Passing of an Icon: Evel Knievel

[fjrchooser]

Who'd a thought..sorry guys , just heard...

 

[fjrchooser]

MR.Twisty,

Right on dude !

Thanks I feel better, seriously...

 

[SockMonkey]

Wow.That brings back memories. Evel Knievel. The Seventies.

Time rolls on

Oh now that was just mean... How can you sully the memory of Evel so??

THIS is the Evel Knieval that I'll always remember:

 

[fjrchooser]

Sorry , that was pieces of a duplicate thread started by me but a bit late. Not all of it made it here by whatever means this site uses to update dups. comes out lamer than my posts average mean score.

My respects to Evil and family. I think your Dad was a bit nutz but still the cats ***. Biggest rocks I ever observed althought thankly from afar. Kudos and Godspeed Evil !

Chooser

 

[madmike2]

While different genre......

There was only ONE Elvis...and there was only ONE Evel.

He was a great promoter and entertainer who was in the right place at the right time, and we needed a hero then. The "little man" who could.

RIP, Evel.

Condolences to the family.

 

[FJamR]

When I was a little kid I remember watching him on tv and being so intrigued with it all. Breaking all those bones and still comes back to do it again. He was one nutz man and I think deserves some respect. They call Mike Metzger "the Godfather", but to me the title belongs to Evel. RIP Evel.

 

[juniorfjr]

Before he started jumping, he used to race flat tracks out in the west. A friend of mine has movies of his older brother racing in Moses Lake in the late 60's against Knievel. He wasn't an outstanding racer, so he carved out a niche for himself. Whatever it took to make a buck. Always loved to watch his "flights" RIP

 

[snowmonkey]

While different genre......
There was only ONE Elvis...and there was only ONE Evel.

I have to agree with that. Both are great American legends.

 

[dcarver]

I liked him! Never saw a live jump, but the cojones, the showmanship, the essence of Evel.. His ability to flip the bird at those who opposed him, and his balls for jumping POS bikes across incredible distances make him an icon.

Now don't get me wrong - he ain't no TurboDave!

 

[stormrider]

Such a shame.

back when I was growing up he was the guy everyone wanted to be.

I mentioned to my wife that her died and my sixteen year old asked who he was and if he was ever in a video game.

RIP

 

[mike25]

There was only ONE Elvis...and there was only ONE Evel.

And, they both shopped at the same store.

 

[user 8909]

Amazing he lasted as long as he did ...RIP....https://tinyurl.com/3yuusp

 

[mdisher]

I saw him jump a bunch of busses at Kings Island in the 70's.

I was just a kid and my dad put me up on his shoulders to see. The man had a big pair. He was a hero for the time period. I had the Lunch Box and the toys to match.

I never much cared for some of his later attempts at crazyness. Though the snake river thing was a sham of sorts.

And yes, this is how I'll remember him too:

God Speed Evel...

 

[RacinRay]

After that fiasco and subsequent settlement with Kayna West, I'm wondering if the rapper sent his mom's plastic surgeon after Evil?!?!?

I was waiting for this type of comment.

 

[Scab]

When we were kids, he was the MAN! We didn't have motorcycles, so all our emulation attempts were on bicycles. I think we had more crashes than he did. My very first broken bones came from trying to be Evel. Come to think of it, ALL my broken bones were due to his influence. He was the one that first sparked my interest in motorcycles. For that, thanks, Evel. Aside from the breaks along the way, motorcycles have brought me more enjoyment than any of my other worldly possessions.

R.I.P.

 

[suicideman]

One sick f#@k!. RIP my man. They don't make your mold anymore.

 

[ock913]

my sixteen year old asked who he was and if he was ever in a video game.

And he was .... back before the games of today there was the Evel Knievel pinball machine. It was one of the first with a digital scoring display rather than the rolling analog numbers. There were also a motorcycle jumping game from Atari.

I was a child of the 70's and I was eat up with it. I watched every TV jump, I had the toys, the lunch box, and even an old LP album of interviews. And finally .............. I was a card carrying member of the Evel Knievel fan club.

In that particular time, he was a hero to many. As has been mentioned, the things he did on a bike are not all that impressive today, but consider the bikes he was was doing them on ..... an old Triumph and a Harley Sportster. Ask the X-Gamers to do it on a Sportster and to leave all the technology out of the equation.......just man, machine, balls, and attitude. RIP Evel, you mesmorized millions in your day, take a bow and enjoy your rest.

On a side note, at this past Biketoberfest in Daytona, there was an Evel Knievel display truck with the trailer modified as a rolling showcase. There was one of his Sportsters, the infamous Skycycle, and mannequins of the man in his leather gear. here was also a line of Evel Knievel Custom Bikes. They really were not impressive, cruisers that had red/white/blue paint schemes with his name added to the design.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

<snip>As has been mentioned, the things he did on a bike are not all that impressive today, but consider the bikes he was was doing them on ..... an old Triumph and a Harley Sportster.

And..... an American Eagle (Laverda). My memory was jogged by a recent tv news video clip tribute to Evel (I had pretty much forgotten that ride -- he'd ride just about anything, if the sponsorship was right).

On a side note, at this past Biketoberfest in Daytona, there was an Evel Knievel display truck with the trailer modified as a rolling showcase. There was one of his Sportsters, the infamous Skycycle, and mannequins of the man in his leather gear. here was also a line of Evel Knievel Custom Bikes. They really were not impressive, cruisers that had red/white/blue paint schemes with his name added to the design.

There are a couple Evel Knievel collector/museums -- the biggest, I think, is in Niagra Falls(CA). There's also a guy in Marquette KS with a pretty good collection of Evel Paraphernalia.