Dark Rider was originally a standard issue motorcycle used by the military group G.U.N. (Guardian Unit of Nations). It only gained the name "Dark Rider" after Shadow modified it so that he could compete in the All-Stars Grand Prix!
Much about it is still unclear, and every appearance it has had since its debut has been in some way non-canon or non-linear with the current series timeline.
The Dark Rider frequently changes appearances between games.
In Shadow the Hedgehog, it debuted as a cruiser-style black-painted G.U.N. military bike. It is relatively bare for a bike; lacking a windshield, a front fender, and only having one exhaust pipe on its right side. Its front wheel has a small metal guard pointing forwards, and its much bulkier back wheel has a small, decorative arrow-shaped metal fixture on it branded with a red Sega logo. One of its most noticeable features is the G.U.N. logo printed on its fuel tank. This design bears a striking resemblance to the recent (at the time) 2003 Harley Davidson XL1200 Custom Anniversary Edition.
Its next appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) radically altered its appearance, making it much longer in the process. It has a pair of exhaust pipes; one on each side. These are nested under large, white machine guns. Its seat has become longer, and has red trimmings. Similarly, its alloy wheels are now painted red. The front wheel has a black fender. Despite Shadow now working for G.U.N., the organisation's logo is no longer present on the fuel tank.
The bike reappeared with its Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) design in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, albeit with some minor design updates. The machine guns are diminished, and nestle more inconspicously into the vehicle's design. Extra detailing has also been added to the seat, and all metallic elements appear slightly darker than the usual silvery-metal. The fuel tank is now decorated with the Black Arms symbol; a change that persists into every reappearance of the bike. This exact design would be re-used for Sonic Speed Simulator.
Shadow Generations features the bike in the Collection Room, where it appears close to its debut appearance, albeit with darker metal elements (resembling key promotional art for Shadow the Hedgehog), and the Black Arms insignia from its Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing redesign. It also features a front fender and the symmetrical dual exhaust pipes from its later redesigns.
Game appearances
Shadow the Hedgehog
The Dark Rider first appears in Shadow the Hedgehog as an unnamed vehicle. It is shown in the game's intro, where Shadow uses it to smash into a Black Arms soldier, blowing it up in the process. It can be found and ridden in Lethal Highway.
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the Dark Rider reappears. Here, it can be used in Radical Train and Aquatic Base. It also appears in Shadow's seventh Town Mission, "Motorcycle License Test". It has been completely redesigned, is now armed with machine guns, and its speed can be increased using an ability called the Boost Dash. Unlike in Shadow the Hedgehog, the Dark Rider is needed on certain missions to advance as it allows Shadow to travel faster.
In gameplay, the Dark Rider is harder to steer. While it is faster than the Buggy and can jump higher from Ramps, the Dark Rider has weaker armor. Additionally, should the rounds for its machine guns empty, it will reload in seconds. If the Dark Rider rams at into a wall at full speed, it will overturn and cannot be flipped back unless the player gets jumps off of it and back on again. When its Health Gauge is critical its engine starts to smoke, and when it empties, the vehicle will explode (without harming the player).
To board or dismount the Dark Rider, the player can press /. Pressing / makes it reverse/brake, pressing / twice triggers a Boost Dash, and / fires its machine gun.
Shadow Generations
In Shadow Generations, the Dark Rider appears in the Collection Room under "Shadow's History". Shadow can get on it and a menu will appear with dedicated bios to the mainline games he appeared in.
In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the Dark Rider appears as Shadow's vehicle. Its appearance is identical to that in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), but it lacks its machine guns. Instead of the GUN insignia, it has the Black Arms insignia on its fuel tank. Due to being a bike-type vehicle, Shadow can perform a wheelie with it for faster acceleration than normal at the cost of handling control. It has the following statistics:
Speed
Acceleration
Handling
Turbo-Boost
5/10
9/10
9/10
6/10
Sonic Speed Simulator
Within Sonic Speed Simulator, the Dark Rider appears as a ridable mount named "Dark Rider Motorbike". It can be unlocked by completing all five tasks during the "Dark Rider Event". Once unlocked, the Dark Rider can be used by any of the playable characters within the game, though Shadow is the only character who is designed to properly fit within the bike. The Dark Rider has an in-game rarity of "Legendary".
Another Dark Rider is used by Shadow when facing him in the Radical Highway Drag Race.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Dark Rider debuted in Sonic Universe #23. In its debut, Amy asked why Shadow had the bike, since he could run as fast as Sonic, and he explained that all G.U.N. agents must be issued with a vehicle. Rouge pointed out that he did not need it, but customized and maintains it himself, to which he admitted that he "really like[s] that bike." Shadow sometimes works on the bike when he is stressed out.
Currently, all merchandise of the Dark Rider uses its design from Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. The Dark Rider was first made into a toy for the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing 3" scale action figure series by Jazwares, coming with a Shadow figure with hands especially molded so that they could wrap around the handlebars of the bike, thus keeping him on it. A miniature version was also made by Jazwares. The Dark Rider was made into a radio-controlled toy with a working headlight by NKOK. A miniature pullback toy of the Dark Rider was made by Gacha/Tomy. In 2024, a Lego minifigure-scale version of the Dark Rider was included with set 76995, which also debuts the Lego Shadow minifigure.
/
. Pressing 
/
makes it reverse/brake, pressing 
/
twice triggers a Boost Dash, and 
/
fires its machine gun.
