You're recalling it wrong. He was famous in the 70ss, not the 60s. He never made it onto national TV till 68, which was just an interview. I the 60s he was just a local daredevil. He did not get famous til the early 70s, and by 1975 it was over. They filmed a documentary on his Snake River jump, and when people seen it and seen how bad he treated his employees, it ruined his career. He went from bing rich, famous and one of the most popular celebrities in the country, to basically losing it all over night. In reality, he was really only a big star for around 4 years in the early 70s. He still did jumps after 75, but he was no longer a star. He came at the perfect time. The war was ending, and people were looking for something new, and he filled that void for a few years. When people found out he was just a violent, miserable drunk, they lost interest. He did it to himself. The crazy part is fame was not good to him. If you look at him in 1970, then in 1975, he literally looks like he aged 20 years. The 1975 version looks like he could be the 1970 versions dad. In 1970 he seemed like a witty nice guy, but in 1975 he had been jailed for beating people, including his wife, reporters, and no longer seemed like a nice guy. He is a great example of how fame can ruin people.
@@chrisgullett4332This is all true. But did you know this man's life was changed forever by another MAN who laid down HIS LIFE for him, Willingly? Catch Evel Knievel's testimony of how CHRIST changed his heart and ways of destruction. Amazing story.😊
My cousins and I jumped over my aunts LTD station wagon, back to front. We also took 2 chest type freezers, without the doors, filled the bottoms with broken pop bottles, lined up end to end, and jumped those with our 20" BMX bikes. We were 10 years old!😂😂😂
I know I'll never get a reply, but I was six when this occurred (55 now), and still gives me goosebumps. ABC WW of sports was my babysitter most Saturday's. Between Evel Knievel, Harlem Globetrotters, boxing and watching some guy set himself on fire and jump 50 feet into a swimming pool, I'd say that I'm pretty well-adjusted. It would also explain a lot of other things.
He had one of the greatest lines later in life. He was talking about the 'modern' motocross bikes with their high travel suspension. "If I had a bike like that when I was young, I would have jumped over the moon!"
I met this man and was able to tell him how much I loved him and how inspired I was to ride motorcycles because of him and my mother. God Bless you Evel!! I miss you and I love you!!!
@@Mrbfgraythose brakes were not like today's motorcycle brakes, you tap the rear, you're going down hard and fast at that speed, it's better to ride it out and let centrifugal force wind down some before applying brakes
@@shable1436 Nonsense. A rotating wheel has limited control over entire bike and rider, 2nd it can be revved up again in an instant. Stopping wheel rotation would reduce his continued pitching back and *maybe* begin to pitch him forward slowly. Spooling up the wheel again before landing likely a good idea regardless of approach attitude anyway. He simply lacked the understanding or the skills. Frankly he was more daring than smart in general.
@@maxv3208 Yup, '60's too Sport. ;-) Some of my friends were impressed by him but we were all busy jumping and crashing our own single spd coaster brake bikes. HA! We didn't live vicariously other ppls lives lk so many do today.
I was a kid in the 70's 8 yrs old and watched this on TV , it was the GREATEST time as a child to be alive, only children of the 70's can understand this, if u haven't walked it, u won't ever have the understanding
My sister got married just a few hours after this event. I remember watching right before we went to the wedding. A day to remember in Cincinnati Ohio!
I don't give a rats what kids say about his jumps because he did his stunts with heavy underpowered STREET bikes! Not motorcycles built for jumping, that's often overlooked by the haters!!!!
Russel, just a point of clarification; the motorcycle shown in the video above is no underpowered street bike, it is a Harley-Davidson XR750 flat track racing bike. While its chassis and suspension is vastly different from those of a modern motorcycle, especially the motocross bikes most often used by stunt riders today, XR750s weigh under 400 pounds and make enough horsepower to hit approx. 130 mph down the straights at the Springfield Mile. Anyway, why worry about what some stupid kid writes in a comment on a TH-cam video? Instead, watch some flat track racing and have a beer. It's way more entertaining than arguing with imbeciles on the internet. Cheers.
@@userer4579 That is xr 750 like you said and the only mod I can see is the front brake wich you had to be carefull using it! The worst bike he used was the Laverda American Eagle S Model 750cc weighing close to 500 pnds stock. He hit that ramp at the right time nothing worse than feeling ur feet loosing grip and slowy slip off and landing verticaly make the bike like a wild bull!
I was there to see that! I was in the grandstand at the end of the landing ramp and looked over the railing as he went under the stands, across a ramp that was built to cover a ditch so he could cross onto the access road behind the stands. Was such an awesome spectacle to see. A true American hero!
I was a junior in high school in 1970. I saw him jump and he has been my hero ever since. He was a legend and a true showman. There will never be another one like him!
