Evel Knievel

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 5:30 pm

Legendary motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel died Friday

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 5:49 pm

I worshiped Evil K as a kid. The dude was a true hell raiser. I wish I still had my stunt set:

http://www.iamspencer.com/wp-content/up ... iltoys.jpg

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 6:37 pm

Bummer. When I was about 8 or 9, my buddy had the entire stunt set. I remember launching the Evel cycle over the ramps, simulating his Caesar's Palace fountain jump. My buddy also got the Snake River Canyon rocket set, and we simulated that, too.

Fun, fun times.

I still remember watching the Snake River Canyon jump go so wrong and thinking Evel was dead right then and there, even after the parachute popped from the back of the rocket.

A Knievel jump was an event that made everyone stop and notice because it was a true event, not the slickly packaged, over-hyped crap that passes as an "event" today. A Knievel jump in the 70s was a lot like an Ali fight: The world stopped to watch.

I just heard a stat in MSNBC's video report about his death that reflects Knievel's cultural reach: Fifty percent of the U.S. viewing audience watched his attempted jump of Snake River Canyon. Nothing gets those kind of numbers now, not even the Super Bowl.

Bummer. RIP.

Take care,
PK

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:07 pm

pk500 wrote:A Knievel jump was an event that made everyone stop and notice because it was a true event, not the slickly packaged, over-hyped crap that passes as an "event" today. A Knievel jump in the 70s was a lot like an Ali fight: The world stopped to watch.Take care,
PK

Re-watching that video on you tube you felt like the media were journalists there. They were there to report on the jump. Now the media are the ones that would have created Evil, a stunt like that and promoted it on the Nightly News in order to get ratings.

They've gone from reports events to wanting to be apart of the event. It was amazing to see the differences in a sensational part of Americana.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:21 pm

LOVED Evel, just like you guys, as a kid. Had the stunt set (asked for one for Christmas this year, matter of fact, as they've re-released 'em...and I'm 37!), and watched his stunts, read little books about him, all that. It's funny that he hasn't been around in years, but I'll really miss him...

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:52 pm

Don't forget that Evel sponsored a car in the 1977 Indy 500, driven by veteran Gary Bettenhausen. The color schemes on the car and Gary B's suit looked just like Evel's bike and leathers. It was b*tchin'!

For more details:

http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.co ... y_id=10258

Oh, yeah: You might recognize the byline of the schmuck who wrote the story.

Take care,
PK

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:25 pm

The real lesson here is stay the F--- away from Kanye West. People are dropping like flies around him!

http://news.bostonherald.com/track/star ... id=1047722

Click the link. It's worth it for the picture alone.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 8:35 pm

Must be a generational thing. I was too young to ever watch his stunts live, and I just never 'got it' with Knievel. Everything about the guy always struck me as really cheesy, and more like a walking parody. RIP.

Leadfoot5 · Post by **Leadfoot5** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:11 pm

pk500 wrote:Don't forget that Evel sponsored a car in the 1977 Indy 500, driven by veteran Gary Bettenhausen. The color schemes on the car and Gary B's suit looked just like Evel's bike and leathers. It was b*tchin'!

That is the coolest Indy car I've ever seen. Any idea if I could get my hands on a toy replica/model/etc?

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:51 pm

R.I.P Evel Knevel.

When I was 8 yrs old he was the biggest thing going...

My father took me to see the EK movie....yuck...

I remember the Snake River jump...Was an event.

I didnt have the toys

..but most of my friends did

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:53 pm

Leadfoot5 wrote:That is the coolest Indy car I've ever seen. Any idea if I could get my hands on a toy replica/model/etc?

Lead:

I don't believe so. Check the diecast replicas at the IMS Online Store.

store.indianapolismotorspeedway.com

I just checked EWA Cars, too. Nothing. Sorry.

Take care,
PK

icvu42 · Post by **icvu42** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:18 pm

Throw me into the group that had an Evel Knievel toy as a kid.

ESPN Classic ran a two hour show of his jumps one time and I was just glued to the set again.

RIP

Blublub · Post by **Blublub** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:59 am

I had the toys too, at least the pull-cord motorcycle and jumps. Always coveted that Snake River jump set...

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:55 am

Evil and the Harlem Globetrotters were the only reason I watched Wide World of Sports when I was a kid. His events were classic. They were bigger than life.

