Five of Tom Cruise’s rarest motorcycles article highlights:
- Of the motorcycles Tom Cruise reportedly owns, his custom Vyrus 987 C3 4V is one of the rarest out there
- Tom Cruise also owns some of the rarest production Ducati motorcycles, including a Desmosedici RR and 999R, as well as a Confederate Hellcat
- Although its ownership is more uncertain, Cruise reportedly owns one of the Triumph Bonneville Scramblers built for Mission Impossible III
While Hollywood is no stranger to celebrities with expensive and rare cars, there are plenty of dedicated bikers there, too. Ewan McGregor is a passionate rider, for example, and Keanu Reeves even started a motorcycle company. And few stars surround themselves onscreen and IRL with motorcycles quite like Tom Cruise. But while his garage has some sweet wheels in general, the five bikes described below truly stand out.
Before we begin this list, though, a disclaimer. Sources sometimes conflict over which motorcycles Tom Cruise actually owns or has merely ridden in films. For example, even though he helped cement the Kawasaki Ninja in the public consciousness, it’s unclear if he owns one. And while he’s been photographed sitting on a Honda Valkyrie Rune, there’s no indication that it’s his Rune. So, the list below only covers motorcycles that multiple sources agree are in Cruise’s stable.
Tom Cruise’s Vyrus 987 C3 4V is one of the rarest, most expensive motorcycles out there
Vyrus 987 C3 4V | Vyrus
Now, customized motorcycles are nothing new on the celebrity scene. Jon Bernthal, for example, just got an Indian Chief customized by Carey Hart. However, that’s a regular production bike modified after the fact. One of Tom Cruise’s rarest motorcycles is a bike built around his exact measurements: the Vyrus 987 C3 4V.
A small, boutique Italian company, Vyrus hand-builds one-off bikes that usually feature Ducati powertrains. And much like the finest Italian suits, Vyrus motorcycles are built around their owner’s measurements. But while they’re all expensive and fast, the 987 C3 4V is in a class of its own.
In ‘standard’ form, the Vyrus 987 C3 4V’s 1198cc Ducati V-twin makes 180 bhp. But an optional supercharger bumps that up to 211 bhp. In 2010, that made it the most powerful motorcycle in the world, MCN says. And while the regular version has an aluminum frame, the most extreme 4Vs get carbon-fiber frames. Hence why they only weigh a claimed 340 pounds.
Unfortunately, we don’t know what features Tom Cruise has on his Vyrus motorcycle. But the company offered carbon-ceramic brakes, carbon-fiber bodywork, and either Ohlins TTX suspension or air suspension from Italian firm Double. Plus, electronics like data-logging, traction control, launch control, and multiple riding modes. All 987s, though, have hub-centered steering, a highly unusual bike feature.
Naturally, all that power and speed comes at quite a price: roughly $104K, HotCars reports.
The Ducati Desmosedici RR is MotoGP in street-legal form
2009 Ducati Desmosedici RR | Bonhams
That Vyrus isn’t the only motorcycle Tom Cruise owns with Ducati power. He also keeps several actual Ducatis in his garage. And one of the rarest is his Desmosedici RR.
The Ducati Desmosedici RR is one of the closest things to a road-legal MotoGP race bike. On the road, its 998cc V4 makes 180 hp, which goes to 197 hp with the track-only exhaust and ECU tune. It’s not quite a MotoGP engine, but it does have the race bike’s traction-boosting ‘Twin Pulse’ firing. And thanks to a carbon-fiber frame and body panels as well as magnesium wheels, it only weighs 425 pounds fully fueled. Plus, it has MotoGP-spec Brembo brakes and fully-adjustable Ohlins suspension.
Although it’s not the rarest motorcycle Tom Cruise owns, you won’t see too many Desmosedici RRs on the road. Ducati only made 1500 examples and only sent 300 to the US. Also, they cost $72,500 brand-new and haven’t gotten much cheaper. Bonhams sold one in 2017 for just over $78,000. Though to be fair, an actual MotoGP bike is undoubtedly far more expensive.