Likewise..Michigan State Fair grounds Cow palace..73', 15 pickup trucks..on his Harley XR-750. I was 15. And ride Harley today..23' Street glide and 21', Hertaige Softail Classic 114..!
I just wrote to a friend last night where I said in the mid early to mid 70’s my hero’s were Elvis and Evil ironically they both wore leather jump suits. Myself born in 65’
One of my heroes growing up who's daring feats helped me to learn that trying to jump my mini-bike more than 8 feet was not a smart thing to do. RIP Evel.
Who remembers when there'd be a special on TV with Evel jumping something? This guy was HUGE. We all emulated him with our huffy bikes. Plywood ramps, cinder blocks, we were fearless!
@@2425eryy; I owe my completed jumps to Evel Knievel , ha ha , Okay some wrecks . It was good exercise kids today need , but today wear a bike safety helmet just in case .
Absolutely loved this man. He was a true Superhero. Everything stopped when Evel was going to make a jump, everybody was watching. I miss those days, I miss Evel Knievel. My father was a general contractor so I was lucky, he had lots of lumber to build ramps, Great time to be alive back then. RIP EVEL
I had the Evel stunt action launcher set back in the mid 70's growing up. That along with Slime and Stretch Armstrong. The '70s was a great decade to a be a kid.
Yeah man those were days alright! We also tried to copy his style and built ramps to jump our bicycles, it was just the normal thing to do back then. He was somebody all us kids looked up to for sure. Man the '70's were a great time to be a kid!
I remember being a kid and watching all these jumps Evel Knievel was the man just was a different time look how prehistoric TV coverage looks compared to today where it's just non-stop video clips 70s was are the best I wish I could go back
This guy was the king. I know that today it doesn't seem that impressive, but that heavy bike and that distance wasn't possible except for this daredevil. It's a shame that so many people turned on him because of the Snake River jump when a malfunction caused the chute to open prematurity. The man had balls of steel and no one was willing to put their life on the line like this man. A true legend. Just an aside I don't know any kid that didn't want to be Evel. I had the rocket cycle toy of Evel and wish I still had it today. It was such fun and a great toy.
I remember watching this on tv. Right away we were getting a board and a cinder block. Love those days. Today I turn on the tv, go throw up, then turn it off.
This man was a true hero to me growing up. As far as I can remember he has always been respectful in public to the people that were respectful to him. He wasn't a perfect human being , are you?? Anyway, I feel alot of kids grew uo right because of him and I was one of them. God bless him!!!
I was 12 years old and I decided to start saving money for my first old panhead that day! Thanks Evel you helped keep me out of trouble. Go live forever sir.
A man for the ages. Still lived by “frontier Justice”. Some spirits don’t die, and his spirit was the one America was built on. Rugged individual. Long Live Evel!
I think you were awesome , ' I watched those jumps on t'v when I was a kid , and couldn't believe what I was seeing ,'..'your a great man sir '..god bless "..
This guy Evel Knievel he got some balls to jump that with a bike like this. Look at that Swingarm, its like toothpicks geezus. Look at the front forks, two more toothpicks. In 1975 the American Harleys and the Japanese bikes still had crap for suspension. The 1975 German "Maico 400" had the heavy duty Swingarm and front leading forks but only 45 hp. Evels 1975 Harley XR 750 had 80 hp so he had the proper speed but no good suspension. It wasn't until 1983 someone put the "choclate with the peanut butter" and you had the infamous KX 500 and the Suzuki RM 500. In 1984 Honda made the CR 500 and Robbie Knievel jumped on it, literally, with his Honda CR he beat all Dad's records. Robbie was awesome but nontheless he said about his Dad, "There will be only one Evel Knievel" not before and not since. Amen brother.
I remember watching Evil jumping his bikes on Wide World of Sports as a kid. When the show was over I would build a ramp in the front of my house & jump my schween sting ray bike pretending I was evil. Those were the good old days.
I had a blue Schwinn Sting Ray bicycle also. That thing was practically indestructible. I loved that bike and was probably one of the most valuable things I’ve ever had in my life.
@@garyszewc3339 Travis Pastrana and this guy at the Sturgis bike rally I forget his name those are the two I remember off hand that jumped the same bike Evel Knievel used for a tribute to him you can find videos on TH-cam of them
One of my better days was meeting Evel in a bar and buying him a drink.He told me he always buys the drinks and I said..Evel its time for someone to buy you a drink , please allow that to be me. We sat and talked for 45 mins.
Evel Knievel AND The Harlem Globetrotters up next?!!! I was probably outside enjoying the Saturday when I could have been indoors watching Wide World of Sports!
The fact that he did it on such a heavy bike makes it even more legendary. The people that came after and broke his records need to have an asterisk next their names because they didn't have the balls to use a Harley-Davidson XR-750 like Evel.
