In the roaring skies of Top Gun, we all know Maverick’s jet—a sleek F-14 Tomcat, roaring with afterburners and leaving contrails of adrenaline. But when it comes to the ground, there’s another machine just as iconic.
Enter the motorcycle. It’s as much a part of Maverick’s character as his aviator shades and leather jacket, and it steals the scene whenever it makes an appearance. The question on everyone’s mind is: what motorcycle is in Top Gun?
The Original Top Gun (1986) – Kawasaki GPZ900R
For a generation of Top Gun fans, the motorcycle that Tom Cruise rides as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is none other than the Kawasaki GPZ900R, also known as the Kawasaki Ninja 900. In the mid-1980s, this bike was a rocket ship on two wheels. The GPZ900R wasn’t just a pretty face—it had the performance to back up the swagger, much like Maverick himself.
Kawasaki introduced the GPZ900R in 1984, and it quickly became a legend in the motorcycling world. This was the first bike to crack the 150 mph barrier, a number that sounds tame by today’s standards but was mind-bending back then. Under the hood, or rather between your legs, was a 908cc, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder engine that put out a then-impressive 115 horsepower. Combine that with a feather-light weight of around 500 pounds, and you had a recipe for speed and thrills. The GPZ900R didn’t just go fast in a straight line—it handled well too. It was nimble, sharp, and responsive, making it the perfect machine for a pilot who lived his life at full throttle.
In the film, Maverick rides the Ninja with reckless abandon—no helmet, of course, because rules are for other people. He speeds alongside jets taking off, tearing through the runway like a kid who’s just been handed the keys to the candy store. The bike symbolizes everything Maverick is: bold, fast, a little dangerous, and always pushing the limits.
But let’s not pretend the GPZ900R was just set dressing. It was a cultural icon in its own right, and Kawasaki couldn’t have asked for better product placement. The Ninja 900 became a poster bike, plastered on the walls of teenage bedrooms, right next to images of Tom Cruise himself. And for those who saw Top Gun and caught the motorcycle bug, the GPZ900R was the dream machine—the bike that could make anyone feel like Maverick, if only for a moment.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – Kawasaki Ninja H2
Flash forward to 2022, and Maverick is back, older but no less rebellious. And while the jets have gotten faster, so has the bike. In Top Gun: Maverick, the bike of choice is the Kawasaki Ninja H2. If the GPZ900R was a fast horse in 1986, the H2 is a hyper-rocket in 2022.
The Ninja H2 is a supercharged beast, and there’s no better way to put it. With a 998cc inline-four engine, it cranks out a jaw-dropping 228 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful production motorcycles ever built. This isn’t just a bike that goes fast—it’s a missile on wheels, capable of leaving behind most other vehicles in a haze of horsepower and heat.
But what makes the H2 stand out isn’t just its brute force. Kawasaki engineered it with an aerodynamic body, sharp angles, and futuristic styling. The bike looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie—sleek, dark, and menacing. It’s the perfect fit for Maverick, who, like the H2, has only gotten more intense with age.
In the movie, the Ninja H2 isn’t just a piece of eye candy, either. It serves the same purpose as the GPZ900R did in 1986—it’s an extension of Maverick’s character, a symbol of his need for speed and his refusal to be grounded. When you see him leaning into the turns, throttle wide open, you can almost feel the wind in your own face. It’s more than just a motorcycle—it’s freedom.
The Connection
What ties the GPZ900R and Ninja H2 together is more than just Kawasaki’s logo. They both represent different eras of motorcycle engineering—what was considered cutting-edge in 1986 compared to the futuristic, mind-bending technology of today. Yet, in both cases, they share that unmistakable quality of rebellion, speed, and coolness that defines both Maverick and the Top Gun movies.
If the GPZ900R was the original Maverick—bold, a little raw, and unpredictable—then the Ninja H2 is the seasoned, matured version, with refined aggression but still every bit the maverick. It’s a bike that’s not for the faint of heart, much like the man who rides it. Whether you’re a fan of the old-school grit of the GPZ900R or the futuristic fury of the H2, one thing is clear: Kawasaki has cemented itself as the motorcycle of Top Gun, forever entwined with the legend of Maverick.
