GTA Motorcycles in Real Life: The Real Bikes

Yes, GTA’s motorcycles really are based on real machines. But you’ll never come across a badged Ducati or Harley in the game: Rockstar invents its own manufacturers, which parody the real ones, and often melts several bikes into one. Here are the most solid matches, from the Hayabusa to the comedy scooter, and what’s hiding behind the saga’s most iconic motorcycles.

Why there are no real bike brands in GTA

It’s exactly the same story as the real cars behind GTA’s vehicles: a matter of rights as much as common sense. Licenses are expensive, and no manufacturer wants to see its bike stolen at a red light, wrapped around a pole or used to lose the cops, which is, after all, a big part of GTA. By creating fictional brands like Shitzu, Pegassi or Western, Rockstar gives itself a double freedom: caricaturing motorcycle culture its own way, and abusing the machines without answering to anyone. The result: every two-wheeler is a collage of several real models, never a perfect copy.

The sportbikes: Bati, Hakuchou and PCJ-600

This is the most readable ground, and the most ridden. The Pegassi Bati 801 is the game’s Italian superbike, modeled on the Ducati 848, with a few touches of its bigger sister the 1098 and its beefier lines. The Shitzu PCJ-600, meanwhile, is everyone’s first bike in GTA: this entry-level roadster draws on the Honda CB600F Hornet, the approachable sportbike par excellence.

But the star is the Shitzu Hakuchou, the stand-in for the Suzuki Hayabusa, that faired hyper-sportbike built for top speed. The nod is gorgeous: Hakuchou means swan in Japanese, echoing the name Hayabusa, which means peregrine falcon, the fastest bird in a dive. Suzuki chose that name because the falcon hunts blackbirds, a direct jab at the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird it was aiming to dethrone in the late 1990s. Rockstar took the homage as far as borrowing a few of that Honda’s traits to draw the Hakuchou.

The American customs: Western plays the Harley

A complete change of mood with Western Motorcycle Company, GTA’s Harley-Davidson. It’s the brand of chromed choppers and cruisers, long forks and high bars, with borrowings from Indian, Victory and West Coast Choppers. The Western Bagger thus channels a Harley-Davidson Touring Road Glide Custom, while the Daemon, Nightblade and Sovereign work the big American twin in every variant, from the old-school chopper to the patriotic cruiser.

That motorcycle-club culture got its own update: GTA Online: Bikers, rolled out on October 4, 2016. It brought motorcycle clubs (MCs) to Los Santos and Blaine County, with clubhouses, illegal businesses and a fleet of new two-wheelers, from choppers to quads to sportbikes.

Off-road and scooters: from the Sanchez to the Faggio

Off the tarmac, the king is still the Maibatsu Sanchez, the saga’s motocross bike since San Andreas. Its silhouette borrows from the Japanese benchmarks of the genre, between the Honda CRF450X, the Yamaha YZ450F and the Kawasaki KX450F, the winning trio of modern motocross. At the complete opposite end, the Pegassi Faggio is the game’s Piaggio Vespa: slow, noisy, but unkillable, it’s the comedy two-wheeler you love to hate, around since GTA’s 3D era.

More of a deep cut, the Nagasaki Shotaro is a lovely bit of geek homage: this futuristic GTA Online bike channels Kaneda’s machine from the animated film Akira (1988), right down to its name, Shotaro being the hero’s first name. Same logic for the Dinka Vindicator, modeled on the Honda NM4, itself designed as a nod to that Akira bike. The circle is complete.

GTA’s two-wheeler brands decoded

Once you have the key in mind, the whole lineup becomes clear. Shitzu is the game’s Suzuki, with the Hakuchou and the PCJ-600. Pegassi doubles its Lamborghini hat with a Ducati side for the sportbikes, like the Bati. Dinka is the Honda of two-wheelers, from the Akuma to the Double-T. Western embodies Harley-Davidson and American choppers, Nagasaki leans toward Kawasaki and off-road, and Maibatsu covers Japanese motocross. Spotting the fictional brand is still the fastest way to guess the real model, exactly like with the cars.

And across the rest of the saga

This logic holds for the entire GTA universe, from the cars to the settings: we saw it with the real cities behind GTA’s maps, from Vice City inspired by Miami to Los Santos modeled on Los Angeles. If you’d rather find out which machine is the quickest, our ranking of the fastest car in GTA 5 settles the question. And for what’s next, Rockstar is bringing back its in-house manufacturers: you’ll find Shitzu, Pegassi and the rest back in the saddle in GTA 6, with an even deeper vehicle lineup in Leonida.

FAQ

What is the real bike behind the Hakuchou in GTA 5?

The Shitzu Hakuchou draws above all on the Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R, the faired hyper-sportbike that reigns over top speed. The nod runs deep: Hakuchou means swan in Japanese, an echo of the name Hayabusa, which means peregrine falcon, the fastest bird in a dive. Suzuki picked that name precisely because the falcon hunts blackbirds, aiming squarely at the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird it was out to dethrone. A few cues from that Honda actually show up on the Hakuchou too.

Why doesn't GTA use real motorcycle brands?

For the same reason as the cars: expensive licenses and reluctant manufacturers. No maker wants to see its bike stolen, slammed into a wall or used to outrun the cops, which pretty much sums up daily life in a GTA. Inventing brands like Shitzu, Pegassi or Western also gives Rockstar the freedom to caricature motorcycle culture and wreck everything without answering to anyone.

Which real brand is hiding behind Western in GTA?

Western Motorcycle Company is the game's Harley-Davidson. The maker builds choppers and cruisers with a distinctly American look, borrowing from other brands like Indian, Victory and West Coast Choppers. It's the central brand of the 2016 GTA Online: Bikers update, which brought motorcycle clubs to Los Santos and Blaine County.

Which real scooter is GTA's Faggio?

The Pegassi Faggio is GTA's take on the Piaggio Vespa, the iconic Italian scooter. Around since the saga's 3D era, it's the comedy two-wheeler par excellence: slow, noisy, but unkillable. Its name is the kind of juvenile pun typical of Rockstar's humor, and it remains one of the most recognizable vehicles in the game despite its deliberately ridiculous performance.