In their defense; the record breakers had no Harley-Davidson's at their disposal, for the Bikes and their owners were being quarantined, for usage in the upcoming Box Office Record Breaking Motion Picture "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", according to Large Marge.
I LOVED Evel. He was one of my childhood heroes. I built quite a few bike ramps to jump over Big Wheels and other things in the early 70's to try and mimic him, and like Evel, there were a few crashes, what a time to be a kid.
OK, it's time this was said. Evel Knievel was a DARE DEVIL. There are some today but this is much different than a stunt man. Stunt men do the math, stunt men make dry runs, stunt men try to be as safe as possible and use the best equipment. Dare devils give it a try, they make guesses about physics. They get hurt a lot and many of them die. They have a different attitude. Robbie is more of a stunt man for sure. Evel was 100% dare devil.
I think I agree with you. However, his son probably wanted to go a different route because he saw what happened to his dad when he wrecked, and he knew everyone else did on T.V.
Knocked out my front teeth when I kissed the street in front of my house after landing on my front tire and going through the handle bars of my Schwin Stingray pretending to be him!
Just heard eddie Murphy tell Seinfeld, that this man is tracy Morgan's favorite person. Tracy Morgan is a comedian am not sure how he correlated this with comedy. But this dude is fearless.
Man, I remember watching this when I was a kid, The motorcycles he used were heavy steel machines, Unlike the light weight and faster bikes these days, The man had balls of steel, I would like to see some one these days use the same style bikes and see if they could do the same thing, I would highly doubt some one could do it or would even try, His son beat all his records but not on the same bikes, Robbie was just as good as his dad but using the faster and lighter bikes, So I will always be a fan of Evil, He was a true showman from back in the day.
@@jake74777 definitely not the same bike for one it was an Indian that Travis used that is way lighter and has way better suspension than those bites back in the 70s and more power
Yes, the younger people these days probably think this is no big deal with the way bikes are so much lighter and more powerful. These HD XR750's were steel frame, and VERY heavy in comparison. Before that he used Triumphs to jump with that were probably heavier. Not to mention the steel balls he had to carry with every jump.
I was about 9 years old when this happened, asked my father for my birthday for dirt bike his reply "what do want be next Evil Knienel" not happening. Finally when I hit 12 year's old finally gotten one. To this day in 2021,at young age of 57,am still riding sport bikes. This man was true warrior, when you see just a skeleton of motorcycle and them old Bell helmet no protection except leather's now I really see how insane and such a talented rider he was, like they say kool kat.
His canyon jump was on a type of payperview they had it set up in auditoriums on big screens and you had to pay to get in and watch it. Sucked when I was a kid I really wanted to see it and they never showed it later in TV I only finally saw it when youtube came out.
As a kid I used to jump my bike over small things and this was the man who influenced me, I loved watching him as a kid in the early to late 1970s. A true American with balls if there ever was one.
Every boy I knew would get his bicycle out and set up wood ramps after watching Evel jump. We jumped anything that didn't move. I ended up with 8 stitches in my chin after failing to jump 4 of my friends' bikes! Lol. That was back in the pre-PC days when being male wasnt considered "toxic".
After watching this jump, I took the upper shelf out of my closet and propped it on a picnic table bench on the front sidewalk. Then, I put on a motorcycle helmet, climbed onto my Stingray, waved to the crowd (6 kids) and rode to the end of our block. As I started peddling on the take-off run I felt like I could fly. Well… as I hit the ramp, I went vertical, then like a Road Runner cartoon, I landed vertically on the front wheel and went ass over teakettle. The bike was OK, I was OK, and my reputation as a Stunt Boy was intact. The Stupid things we did to be like Evel…. What a great role model!
The Evel Knievel stunt cycle was the best toy ever!
LOVED that thing!!!
Followed up on TV by a Harlem Globetrotthers game. Can’t get any more 70s than this.
That was a great line up that week.
Only if it was hosted by Howard Costello
Those guys were Smoooooooooth and so fun to watch. They created the best "talented entertainment" in all of sports.
And after that, Demolition Derby!
Meadowlark Lemon and Curly. My favorite Globetrotters.😊
How many men can wear a cape and still be cool ?!
Elvis, Superman, and
EVIL KNEVIL BABY !!!
Evel
Right On, Dude!!!😅
@@troydeanwalker1405 Evil Knievel was so worthy of wearing the cape. Super heroic man.
However Superman didn't break most of the bones in his body.
Superman isnt real..comic book
This guy was such a hero to us kids of the 60’s and early 70’s.
