Last Sunday, September 1st, Triumph was honored to join the celebrations in Twin Falls, Idaho, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic “Rocket Jump” of Evel KnievelThe event, as it could not be otherwise, started with a motorcycle parade and closed with the musical performance of Krysten Knieveldaughter of Robbie Knievelalong with «The Knievel Daredevil Band«.
Kelly Knievelson of Evelled the parade aboard a Bonneville T120 customized, while the famous stunt pilot Robbie «Maddo» Maddison He accompanied it with a Rocket 3 also personalized, in homage to the Skycycle X-2 Rocketthe machine that was used in the legendary jump. On the other hand, the 6-time champion of the X Games, Colby Rahaalso participated in the parade on the back of a beautiful Triumph Speed 400.
As you can see in the images, the Triumph customized that participated in the event were inspired by the emblematic Bonneville T120-TT “Color Me Lucky”used by Evel Knievel in his famous 43-metre jump over the fountains of Caesar’s Palaceon December 31, 1967. Let us not forget that the landing had its share of problems, causing several fractures. But without a doubt, this feat consecrated him as a legend.
Kelly Knievelson of the legend, commented: «This bike has the same design as the Triumph my dad rode, it looks amazing! He always had a special fondness for his T120, saying it flew ‘straight as a bullet’. Seeing Robbie riding a Rocket with the same custom design is a great way to celebrate this anniversary.«.
Paul Strouddirector of operations of Triumph Motorcyclesadded: “This event was a great celebration of one of Evel Knievel’s most memorable stunts, and we at Triumph are proud to have collaborated with his family and fans to create these unique bikes that led the parade. After his jump at Caesar’s Palace on a T120 TT, Knievel continued to perform stunts on Triumph bikes throughout the 1960s, cementing his place in the hearts of many generations. It’s exciting to see how the new generation of the T120 continues to be part of this tradition.”«.
Evel Knievel and the epic rocket jump
Robert Craig «Evel» Knievel (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an American stuntman and showman, best known for performing more than 75 ramp jumps throughout his career. One of the most memorable moments of his career was his attempt to “rocket jump» over the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, in September 1974.
The idea for this stunt came to me while Knievel was recovering from an accident in the Caesar’s PalaceThe American had planned his most ambitious feat: jumping across the Grand Canyon. However, as he did not obtain the necessary permits, the project was moved to the Snake River, where he was to jump over a canyon more than 152 metres deep and 402 metres wide.
To promote the event, Knievel presented a Triumph Bonneville T120 winged and jet-powered, dubbed “Skycycle«. The aeronautical engineer Doug Malewicki was hired to design a true jet-powered motorcycle, the Skycycle X-1. This Bonneville included a steam engine designed by Robert Truaxa former NASA engineer. Curiously, after a failed test flight, where the X-1 ended up in the river, it was decided to transform it into a rocket by removing the wheels.
Then, on September 8, 1974, Knievel was shot aboard the Skycycle X-2. Although the parachute deployed prematurely, diverting the rocket, Knievel He managed to cross part of the canyon and land a few meters from the river, thus avoiding a possible tragedy.
Despite not completing the jump successfully, like his famous attempt in the Caesar’s Palacethis event consolidated the reputation of KnievelYears later, Eddie Braun would successfully repeat the legendary jump.
