02nd Dec 2007
Evel Knievel, R.I.P.
I just heard the news that Evel Knievel just died. Needless to say, I was a major fan as a kid. I love that in this article, he left a death-bed message urging his fans to “chase their dreams and get up if they fail.” Spoken by a man who has been there.
Here are two of his classic wipe-outs.
Ouchie. A man who can get up after those failures is indeed bad to the bone. Bad also in the sense of his jumping technique. My friend was telling me about a BBC video he saw but now can’t find online where modern motorcycle jumping experts commented that Evel was in fact a terrible jumper, with atrocious technique, which one might conclude had something to do with his many spectacular crashes. Obviously, I am no motorcycle jumping expert myself, but in those two videos above you can see the point. First of all, he’s jumping with cruiser-style bikes, Triumphs and American Eagles. Even back in his day, there must have been lighter bikes more suited to his purposes. Also, check out how he’s just sitting on the bike as he flies through the air. It’s like he’s just ambling down the highway. Classic. A true Amerikan hero.
Tags: pop culture, remembrance
Terrible jumper?!? It goes without saying that Evel set the pace for today’s so-called “extreme sports”. Please, save your limp backhanded criticisms of something you clearly don’t understand for sipping stale beers with your………not fit …….pals in some skank bar; preferably not in the State of Montana.