Not to be confused with Flame Flyer or Flame Rider.
Flame Runner
Bowser Bike
Bowser's Flame Runner
Bowser on the Flame Runner
Size class Large
Strong stats Speed, Weight, Drift, Mini-Turbo
Average stats None
Weak stats Acceleration, Handling, Off-Road
Appears in Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (trophy cameo)

The Flame Runner (known as the Bowser Bike in the British English version) is a large Drift/Mini-Turbo type inside drifting bike which appears in Mario Kart Wii. As the British English name suggests, the bike resembles Bowser; the coloring of the bike even mirrors Bowser himself. Its general shape also resembles a naked bike, specifically an Aprilia Tuono. The emblem is located on the sides of the bike. No other vehicles in Mario Kart Wii bear physical resemblances to its playable characters. The Japanese name of the bike, Super Bowser, uses Bowser's English name instead of using his Japanese name of Koopa. This was later used with the DLC Bone Rattler from Mario Kart 8.

The kart counterpart for this bike is the Flame Flyer. Its medium, small, and group counterparts are the Mach Bike, Bullet Bike, and Shooting Star respectively.

HistoryEdit

Mario Kart WiiEdit

The Flame Runner has great speed with good weight, drifting and mini-turbo. It is the third lightest large bike in the game, but it is also the second heaviest inside drifting bike in the game, only being lighter than the Spear. Its speed is tied with the Blue Falcon, and it is the third fastest bike in the game, behind the Sneakster and the Spear. It is moderately heavy, having its weight tied with the Standard Bike L. However, the bike suffers from the worst acceleration among all bikes in the game, and its handling and off-road (tied with the Sprinter) are also rather low.

The Flame Runner is one of seven vehicles in Mario Kart Wii to go through a design change other than a color swap; the others being the Booster Seat, Bit Bike, Wario Bike, Shooting Star, Spear, and Phantom. In this case, Bowser's and Dry Bowser's Flame Runners have their exhaust pipes positioned lower, and Rosalina's and the female Mii’s Flame Runners feature shorter handlebars.

 
Dry Bowser using his Flame Runner on GBA Bowser Castle 3

If Bowser rides the Flame Runner, its speed will become that of the Sneakster and Flame Flyer, its weight will become that of the Flame Flyer, Standard Kart L, and Wario Bike, and its drift will become that of the Classic Dragster. Similarly, if Funky Kong rides the Flame Runner, its speed will become that of the Sprinter, and its off-road will become that of the Wild Wing, Blue Falcon, Honeycoupe, and Sneakster. If Waluigi rides the Flame Runner, its acceleration will become that of the Spear and Mach Bike, and its drift will become that of the Honeycoupe.

On the Flame Runner, the color changes on the front wheel well and back wheel, the bike's body, and the exhaust pipe.

Character Color scheme Image Character Color scheme Image
Wario Purple well, back rim, head, and top, yellow underside, green front rim, gold exhaust pipes   Waluigi Dark blue well, back rim, head, and top, purple underside and front rim, silver exhaust pipes  
Donkey Kong Chestnut well and back rim, brown underside, lime green front rim, head, and top, gold exhaust pipes   Bowser Red well and back rim, yellow underside, green head and top, orange front rim, gold exhaust pipes  
King Boo Black well, back rim, underside, and head, white top, magenta-red front rim, silver exhaust pipes   Rosalina Blue well and back rim, gray underside, silver head, turquoise top and front rim, silver exhaust pipes  
Funky Kong Maroon well and back rim, light tan underside, blue head and top, amber front rim, gold exhaust pipes   Dry Bowser Brown well and back rim, gray underside, silver head, tan top, light brown front rim, silver exhaust pipes  
Male Mii Gold well and back rim, light tan underside and front rim, brown head, yellow top, silver exhaust pipes   Female Mii Pink well, top, and back rim, light tan underside and front rim, light pink head, gold exhaust pipes  

Profiles and statisticsEdit

Mario Kart WiiEdit

Speed: 60/80
Weight: 54/80
Acceleration: 18/80
Handling: 24/80
Drift: 51/80
Off-Road: 21/80
Mini-Turbo: 51/80
Vehicle type:
Hang-on

Super Smash Bros. for Wii UEdit

Trophy
Bowser + Flame Runner (American English) / Bowser + Bowser Bike (British English)
 
Game(s): Super Smash Bros. for Wii U only
Category: Series Related
( ) Appears in:
Wii Mario Kart Wii (04/2008)
( ) Trophy Box: 10: Super Mario Kart
How to unlock:
Random
Now THIS is a monster of a bike! It was obviously designed with Bowser in mind, since they both weigh a ton and both have trouble accelerating. Once you get up to top speed, though, these two really come into their own! Incidentally, Bowser is known as Koopa in Japan, but the Japanese name for this bike is Super Bowser. How rare. (American English)
Now THIS is a monster of a bike! It was clearly designed with Bowser in mind, but since they both weigh a ton, they might have trouble accelerating. Once they get to top speed, though, they're a practically unstoppable team! Incidentally, although Bowser is known as Koopa in Japan, this bike still uses his English name there. (British English)

GalleryEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning
Japanese スーパーバウザー
Sūpā Bauzā
Super Bowser

French (NOA) Moto Flammes
Flame Bike
French (NOE) Bécane Bowser
Bowser Bike
German Bowser-Bike
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Italian Moto Bowser
Bowser Bike
Korean 쿠파라이더
Kupa Raideo
Bowser Rider

Spanish Moto de Bowser
Bowser's Bike