Absolutely ❤️
You're recalling it wrong. He was famous in the 70ss, not the 60s. He never made it onto national TV till 68, which was just an interview. I the 60s he was just a local daredevil. He did not get famous til the early 70s, and by 1975 it was over. They filmed a documentary on his Snake River jump, and when people seen it and seen how bad he treated his employees, it ruined his career. He went from bing rich, famous and one of the most popular celebrities in the country, to basically losing it all over night. In reality, he was really only a big star for around 4 years in the early 70s. He still did jumps after 75, but he was no longer a star. He came at the perfect time. The war was ending, and people were looking for something new, and he filled that void for a few years. When people found out he was just a violent, miserable drunk, they lost interest. He did it to himself. The crazy part is fame was not good to him. If you look at him in 1970, then in 1975, he literally looks like he aged 20 years. The 1975 version looks like he could be the 1970 versions dad. In 1970 he seemed like a witty nice guy, but in 1975 he had been jailed for beating people, including his wife, reporters, and no longer seemed like a nice guy. He is a great example of how fame can ruin people.
Wanker
@@chrisgullett4332This is all true. But did you know this man's life was changed forever by another MAN who laid down HIS LIFE for him, Willingly? Catch Evel Knievel's testimony of how CHRIST changed his heart and ways of destruction. Amazing story.😊
Whats with the 80s and 90s, they saw jumps too
Every kid who made sweet jumps on their bikes owes everything to this man.
My cousins and I jumped over my aunts LTD station wagon, back to front. We also took 2 chest type freezers, without the doors, filled the bottoms with broken pop bottles, lined up end to end, and jumped those with our 20" BMX bikes. We were 10 years old!😂😂😂
Yes we do
Yes Yes
If he was also your childhood hero just gives a simple like
@Woody Last Name i could gaf less about likes. I just loved evil, childhood hero. Go f yourself, while you're at find a life
He was an absolutely true hero of that time.
Absolutely!!!
100%!!!
I know I'll never get a reply, but I was six when this occurred (55 now), and still gives me goosebumps. ABC WW of sports was my babysitter most Saturday's. Between Evel Knievel, Harlem Globetrotters, boxing and watching some guy set himself on fire and jump 50 feet into a swimming pool, I'd say that I'm pretty well-adjusted. It would also explain a lot of other things.
He had one of the greatest lines later in life. He was talking about the 'modern' motocross bikes with their high travel suspension. "If I had a bike like that when I was young, I would have jumped over the moon!"
Sure he would have was riding dirt bikes in the seventys they didnt
Gave the teck back them
I met this man and was able to tell him how much I loved him and how inspired I was to ride motorcycles because of him and my mother. God Bless you Evel!! I miss you and I love you!!!
You gotta give it to him, jumping those older bikes heavy and hardly no shocks compared to today’s bikes. What a man!
Funny it seems not to occur to him to tap the rear brake to get front down. But yeah, rubbish bike with near zero rear suspension.
@@Mrbfgraythose brakes were not like today's motorcycle brakes, you tap the rear, you're going down hard and fast at that speed, it's better to ride it out and let centrifugal force wind down some before applying brakes
@@shable1436 Nonsense. A rotating wheel has limited control over entire bike and rider, 2nd it can be revved up again in an instant. Stopping wheel rotation would reduce his continued pitching back and *maybe* begin to pitch him forward slowly. Spooling up the wheel again before landing likely a good idea regardless of approach attitude anyway.
He simply lacked the understanding or the skills. Frankly he was more daring than smart in general.
@Mrbfgray we are all confident that you would have been more knowledgeable and a better stunt rider than Evel if you been around in the 70's. 🤣🤣🤣
@@maxv3208 Yup, '60's too Sport. ;-) Some of my friends were impressed by him but we were all busy jumping and crashing our own single spd coaster brake bikes. HA!
We didn't live vicariously other ppls lives lk so many do today.
I was a kid in the 70's 8 yrs old and watched this on TV , it was the GREATEST time as a child to be alive, only children of the 70's can understand this, if u haven't walked it, u won't ever have the understanding
My sister got married just a few hours after this event. I remember watching right before we went to the wedding. A day to remember in Cincinnati Ohio!
That sounds like a pretty good day!!✌
"Just hold on Sis! Tell the Preacher to keep his pants on. I will be right out!" :)
Yes, indeed!
I don't give a rats what kids say about his jumps because he did his stunts with heavy underpowered STREET bikes! Not motorcycles built for jumping, that's often overlooked by the haters!!!!
Russel, just a point of clarification; the motorcycle shown in the video above is no underpowered street bike, it is a Harley-Davidson XR750 flat track racing bike. While its chassis and suspension is vastly different from those of a modern motorcycle, especially the motocross bikes most often used by stunt riders today, XR750s weigh under 400 pounds and make enough horsepower to hit approx. 130 mph down the straights at the Springfield Mile. Anyway, why worry about what some stupid kid writes in a comment on a TH-cam video? Instead, watch some flat track racing and have a beer. It's way more entertaining than arguing with imbeciles on the internet. Cheers.
