Ewan MacGregor’s role as a Jedi Master in the Star Wars franchise catapulted the star to new heights of success. With his current net worth sitting pretty around $50 million, the celebrity can afford to relax into one of his first hobbies – as we know from his role riding Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire One for “Long Way Up” (a hit currently featured on Apple TV Plus).
Suffice it to say that the man is a fan of two-wheeled beauties, so let’s take a gander at 10 of the very best of what’s currently sitting in his garage – according to HotCars, anyways.
(Hint – he really, really appears to love Moto Guzzi…)
BMW R1150GS
“McGregor and Boorman approached BMW to supply the bikes for the [“Long Way Round”] trip, and they were each given the amazing R1150GS model. It features a 1,130cc horizontally opposed flat-twin engine and shaft drive, and the trip took them three months, covering a distance of 22,345 miles.”
1952 BSA Bantam D1
“Produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) from 1948 to 1963, the Bantam D1 is the original Bantam model, and it features a 125cc mill with a top speed of 45 mph.”
“Generally, the Bantam motorcycle was quite a successful model, with about 250,000 to 500,000 units sold from 1948 when it was introduced through to 1971 when its production ended.”
1974 Moto Guzzi Eldorado Police Bike
“Considered the bestselling Moto Guzzi motorcycle ever, the Eldorado was originally designed in consultation with the Los Angeles Police Department Traffic Division. Subsequently, other police departments, including the California Highway Patrol also adopted the awesome motorcycle.”
1956 Sunbeam S7
“McGregor acquired the 1956 S7 ‘de luxe’ model, and over 5,500 units of the motorcycle were produced from 1949 till the production ended in 1956. Notably, the S7 de luxe model was available either in a mist green or black finish, and McGregor’s S7 was finished in the former.”
2000 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport
“The 2000 model was the maiden Moto Guzzi V11 Sport model, and McGregor had one as well. The V11 Sport is some sort of reintroduction of Moto Guzzi’s iconic V7 Sport, adopting the vintage model’s sporting tradition.”
“For power, the V11 Sport adopted the 1100 Sport, a classic 90 degrees forward-facing, air-cooled V-twin with an output of 91 horsepower. The motorcycle uses the beam type frame, the shock absorber is a Sachs or a White Power, while the inverted fork is from Marzocchi.”
BMW R1200GS Adventure
“McGregor owns a BMW R1200GS Adventure courtesy of the 2007, second edition of the highly successful “Long Way Up” TV series he did with Boorman. The motorcycle was supplied again by BMW and the trip took them from John O’Groats to Cape Town.”
1972 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport
“It’s only appropriate that McGregor has the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport among his fleet of amazing motorcycles. Considered as the world’s first production café racer, the V7 Sport is based on the V7 roadster.”
“McGregor owns a 1972 model of V7 Sport, and it is powered by a 748cc air-cooled V-twin with an output of about 70 horsepower.”
Harley-Davidson LiveWire
“In 2019, for the third edition of his long motorcycle trips around the world with his friend Boorman, McGregor switched to an electric motorcycle. The duo did the trip, which took them from the southern tip of Argentina to Los Angeles on Harley-Davidson LiveWires.”
“[The LiveWire] is powered by a liquid-cooled longitudinally-mounted three-phase induction electric motor with a claimed output of 105 horsepower and a maximum speed of 95 mph.”
Indian Larry Chopper
“Combining sculpting, painting, and mechanics, Indian Larry, a motorcycle builder and stunt rider, fabricated some of the most iconic choppers ever seen back in the day. Larry was famous in the 1990s and early 2000s for championing the re-emergence of the 1960s stripped-down, tall handlebar, foot clutched, small gas tank, stock rake choppers.”
“He was part of the crew at Psycho Cycles, and he opened Gasoline Alley in Brooklyn with some friends. McGregor is a big fan of Larry, and an Indian Larry Chopper is one of the most expensive motorcycles in his collection.”
2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans Tenni
“McGregor also has a 2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans Tenni. The model was introduced in 2001 as the brand’s first semi-streamlined motorcycle. The 2002 model shares pedigrees with the original Guzzi 850 and 1000 Le Mans’ bikes that dominated endurance racing back in the 1980s.”
“Named after Omobono Tenni, the first non-Brit to win the Isle of Man TT, Moto Guzzi Le Mans Tenni was produced in limited numbers, with just 170 units manufactured all through its production reign that ended in 2003.”
Let us know what you think of this list in the comments – we love hearing from you.
Be sure to also check out other recent newsies from our archives, and as always – stay safe on the twisties.
Dude seems to love his Moto Guzzis no?
Hello W,
We most definitely agree.
Cheers and thanks for stopping by,
Amanda
He loves his Guzzis? Certainly.
The first time I came across him, was in an article in on of the Pommie mags – I think it was Bike. He had, at the time, a Guzzi – I think a V7., as featured above.
It was well before his TV / Movie debut, that I think was in 93 – the article was out sometime in the early / mid eighties.
The article was not about (just) him, I think it was along the lines of struggling motorcycling ‘people’, not necessarily actors. So, he’s not just an actor who got into motorcycling when he had ‘means’ to indulge his interests.
I read one time that his favorite ride was a Guzzi Breva 1100, years later I bought an 06. It is a great do it all street bike that is still my favorite of the 27 bikes i’ve owned. He seems to be a “real” rider that happens to be film star.