Cruise owns another rare Ducati: the 999R
Fill up! Race winning partnerships between #Ducati and #Shell.–@ShellMotorsport #Ducati #999R #RaceWinningFormula–
📷 @chris_mmmmm pic.twitter.com/g0tx5omJcI
— Ducati North America (@DucatiUSA) July 25, 2019
The Desmosedici RR isn’t the only rare Ducati Tom Cruise rides, though. He also owns one of the most desirable versions of the Ducati 999, the 999R.
While the regular 999 is already a genuine early-2000s superbike, the 999R is a true racing homologation special. Firstly, its 999cc V-twin makes more power than the standard version (150 hp by 2005). Secondly, it weighs less than the regular 999, thanks to a magnesium headlight and mirror mounts, aluminum wheels, and a carbon-fiber chain guard and bodywork. Even the 99R’s swingarm is lighter than the standard version.
But that’s not all. The Ducati 999R has a fully-adjustable Ohlins inverted fork and rear monoshock—cutting-edge stuff in the early 2000s. It has an adjustable Ohlins steering damper, too, and Brembo brakes. Plus, like the standard 999, it has a fully-adjustable seat, footpegs, and levers.
Tom Cruise bought one of these motorcycles as a 46th birthday present, and he still regularly rides it, HotCars says. And if you want one for yourself, it’s easier to find than a Desmosedici RR. You can often find them for $10,000-$20,000 these days, though the Xerox-liveried ones carry a premium.
Tom Cruise’s rarest American motorcycle is his Confederate Hellcat
Tom Cruise on his Confederate Hellcat motorcycle | Scott Gries/Getty Images For TFF
Italian bikes aren’t the only motorcycles Tom Cruise collects—he’s into American ones, too. And one of the rarest American motorcycles he owns is a Confederate Hellcat.
Today, Confederate is known as Curtiss Motorcycles and makes custom electric bikes. But from 1995 to 2017, it made custom V-twin sport cruisers, much like Keanu Reeves’ company Arch does today. And based on photos taken at the Mission Impossible III premiere, which Cruise attended riding his Hellcat, it appears his is one of the ‘Gen 2’ models, the F113.
The Confederate F113 Hellcat uses its engine as a stressed member of its hand-welded frame, and what an engine it is! It’s a 2032cc S&S V-twin with 130 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque that shouts through an Inconel exhaust that’s part of the swingarm. And while the F113’s belt drive is conventional, its vertical-stack five-speed manual transmission decidedly isn’t.
Since it’s a custom motorcycle, every Hellcat is unique, and we don’t know what options Tom Cruise has on his. But we do know that fully-adjustable Marzocchi forks and twin Penske rear shocks were standard equipment. And for the weight-obsessed customer, Confederate offered various carbon-fiber components, including a carbon-fiber seat. Little wonder these bikes cost over $60,000 when new.
The custom Mission Impossible III 2005 Triumph Bonneville Scrambler might be the rarest motorcycle Tom Cruise owns
Tom Cruise on the MI3 Triumph Bonneville Scrambler motorcycle | Bonhams
This next Tom Cruise motorcycle comes with a caveat. HotCars claims across multiple articles that Cruise owns it, and AutoEvolution corroborates that. And the nature of this bike lends credibility to those reports. However, AutoEvolution also says Ducati only made 200 999Rs, but that’s only true of the FILA-liveried bikes. Still, this motorcycle is too cool not to discuss.
Although he appeared at the MI3 premiere on his Hellcat, Tom Cruise rode a different motorcycle in the movie. Specifically, he rode a bike that technically didn’t exist at the time: a 2005 Triumph Bonneville Scrambler. While Triumph re-introduced the Bonneville for the 2001 model year, it didn’t make a factory Scrambler until 2006. So, the Scrambler you see in the movie is really a Bonneville customized into a street scrambler.
Or rather, you see one of five Bonnevilles modified for the movie, Bonhams says. Each has an 865cc carbureted parallel-twin as well as a custom exhaust, seat, paint job, and fenders. Plus, knobby off-road tires.
Even though Triumph made five Scramblers for MI3 filming, the crew only used two “in the actual production,” Bonham reports. And Bonham sold one of those two twice, once in 2006 for $29,250 and again in 2012 for $18,156. Some reports allege that this is the one Tom Cruise bought, while others claim he took the other motorcycle home. Regardless, being a one-of-five 2005 Scrambler makes it a truly rare bike.
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Keyword: 5 Coolest and Rarest Motorcycles in Tom Cruise’s Garage