@@userer4579 That is xr 750 like you said and the only mod I can see is the front brake wich you had to be carefull using it! The worst bike he used was the Laverda American Eagle S Model 750cc weighing close to 500 pnds stock. He hit that ramp at the right time nothing worse than feeling ur feet loosing grip and slowy slip off and landing verticaly make the bike like a wild bull!
This fact alone has only made me respect him more
@@userer4579 why dont you leave him alone ass
@@onlythewise1 Why don't you quit screwing your sister?
I wish I still had my Evel Knievel lunch box and thermos. He was an American icon to me growing up in the 70's.
He was my Hero as a kid growing up!
mine too
Me too 👍
I was there to see that! I was in the grandstand at the end of the landing ramp and looked over the railing as he went under the stands, across a ramp that was built to cover a ditch so he could cross onto the access road behind the stands. Was such an awesome spectacle to see. A true American hero!
The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.
Gotta love the memories of growing up in the seventies !
Cherished more and more each day!!!
I was a junior in high school in 1970. I saw him jump and he has been my hero ever since. He was a legend and a true showman. There will never be another one like him!
Likewise..Michigan State Fair grounds Cow palace..73', 15 pickup trucks..on his Harley XR-750. I was 15. And ride Harley today..23' Street glide and 21', Hertaige Softail Classic 114..!
I'm 64 and it is still exciting to watch, sure I love Robbie Madison etc, bur Evel was really the King.
im 58 this guy was insane ... if he was jumping u were glued to the TV ..A Superior maniac w every meaning of the word..
A superior maniac.
I remember watching this on TV I was 7 yrs old at that time gosh how I miss the 70s.
He was Elvis on a bike
The Unbreakable King👑🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Uh huh uh, yeah yeah. He had way bigger balls than I had. He's the reason they had to make bell bottoms due his balls hanging down to his ankles.
Who’s Elvis
I just wrote to a friend last night where I said in the mid early to mid 70’s my hero’s were Elvis and Evil ironically they both wore leather jump suits. Myself born in 65’
Great Analogy! An entertainer on 2 wheels.😂
He did it on Street bikes! Triumphs and Harley. No lightweight moto cross bikes. Awesome!
The XR-750 wasn't a street bike. It was a flat track racer 4 stroke
kyle samson awesome, I think it’s stupid
Balls of steel
@@TELEVISIONARCHIVES whats the differents
3:09 Hmm
9:05 PM
5/10/2019
I was a child around the height of Knievel's career in the 1970s. I was enthralled by this man!
One of my heroes growing up who's daring feats helped me to learn that trying to jump my mini-bike more than 8 feet was not a smart thing to do. RIP Evel.
Lol, this is probably the smartest comment here.
Who remembers when there'd be a special on TV with Evel jumping something?
This guy was HUGE.
We all emulated him with our huffy bikes.
Plywood ramps, cinder blocks, we were fearless!
I remember having the Evel Knievel motorcycle toy. Came with the action figure of Evel. Part of my childhood in the 70's and 80's. R.I.P Evel Knievel
me too...a pull strap winding up back wheel toy...loved it...wish I still had it
and the best part was we never had to worry about those 70's Hero's letting us down when they punch out of work, thanks Evel Knievel.
Wow... me too. One of my prized possessions. Wish I could put my hands on it now.
Still have mine. Bike, man, and the winder
Lol same
This was the highest rated show in the history of ABC's wide world of sports, as it scored a 22.3 rating and 52% share.
George Campbell I watched also, was 5 days before my ninth birthday.
@Woody Last Name Why would he kid about that?
I owe all my childhood bike wrecks to Evel Knievel 😎
*SoulBrotherOfKungFu * me too.
@@2425eryy; I owe my completed jumps to Evel Knievel , ha ha , Okay some wrecks . It was good exercise kids today need , but today wear a bike safety helmet just in case .
I have a couple of caps on my front teeth from multiple bike wrecks, stitches a few times....inspiration, Evel Knievel!
Me too. I tried to imitate Caesar’s Palace.
Ditto- chipped teeth to boot
Evel such a class act. Thank you for all the great memories when I was a young kid.❤️🇺🇸
Absolutely loved this man. He was a true Superhero. Everything stopped when Evel was going to make a jump, everybody was watching. I miss those days, I miss Evel Knievel. My father was a general contractor so I was lucky, he had lots of lumber to build ramps, Great time to be alive back then. RIP EVEL
The Evel Knievel stunt bike is the coolest toy ever made.
I agree. One of the most iconic toys ever created.
Me & my brother had one as kids in the 70’s wish I still had them, probably worth a small fortune
They still sell them.
You guys talking about the one toy that him on the bike and you would put it on the energizer launcher ramp thing and it would take off ?
