Evel is dead

truespode

Moderator / Wheelie King

Jun 30, 1999

7,984

251

• Nov 30, 2007

• #1

http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?p=1246381#post1246381

from MSNBC said:

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose bone-breaking, rocket-powered jumps and stunts made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel’s death was confirmed by his 21-year-old granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs. He had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his many spills.

Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundel said Knievel had trouble breathing at his Clearwater condominium and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.

Click to expand...

 

mx547

Ortho doc's wet dream

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Nov 24, 2000

4,784

103

• Nov 30, 2007

• #2

my childhood hero.

 

IndyMX

Crash Test Dummy

~SPONSOR~

Jul 18, 2006

5,548

2

Amo, IN

• Nov 30, 2007

• #3

A legend...

 

J

jumpingjoe628

Member

Mar 15, 2005

176

0

• Nov 30, 2007

• #4

He will be remembered.

 

whenfoxforks-ruled

Old MX Racer

~SPONSOR~

Oct 19, 2006

8,129

2

Merrillville,Indiana

• Nov 30, 2007

• #5

He jumped with a Harley. I will NEVER forget him.

 

M

MOgle80

Member

Dec 4, 2005

37

0

• Nov 30, 2007

• #6

the day of his Canyon jump ( attempt) our family was nearing home after a camping trip and I will always remember sitting in our driveway with the AM radio covering the action LIVE and nobody wanting to move away from the radio. I think what we did that day got me more enthusiasm for off road motorcycles at the time . Rest in Peace EK

 

K

kdx200chick

Member

Mar 27, 2004

414

0

• Nov 30, 2007

• #7

so very sad... What a great icon he was. May he rest in peace.

 

oldguy

Always Broken

Dec 26, 1999

9,411

0

• Nov 30, 2007

• #8

kdx200chick said:

so very sad... What a great icon he was. May he rest in peace.

Click to expand...

I doubt he is resting I am sure he is somewhere sizing up a jump nobody could ever do :cool:
I agree he had a great influence on me as far as what I wanted to do on a motorcycle but never had the courage to try

 

BSWIFT

Sponsoring Member

N. Texas SP

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Nov 25, 1999

7,926

43

• Nov 30, 2007

• #9

mx547 said:

my childhood hero.

Click to expand...

I'll second that. Rest in Peace!

 

XRpredator

AssClown SuperPowers

Damn Yankees

Aug 2, 2000

13,504

19

• Nov 30, 2007

• #10

might not have been the most decent human being ever, nor the best role model, but damn if he wasn't larger than life. I had the wind up stunt cycle and a poster of the sky-cycle lifting off from it's ramp down near Twin Falls.

A true showman.

I'm sure he's sitting up there with the Man upstairs saying "sure, I can clear that" (but now he has all eternity to pump up the crowd!)

 

rickyd

Hot Sauce

Oct 28, 2001

3,447

0

• Nov 30, 2007

• #11

I got to see him jump 13 Mack trucks out at the Fremont Dragstrip.

I still have the wind up stunt cycle somewhere along w/a big poster.

GodSpeed Evel :ride:

He's probably havin a beer w/some HA's :cool:

 

RM_guy

Moderator

Damn Yankees

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Nov 21, 2000

7,045

208

North East USA

• Dec 1, 2007

• #12

Damn, I thought he would live for ever...I guess he will in mine and many other's hearts and minds as a larger than life icon that started many of us in this obsession with bikes. Godspeed Evil.

 

J

jsned

~SPONSOR~

May 17, 2000

468

0

• Dec 1, 2007

• #13

Like Pred said, may not have been the best role model but for alot of us he was a hero. When I was a kid and watching him on TV I didnt know about all the stuff that has come out about his life and now that I know I dont care. He is a part of American History and part of my childhood.

 

Rich Rohrich

Moderator / BioHazard

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jul 27, 1999

22,839

16,904

Chicago

• Dec 1, 2007

• #14

This remembrance of Evel came in from Frank Scurria, who used to race factory Ducati singles in the 60's........

The first time I met Knievel he was just, Bob Knievel, a motorcycle racer trying his luck at Ascot, a half-mile dirt track in Southern California.
It was a hard life. The local aces made sure he was hungry all the time. He was selling his tools to eat---I still have a chain breaker and some welding goggles I got from him. He went back to Montana and I lost touch with him.

Then quite some time later, after he made his name doing jumps, I ran into him at a motorcycle show. I said, "Bob, are you crazy? You've been breaking a lot of bones." He smiled and said, "I'm making millions of dollars. You're breaking bones for practically nothing, racing. Which one of us is crazy?" He said, "I drove there in my Rolls Royce." I said, "I drove here in my van." We both just stood there laughing.

He was a real showman and knew how to put on a show.

Frank



<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wsq3dWTrRWA&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wsq3dWTrRWA&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SLURFJQGeZE&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SLURFJQGeZE&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gg9Hrp0CVms&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gg9Hrp0CVms&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

and his greatest jump of all

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fxgm5uM64hc&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fxgm5uM64hc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

 

Last edited: Dec 1, 2007

VintageDirt

Baked Spud

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jan 1, 2001

3,043

9

• Dec 1, 2007

• #15

Rich Rohrich said:

and his greatest jump of all

Click to expand...

That was awesome!!!

 

Rich Rohrich

Moderator / BioHazard

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Jul 27, 1999

22,839

16,904

Chicago

• Dec 1, 2007

• #16

VintageDirt said:

That was awesome!!!

Click to expand...

He truly was a showman, in all respects. :nod:

 

2-Strokes 4-ever

~SPONSOR~

Feb 9, 2005

1,842

4

Missouri

• Dec 1, 2007

• #17

The guy's first commitment was that the fans got their money's worth. Rented a video about him a few years ago. In an interview after one of his stadium jumps he said "The correct sprockets didn't arive.......I knew I wouldn't have the speed to clear it, but the fans were looking forward to the jump, I knew I wouldn't make it." He crashed hard.

 

rickyd

Hot Sauce

Oct 28, 2001

3,447

0

• Dec 1, 2007

• #18

right now I am at the San Francisco Cow Palace. he broke a few bonea here and fought some Hells Angels.
I need to find all my memoralbilia of have of his

 

XRpredator

AssClown SuperPowers

Damn Yankees

Aug 2, 2000

13,504

19

• Dec 3, 2007

• #19

Rich Rohrich said:

He truly was a showman, in all respects. :nod:

Click to expand...

He used to do that jump for me ALL the time.

My ol' man never forgave us for taking his Buck knife and trying to cut a steel belted radial so we could make a loop-the-loop for Evel. Them steel belts are a little hard on the ol' knifeblade.

 

ChopperDave

It's been awhile...

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Dec 1, 2004

1,091

0

• Dec 3, 2007

• #20

Snake River! What a hoot. Not many, if any, like him around anymore!

 

2

2stroke

Member

Nov 7, 2001

398

2

• Dec 6, 2007

• #21

:(

Man. I used to have an Evel banana seat bicycle with the stars and stripes seat and red white and blue tassles! Wish I still had it!

He was a pioneer. Godspeed Evel!