As a kid my brothers and I had so much fun with his toys.
We went through so many sets. The gears in those bikes didn't last long. We would crank that handle on the launcher to get that bad boy humping. My dad banned us from playing with it on the wooden floors in our house because of the skid marks the bike would leave on the floor at take off.The action figure was rubber. We could contort it to look like Evil after a crash.

My best and last jump with my toy Evil was a classic. I wanted to do my own Wimbley Stadium jump. I turned mom's coffee table longways and constructed a ramp Evil himself would be proud of. After many failed attempts to get him off the ramp straight I finally succeeded. My toy Evil sailed over that table and then the sofa. The bike crashed through the living room window and hit my Uncle Gene who was having a beer with my father on the front porch. The action figure stayed on the bike. Success!!!!! I got my ass whipped, but scored points with my brothers.

I got to meet Evil when he paid Walter Reed a visit a few years ago. He was very cool. He lived up to everything I thought he was as a child. I am sorry to hear of his passing.

Blublub · Post by **Blublub** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:18 am

JackDog wrote:Evil and the Harlem Globetrotters were the only reason I watched Wide World of Sports when I was a kid. His events were classic. They were bigger than life.

Exactly. Wow, what a wave of nostalgia. Evel had been like Steve Martin's letter Q - the thing furthest on the back of my mind for all these years, but now that I think about it he was my hero, and just about every other ten-year-old boy's back then.

JD is right, it was a crank-powered motorcycle. I was also constantly in trouble for leaving tire marks on the floor. I still remember the action figure - you could contort him to replicate all sorts of Evel injuries as well as pop off his little helmet with really spectacular crashes. If I remember correctly he had this little thin plastic cape that never would stay on quite right during jumps.

I can imagine he was a real @#$%^ in real life, but a hugely influential chunk of my childhood. I hold him personally responsible for the six-inch scar on the inside of my leg, the result of a botched cinder-block and plank jump with my three-speed with the banana seat.

His passing is as if Bigfoot was definitively proved to be a hoax or sharks became extinct. RIP indeed.

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:28 am

I loved that Indycar. My Dad was a Bettenhausen fan and I loved Evel Knievel. It seems like there was a replica car available at that time, but so far my searches have turned up nothing.

JackDog wrote:My best and last jump with my toy Evil was a classic. I wanted to do my own Wimbley Stadium jump. I turned mom's coffee table longways and constructed a ramp Evil himself would be proud of. After many failed attempts to get him off the ramp straight I finally succeeded. My toy Evil sailed over that table and then the sofa. The bike crashed through the living room window and hit my Uncle Gene who was having a beer with my father on the front porch. The action figure stayed on the bike. Success!!!!! I got my ass whipped, but scored points with my brothers.

That is an awesome story! I had the stunt cycle and we jumped it off our roof. We also attempted several ramp jumps in our neighborhood on our chopper bikes trying to be daredevils. Interesting info on the Evel wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evel_Knievel

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:16 pm

Blublub wrote:
JackDog wrote:Evil and the Harlem Globetrotters were the only reason I watched Wide World of Sports when I was a kid. His events were classic. They were bigger than life.
Exactly. Wow, what a wave of nostalgia. Evel had been like Steve Martin's letter Q - the thing furthest on the back of my mind for all these years, but now that I think about it he was my hero, and just about every other ten-year-old boy's back then.

JD is right, it was a crank-powered motorcycle. I was also constantly in trouble for leaving tire marks on the floor. I still remember the action figure - you could contort him to replicate all sorts of Evel injuries as well as pop off his little helmet with really spectacular crashes. If I remember correctly he had this little thin plastic cape that never would stay on quite right during jumps.

I can imagine he was a real @#$%^ in real life, but a hugely influential chunk of my childhood. I hold him personally responsible for the six-inch scar on the inside of my leg, the result of a botched cinder-block and plank jump with my three-speed with the banana seat.

His passing is as if Bigfoot was definitively proved to be a hoax or sharks became extinct. RIP indeed.

The cape never stayed on.

I have a scar over my left eye from a 5 speed banana seat jump. I tried to jump 2 trash cans. The plank was so steep it took away my momentum and I nosedived into the cans. My nuts took a beating as well.

My brother Tom made it over 3 cans and was a least 4 feet in the air. He came down on his front tire and flipped breaking his collarbone. He was a God to me.

My dad didn't like Evil then. Thinking about what we all did trying to emulate him,I understand.