@@Ohdamnmann yep
I had the Evel stunt action launcher set back in the mid 70's growing up. That along with Slime and Stretch Armstrong. The '70s was a great decade to a be a kid.
Those were the days. Evil was definitely an American hero. As kids we all made our home made ramps and wanted thar bike. Great memories
Evel
Yeah man those were days alright! We also tried to copy his style and built ramps to jump our bicycles, it was just the normal thing to do back then. He was somebody all us kids looked up to for sure. Man the '70's were a great time to be a kid!
I was a kid growing up. I watched all of his jumps. Here's one great professional motorcyclist
As far as I'm concerned Evel Knievel made it Everytime #1 for ever 🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇲🇺🇸
He jumped and landed safely. That qualifies it for me.
I remember being a kid and watching all these jumps Evel Knievel was the man just was a different time look how prehistoric TV coverage looks compared to today where it's just non-stop video clips 70s was are the best I wish I could go back
I remember this
Back when I was young we looked up to this man while we jumped our bikes on plywood ramps and logs .
And curbs !
This guy was the king. I know that today it doesn't seem that impressive, but that heavy bike and that distance wasn't possible except for this daredevil. It's a shame that so many people turned on him because of the Snake River jump when a malfunction caused the chute to open prematurity. The man had balls of steel and no one was willing to put their life on the line like this man. A true legend. Just an aside I don't know any kid that didn't want to be Evel. I had the rocket cycle toy of Evel and wish I still had it today. It was such fun and a great toy.
That was what I had, that was true AMERICA ahhh good times.
I remember watching this on tv. Right away we were getting a board and a cinder block. Love those days. Today I turn on the tv, go throw up, then turn it off.
This man was a true hero to me growing up. As far as I can remember he has always been respectful in public to the people that were respectful to him. He wasn't a perfect human being , are you?? Anyway, I feel alot of kids grew uo right because of him and I was one of them. God bless him!!!
I was 12 years old and I decided to start saving money for my first old panhead that day! Thanks Evel you helped keep me out of trouble. Go live forever sir.
No one lives forever. He died, just like the rest of us will die also.
I still got my Panhead 63 bought it in 76
A man for the ages. Still lived by “frontier Justice”. Some spirits don’t die, and his spirit was the one America was built on. Rugged individual. Long Live Evel!
I think you were awesome , ' I watched those jumps on t'v when I was a kid , and couldn't believe what I was seeing ,'..'your a great man sir '..god bless "..
Evel kneivel stunt cycle was my favorite toy ever, when I got it unexpectedly for Xmas I cried for 3 days.
This guy Evel Knievel he got some balls to jump that with a bike like this. Look at that Swingarm, its like toothpicks geezus. Look at the front forks, two more toothpicks. In 1975 the American Harleys and the Japanese bikes still had crap for suspension. The 1975 German "Maico 400" had the heavy duty Swingarm and front leading forks but only 45 hp. Evels 1975 Harley XR 750 had 80 hp so he had the proper speed but no good suspension. It wasn't until 1983 someone put the "choclate with the peanut butter" and you had the infamous KX 500 and the Suzuki RM 500. In 1984 Honda made the CR 500 and Robbie Knievel jumped on it, literally, with his Honda CR he beat all Dad's records. Robbie was awesome but nontheless he said about his Dad, "There will be only one Evel Knievel" not before and not since. Amen brother.
If you are around my age you had a bicycle and a piece of plywood and a cinder block in the street trying to imagine you were Evel
I used to make a ramp and jump on my toys my big wheel my wagon etcetera and jump them for hours😂
Yep!!!😊
Everyday after school my friend! The good ole’ days.
Not just balls of steel but also a great public speaker and stylish performer, no wonder he was our hero back then
And I believe he broke every bone in his body except one not sure which one it wasn't but.. amazing human being. RIP
Look at the kind of bike he did it on !!!! Unreal.......
It’s unbelievable he made this
H-D fly !
It's a damn boat anchor
I still remember my Evel Knievel toy motorcycle. What a great Christmas present.
It really was. It was rugged and a well built toy by Mattel.
Did it have a zip line ?
I think I remember something like that.
@@ohyeahthatsright3155no buddy it had a wind up crank on it but I know what ur talking g about had those toys too
Awesome toy for a 7 year old... thanks for the memory!!!
@@ohyeahthatsright3155 oh yes it was a zip line that u fed into the toy & pulled to get it going! Sorry
I remember watching Evil jumping his bikes on Wide World of Sports as a kid. When the show was over I would build a ramp in the front of my house & jump my schween sting ray bike pretending I was evil. Those were the good old days.
Evel
@Woody Last Name 😂😂😂😭😂😂😂 I can't stop laughing after reading your comment 👌👌🤣🤣🤣
I had a blue Schwinn Sting Ray bicycle also. That thing was practically indestructible. I loved that bike and was probably one of the most valuable things I’ve ever had in my life.
