Motorcycles have always been about freedom: freedom from the shackles of gravity, wind resistance, distance, and time. Conceived in the nineteenth century, the motorcycle was born into a world where the fastest way a human could travel alone was on the back of another living creature. On a motorcycle, there is just the rider and a bare-boned power plant blaring in violent combustion, streaking down a dusty road with only the redolent scents of burning petroleum and the wind on one’s face.

There’s an undeniable fascination with motorcycles: Their speed, design, legendary riders, and coolness factor are all part of the magnetism. Motorcycles: The Impossible Collection is a compendium of the 100 most exceptional bikes of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, from the rare to the renowned. Some of these brilliant machines include the 1948 Vincent Series Rapide on which Rollie Free shattered the land speed record, wearing just a swimsuit; the iconic 1969 Easy Rider bike that Peter Fonda made famous; and the 1973 Harley-Davidson XR750, Evel Knievel’s bike of choice. New additions for this updated edition include the 2003 Dodge Tomahawk, 2007 Shinya Kimura Spike, and 2008 Bat Pod from The Dark Knight Rises.