Back when Moby Dick was a minnow I was watching TV at my uncle's house with his kids, and there was something on about Evel Knievel. My uncle walked through and commented, "now, there's a real role model for children, instead of all those druggie rock stars."
I remember thinking, "hello? Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll is a lot safer than what that dude does for a living..."
As a kid mad on motor cylces, I loved Evel. I hated when people said: " oh, he`s a stuntman, he meant to fall off "
His son Robbie ( also a legend ) did a lot of Evel`s famous jumps on a modern bike, CR500, some of them he`d let go of the bars as he made the jump.
But, look at what Evel was on! a half ton XR750 flat track bike with next to no suspension. Sometimes he used a Leverda, he did a couple times.
If he NAILED the landing, and I`m talking to with in inches, he was good to go, but, on a modern bike with a foot of travel in the suspension, you `d have a much larger margin of error. Evel had none.
He wore an Elvis - Las Vegas jump suit!!! No real padding or protection.
He lived large, I bet he owned guns, and I`ll miss him.
He was well known for carrying a .38 and not afriad to sick it in your nose, being a very hard drinker, womanizer and being very quick to clubbing a person with the cane he carried.
He was on of my idols as a young`n being "all american" and a home state boy.
He got his scooter chops from outrunning the local police down in Butte MT and would take to the pastures and ditch bottoms to get away from them, the original motocrosser!
I'll miss ol' Evel. In the 70's, we "Southside Boys" grew up watching him, and when we got our own bikes, we tried to emulate him. I learned the Honda CB175 was perfectly balanced for jumping! Far better than my buddy's dirtbikes that kept nosing up.
Thankfully, we finally stopped that nonsense before someone got too seriously hurt.
But, Evel inspired us to get our bikes, and he boosted sales of Harley.
Sidebar: Harley just became the TOP selling MC worldwide, for both total sales and market share. They just edged Honda out of #1 spot! KTM outsells BMW too. I thought that strange.
I don't think we will ever see another MAN like Evel, He truly had no fear. I saw him jump live in Los Angeles and the snke river. I can say that I think I got my moneys worth. He was quite a showman.
Joe-R
I was sad to hear he passed...he was still pretty young, but what did they say he had 60 broken bones...in his lifetime. Poor guy did suffer, but he was a one of a kind thrill seeker. I watched him jump the Palace when was that 69? That is when he really got hurt.....his son is following his legacy...hope he stays well and safe....R.I.P Evil...Lady Di
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