We all did. No helmets. No knee or elbow pads. Just a lot of grit and determination of a 9 year old Schwinn pedal pusher. Lol 🤣🤣🤣
@@martysykes3221Mine was red. I cried when I outgrew it and gave it to my cousin who tore it up.😢
He was my hero as a kid and he's still my hero! He was a BADASS!
The skill here is unimaginable.
I mean the guy who parked those buses that close.
All these guys jumping with an 85 pound motorcycle should take a good look at this guy, jumping with a heavy ass Harley.
They do and have jumped with this same exact bike for nostalgia
@@magiccheeseballwho? I haven't seen anyone but Evel, jump a Harley.
@@garyszewc3339 Travis Pastrana and this guy at the Sturgis bike rally I forget his name those are the two I remember off hand that jumped the same bike Evel Knievel used for a tribute to him you can find videos on TH-cam of them
One of my better days was meeting Evel in a bar and buying him a drink.He told me he always buys the drinks and I said..Evel its time for someone to buy you a drink , please allow that to be me. We sat and talked for 45 mins.
Wow!!! Nothing else to be said.
Cool memory.😊
There was nobody as cool as Evel Knievel
Frank jumped on 13 stewardesses and his rear end broke too
Evel Knievel AND The Harlem Globetrotters up next?!!! I was probably outside enjoying the Saturday when I could have been indoors watching Wide World of Sports!
Still remember being pissed that my parents didn't wake me up, I was 6 years old and it was live on Dutch Television late in the evening.
Evel was one of my childhood Heroes!
Bad ass!!! And on a freaking harley! The last bike in the would I would attempt that on.
Grew up watching him,and cringing,Everytime he would leave the ramp,u never knew wut too expect!!!The king EVEL!!!😮😮😊.
He was Elvis on a motorcycle, RIP Evel
The fact that he did it on such a heavy bike makes it even more legendary. The people that came after and broke his records need to have an asterisk next their names because they didn't have the balls to use a Harley-Davidson XR-750 like Evel.
In their defense; the record breakers had no Harley-Davidson's at their disposal, for the Bikes and their owners were being quarantined, for usage in the upcoming Box Office Record Breaking Motion Picture "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", according to Large Marge.
Daredevil Doug Danger sets a new record by jumping over 22 cars on Evel Knievel’s motorcycle in South Dakota.
@@TeeKoon was it modified
@@onlythewise1 I guess it was
@@TeeKoon so didnt use what evil did on it ,
I LOVED Evel. He was one of my childhood heroes. I built quite a few bike ramps to jump over Big Wheels and other things in the early 70's to try and mimic him, and like Evel, there were a few crashes, what a time to be a kid.
If i were to go back in time to witness something in history with my own eyes I’d wanna go see this guys stunts.
That bike was heavy. You can’t compare him with others with lighter bikes. I had the toy too!
Bad ass, no doubt.
Got into motorcycling
Because of Evel knevil
God rest his soul.
Me and my brother put playing cards in are spokes and played we were Evil now my brother is gone I miss him and all the good times back then
Remember doing that as well. Sorry for your loss.😢 Cherished Memories last a lifetime. Childhood in the '70s was the best of times.😊
OK, it's time this was said. Evel Knievel was a DARE DEVIL. There are some today but this is much different than a stunt man. Stunt men do the math, stunt men make dry runs, stunt men try to be as safe as possible and use the best equipment. Dare devils give it a try, they make guesses about physics. They get hurt a lot and many of them die. They have a different attitude. Robbie is more of a stunt man for sure. Evel was 100% dare devil.
I was there!
I think I agree with you. However, his son probably wanted to go a different route because he saw what happened to his dad when he wrecked, and he knew everyone else did on T.V.
Man, that's a bike I wouldn't wanna hit a speed bump too fast on let alone a damm ramp!!!
Evel ate rattlesnakes and cinderblocks, combed his hair with a rake and gargled gasoline
Sounds about right!!! Most men in his generation did.
Knocked out my front teeth when I kissed the street in front of my house after landing on my front tire and going through the handle bars of my Schwin Stingray pretending to be him!
Awesome!!! That must have been some dental bill.😮
You didn’t listen when they said, “Don’t try to do this at home!”
Evel was the man in the 70s. Great childhood memories.
Just heard eddie Murphy tell Seinfeld, that this man is tracy Morgan's favorite person.
Tracy Morgan is a comedian am not sure how he correlated this with comedy. But this dude is fearless.
This guy did this on a Harley Davidson which is heavy as hell . He didn't use a dirt bike like his followers today. This dude was bad ass!