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:18 pm

DChaps wrote:I loved that Indycar. My Dad was a Bettenhausen fan and I loved Evel Knievel. It seems like there was a replica car available at that time, but so far my searches have turned up nothing.

That is an awesome story! I had the stunt cycle and we jumped it off our roof. We also attempted several ramp jumps in our neighborhood on our chopper bikes trying to be daredevils. Interesting info on the Evel wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evel_Knievel

That car looked great!! The stunt cycle was the best toy ever made.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:37 pm

Naples39 wrote:Must be a generational thing. I was too young to ever watch his stunts live, and I just never 'got it' with Knievel. Everything about the guy always struck me as really cheesy, and more like a walking parody. RIP.

Naples:

Understood, if you didn't grow up in the 60s and 70s like some of us here.

But take it from this 42-year-old: There was NOTHING cheesy about Evel Knievel. He was a living, talking, walking (depending on his broken bones) legend and hero to nearly every guy in my age group. He was the ultimate man's man, a superhero that really existed.

I think all of the reminiscing by guys here just illustrates how large this guy loomed in our childhood. He was a Power Ranger, Transformer, Marvel Comic Action Hero and GI Joe all wrapped into one, and he was REAL. He was so cool, too, very much in the vein of Steve McQueen.

It's sad that it takes the death of the man to make me realize what an impact he had on my childhood, but the memories that have flooded back in the last 18 hours have been so pleasant, so cool. From the action figures and toys, to building jumps in my driveway and jumping Tonka trucks on my bike, thinking I was Evel Knievel. Every kid in my neighborhood was doing that in the early 70s.

There are very few people who are larger-than-life legends, cultural icons. Evel Knievel definitely fits that description. There never will be another like him.

Take care,
PK

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:02 pm

Yeah, Evel was second only to Walter Payton when it comes to childhood idols of mine. I still have a 4-bike set of Evel Knievel made by Ideal. If I get a chance I'll take some pics of it and post them.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:48 pm

Evel was Johnny Cash on a motorcycle going 90 mph 50 feet off the ground. He was a hard-drinking, hard-loving showman.

His stunt bike set gave me countless hours of enjoyment and countless scraped knuckles because the crank turned so close to the ground. I used to launch it off our second floor landing, trying to get it to leap all the stairs in a single bound, but instead resulting in the bike flipping in ways that would have left the real Evel headless.

Snake River is still one of the craziest f***in things anyone has ever attempted.

JD, that story about going through the window with the cycle is priceless. Evel would have been proud.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:32 pm

Brando70 wrote:Snake River is still one of the craziest f***in things anyone has ever attempted.

No doubt. Makes David Blaine's "stunts" look like parlor tricks at a dilettante's tea party.

I watched the Snake River jump on YouTube this morning with my kids. They thought it was bad-ass. The legend of Evel lives on!

Take care,
PK

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:38 pm

I loved Evel when I was a kid.

Whenever he was on Wide World of Sports it was an event. I had all the toys. My favorite was a carrying case with miniature bikes, etc. When the case was opened it became a sort of motorcross to play with the bikes. Man, those were the days! He may have been the coolest guy ever.

R.I.P.

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:55 pm

Links with pictures of the Stunt Set.

http://www.firebox.com/product/1430
http://www.doyouremember.co.uk/memory.php?memID=2106
http://www.feelingretro.com/toys/Boy-To ... -cycle.php

I want one!!

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:42 pm

pk500 wrote:It's sad that it takes the death of the man to make me realize what an impact he had on my childhood, but the memories that have flooded back in the last 18 hours have been so pleasant, so cool. From the action figures and toys, to building jumps in my driveway and jumping Tonka trucks on my bike, thinking I was Evel Knievel. Every kid in my neighborhood was doing that in the early 70s.

Exactly! I am having the same experience today, remembering kids from my old neighborhood who I had not thought of for some time. Similar to JD's story, the oldest boy of our next door neighbor was going to attempt the trash can jump as well, and added his two younger brothers lying on the ground at the end of the jump. There was actually a lot of hype for a couple of days about the jump but it never happened as the younger brothers finally realized it was not in their best interests.

Anyway, I completely forgot about this until today. We spent hours playing Atari Stunt Cycle trying to be virtual Evel's. I remember once my Dad and I staying up well past my normal bedtime because we were on a roll trying to set a new record. Limited in scope, but a damn fun game for its time.