Motor cycle used in Harry Potter movie makes appearance in Liverpool

The motor bike and sidecar used in a dramatic chase in one of the Harry Potter movies is to go on display Monday at the Museum of Liverpool.

It will be a homecoming for the famous motor cycle with magical powers. Part of a dramatic chase in the blockbuster movie was filmed in the road tunnel under the River Mersey linking Liverpool with neighboring Birkenhead on the opposite bank.

The bike belonged to Harry Potter's loyal friend, the giant Hagrid, gamekeeper at the Hogwarts school, played in the movies by British actor Robbie Coltrane.

The machine will be on display at the museum until June 9.

In the film Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part 1, the quirky motor cycle combination which was originally owned by Harry's godfather Sirius Black, has a starring role. Its big moment comes in a hair-raising scene as Harry, played by the actor Daniel Radcliffe, and Hagrid embark on a dangerous and dramatic chase through an underground road tunnel, which was actually filmed in the Liverpool tunnel.

The poster for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 features in the museum's popular exhibition Reel Stories: Liverpool and the Silver Screen (on display until September 2017), a celebration of Liverpool's starring role in films from the past 60 years through original film posters and memorabilia.

Museum urban history curator Paul Gallagher said: "We are delighted to be able to show Hagrid's bike during the run of our Reel Stories exhibition which examines Liverpool's remarkable ability to be a backdrop for filmmakers."

"We hope the motor cycle will be a hit with Harry Potter fans and film buffs."

For the technically minded, the actual bike is a Royal Enfield, Bullet 500 with a 499cc petrol engine. It was registered in 2009 and modified for the film in the same year, including having a sidecar fitted.

The bike is on loan to the Museum of Liverpool from the Warner Bros. Studios, makers of the Harry Potter films. Endit