Man, I remember watching this when I was a kid, The motorcycles he used were heavy steel machines, Unlike the light weight and faster bikes these days, The man had balls of steel, I would like to see some one these days use the same style bikes and see if they could do the same thing, I would highly doubt some one could do it or would even try, His son beat all his records but not on the same bikes, Robbie was just as good as his dad but using the faster and lighter bikes, So I will always be a fan of Evil, He was a true showman from back in the day.
Pipes69 Travis Pistrana beat the record on the same bike a few days ago, see for yourself.
@@jake74777 i was literaly just about to say that to him but u already did lol. Travis is boss
Travis Pastrana Indian Scout Flat Tracker
@@jake74777 definitely not the same bike for one it was an Indian that Travis used that is way lighter and has way better suspension than those bites back in the 70s and more power
Yes, the younger people these days probably think this is no big deal with the way bikes are so much lighter and more powerful. These HD XR750's were steel frame, and VERY heavy in comparison. Before that he used Triumphs to jump with that were probably heavier. Not to mention the steel balls he had to carry with every jump.
My childhood hero and the reason I've been riding for 38 years!!!!!
There is only one Evel...no one would have the balls, in this day and age to do what he has done..saw Evel at Detroit State Fairground in 73'..!!
I was 11 months old. Cincinnati, Ohio thank you Evel! RIP 🙏🏿👑💯
Brutal aceleration in a short distance!
Not really. Harleys are slow. The jump I went to, he had a down hill ramp, leading to the jump ramp, to get enough speed.
Most of that day is a blur since I'm 50, but I do remember Robbie doing wheelies back and forth before the jump as well !
Evil jumped a few broads too. Total stud. 70s ruled. Rip
Evel
I was about 9 years old when this happened, asked my father for my birthday for dirt bike his reply "what do want be next Evil Knienel" not happening. Finally when I hit 12 year's old finally gotten one. To this day in 2021,at young age of 57,am still riding sport bikes. This man was true warrior, when you see just a skeleton of motorcycle and them old Bell helmet no protection except leather's now I really see how insane and such a talented rider he was, like they say kool kat.
Evel
Evel would have been a millionaire x25 today with pay per view!
He said he made like 65 million and spent 70
You know that's true!!
His canyon jump was on a type of payperview they had it set up in auditoriums on big screens and you had to pay to get in and watch it. Sucked when I was a kid I really wanted to see it and they never showed it later in TV I only finally saw it when youtube came out.
Between Knievel and Bruce Lee, i was always getting hurt.
Hes the man,everyone else now,is just afollower!
As a kid I used to jump my bike over small things and this was the man who influenced me, I loved watching him as a kid in the early to late 1970s. A true American with balls if there ever was one.
Man I loved Evel Knievel when I was a kid. I had the wheelie car.
Millions of little boys built ramps to jump bikes and I was one of them!
And if our bikes got broken, we got out the tools and fixed them!
Every boy I knew would get his bicycle out and set up wood ramps after watching Evel jump. We jumped anything that didn't move. I ended up with 8 stitches in my chin after failing to jump 4 of my friends' bikes! Lol.
That was back in the pre-PC days when being male wasnt considered "toxic".
Michael Sharp your comment was cute until i read the last part
Michael Sharp I had to dig gravel out of my forearm from wrist to elbow. Didn’t quit land on the back tire like Evel.
Lol anyone can jump a fucking bike me and my sisters did it and got hurt too your not mal3 for riding a fucking bike you pussy
Yep, back then injuries from being cool on a bike were kind of a badge of honor. And none of us even thought of wearing a helmet.
@@dscott501"No helmets were injured while making this jump."😂😂😂
I remember had all the Evil knievel toys he was a big deal back then
He was one of a kind
That jump wasnt short, that jump was awesome.
I think what he meant to say, but couldn't back then, was he thankful his balls weighed him down 3 ft shy so that he didn't flip backwards.
I was in the audience when this happened. Kings Island in Cincinnati.
After watching this jump, I took the upper shelf out of my closet and propped it on a picnic table bench on the front sidewalk. Then, I put on a motorcycle helmet, climbed onto my Stingray, waved to the crowd (6 kids) and rode to the end of our block. As I started peddling on the take-off run I felt like I could fly. Well… as I hit the ramp, I went vertical, then like a Road Runner cartoon, I landed vertically on the front wheel and went ass over teakettle. The bike was OK, I was OK, and my reputation as a Stunt Boy was intact. The Stupid things we did to be like Evel…. What a great role model!
Wow! And lived to tell the tale! Awesome story!!!😁👍
We idolized Evil Knievel! Made jumps and went over trash cans!
Evel
My dad took me to see the movie they made.That crash at Ceasars palace was wicked.
Yes it was. Tore Evel up something bad.
Kids watching this today:
WAAAAAAAA! TOO SCARY!
I WANT MY SAFE SPACE!
I remember having his toy for Xmas back in the 70s when it first came to the uk he was my hero .