The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's Motorcyle Secrets Revealed
used Classified Moto [to work] on a couple of his bikes, and then they built him a bike. Then he [...]
There are two things synonymous with The Walking Dead's Daryl Dixon, aka Norman Reedus. One is his patented crossbow, and the other is his motorcycle.
Once they got to Alexandria, Reedus was able to customize one, courtesy of Aaron. The bike was originally made for Reedus however by the talented people at Classified Moto, who create custom bikes in Virginia. Yahoo! TV got to speak to prop master John Sanders about the origins of the original bike as well as the other bikes they have on set.
"I believe the original story is that he (Norman Reedus) used Classified Moto [to work] on a couple of his bikes, and then they built him a bike. Then he mentioned them to [showrunner] Scott Gimple and, I think, [executive producer] Tom Luse. Classified started building a bike, which took about four months. It's a fantastic combination of pieces and parts that Scott Gimple, the people from Classified, and Norman himself had input on. It's a real treat of a motorcycle. We love it."
Classified Moto built a second bike as a backup, but the one you see Daryl riding on screen is typically the first bike. They also have a third bike on set, the stunt bike, which was built by Michael Purvis, who handles all the maintenance for the vehicles on set. Reedus' familiarity with motorcycles before the show has allowed him to be in almost every shot when the bike is involved, except of course when stunts are involved. The team added some things like wider tires, a lower frame, and an electric start to help keep him and the bike safe, especially when going offroad.
Sanders also spoke about some of the customizations they made for the character.
"I know the guys from Classified also created a few external parts that went over the actual parts of the motorcycle to keep it fundamentally operational, but still have this cool kind of steampunk, kind of café cruiser, racer style. Everything from the front-end to the covers on the engine to the way the lights are all on the front grill of the bike. Then, of course, the way they mounted the crossbow in the back. And we mounted a bag underneath, that Classified built two feet under the bike, so it would have something like a backpack, a gun-holding kind of extra piece on the bike, so Norman could seem like he had more things with him. We like to do that a lot on the show, have some kind of secret compartment where things can come out, [make] believe things are available to the [characters]."
Seeing Daryl without his bike is just plain weird, and hopefully neither that or his trademark crossbow will be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Walking Dead Season Finale airs this Sunday.
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