Evel Knievel: Remembering the motorcycle stunt legend

Ceasar's Palace jump - The 'Evil Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils' show debuted in January 1966. In December 1967 he attempted to jump the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas (pictured). He crashed, suffering a crushed pelvis and femur, fractures to his hip, wrist, and both ankles, and a concussion.

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Snake River Canyon jump - On September 8, 1974 Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. But rather than ride a motorbike, he'd make the daring leap in the Skycycle X-2.

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Snake River Canyon jump - The Skycycle X-2 was a steam-powered rocket. On launch, the parachute deployed prematurely, causing the stunt to fail.

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Snake River Canyon jump - While the X-2 cleared the canyon, strong winds blew man and machine off course. The rocket crashed at the bottom of the canyon. Knievel survived with cuts and bruises but was able to greet crowds (pictured) after crawling from the wreckage.

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Snake River Canyon jump - Following the failed jump, the designers blamed Knievel for the failure and vice versa. Ultimately, it was ruled that a design fault was the cause of the mishap.

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Snake River Canyon jump - Evel Knievel Knievel's Skycycle X-2 and canvas jumpsuit on display at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Wembley jump - Another famous stunt was the attempt to jump 13 buses at Wembley Stadium in London in May, 1975.

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Wembley jump - Again, the jump failed. The fearless stuntman broke his pelvis in the crash, but was able to walk off the Wembley pitch.

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Wembley jump - Refusing a stretcher, Knievel, in obvious shock, announced his retirement to a stunned audience of 90,000.

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King's island jump - Just four months after the Wembley spill, Knievel decided his retirement was premature and promptly organized another stunt. This time he successfully jumped 14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Shark jump - Inspired by the film 'Jaws' (1975), the daredevil's next two-wheel showpiece was to jump a tank full of live sharks. But during rehearsal he lost control of his machine and broke both arms, hitting a cameraman in the process.

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Crashing out - The footage of the crash was so upsetting for Knievel that he didn't release the clip for 19 years, until the TV documentary 'Absolute Evel: The Evel Knievel Story' (2005).

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Celebrity status - Evel Knievel retired from major performances in 1977. But he was still to be found mingling in celebrity circles. He is pictured here with country music star Glen Campbell.

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Fashion icon - Always a snappy dresser, Knievel made a point of dressing well and spent a lot of money on clothes. It was all part of his marketing his own image.

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The legend continues - In retirement, Knievel was able to help launch the career of his son, Robbie. In fact, he would officially finish his daredevil career by touring with his son as an official "companion."

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Controversy - The former motorcycle daredevil enters the Sunnyvale Municipal Court with his girlfriend Krystal Kennedy before pleading not guilty to weapons charges in October, 1995.

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A man of many bikes - Evel Knievel rode many bikes throughout his career. His early preferences included a Norton 750cc and this 1970 Triumph T100c.

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Unique owner - The personalized plate on the 1970 Triumph T100c.

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Harley-Davidson - In December 1970, the stunt supremo switched to the Harley-Davidson XR-750, the motorcycle with which he is best known for jumping. Several of his Harley's are now exhibited in museums across the USA. This one is displayed in the Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum, in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

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Evel Knievel XR-750 - An Evel Knievel XR-750 suspended in air as if jumping, at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Two-wheel treasure - Another one of Knievel's XR-750s on proud display at the Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson Museum.

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Winner - The retired motorcycle stuntman wins a Pioneer Award at the ESPN Action Sports and Music Awards at the former Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California.

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The Thunderbolt - Who better than to promote the Thunderbolt Harley-Davidson?

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Public appearances - Knievel would often be seen riding modern Harley-Davidson motorcycles at his public appearances.

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The last ride - On October 9, 2005, Knievel promoted his last public "motorcycle ride" at the Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership in October, 2005.

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Marketing the image - Throughout his retirement, the former stuntman happily marketed his image by promoting all-American motorbike attire at conventions and through his own personal appearance.

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Beginning of the end - In one of his last public appearances, the former motorcycle daredevil watches a biker dressed as the Phoenix Suns mascot jump miniature cars during a timeout of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers NBA game in Phoenix, Arizona in 2005.

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Iconic - Besides bikes, Knievel was known for his sensational leather jumpsuits. His image is preserved for posterity at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Portrayal in film -

Knievel has been the subject of five different films: 'Evel Knievel' (1971), 'Viva Knievel!' (1977), 'Evel Knievel' (2004), 'I Am Evel Knievel' (2014), 'Being Evel' (2015), and 'Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel' (2007).

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Evel Knievel: Remembering the motorcycle stunt legend

The daredevil supremo is still missed and admired

11/10/19 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Evel knievel

Evel Knievel was one of the world's greatest motorcycle stunt performers. Celebrated for a series of highly publicized ramp-to-ramp motorbike jumps, his risky lifestyle and flirtation with danger endeared him to a public eager for thrills, spills, and over-the-top showmanship.

Regarded by many as the father of extreme sports, the seemingly indestructible daredevil managed to walk away from numerous and spectacular crashes. Eventually however, his health declined and Knievel passed away in November, 2007 aged 69.

Browse the gallery for an appreciation of the life and career of a stunt legend.