NEW ROCKET 3 R EVEL KNIEVEL LIMITED EDITION

THE MAKING OF A LEGEND - EVEL KNIEVEL
Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an iconic American motorcycle stunt performer and showman, performing ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps during a career that took him from rural county fairs to sold-out stadiums.

To many generations of fans, he was more than just a stuntman—he was a symbol of daring and adventure, and Triumph motorcycles played a pivotal role in his rise to fame. Knievel performed some of his most iconic jumps on a Triumph Bonneville, including his first televised stunt and the infamous 1967 Caesar’s Palace fountain jump, which cemented his global fame. During 1967 and 1968, Knievel exclusively rode Triumphs, recognizing their superior handling and reliability for his dangerous feats.

Evel’s iconic name supposedly came about after a police chase in 1956 in which he crashed his motorcycle. Taken to jail on a charge of reckless driving he was placed in a cell next to one William Knoffel. Knoffel was well known as ‘Awful Knoffel’ (rhyming ‘awful’ with ‘Knoffel’), and at roll call the guard referred to Knievel as ‘Evil Knievel’. Evel adopted the tag and chose the misspelling to match his last name… and because he didn’t want to be considered ‘evil!’

Performing more than 175 jumps during a career that took him from rural county fairs to sold-out stadiums, Knievel went toe-to-toe with danger and lived to tell the tale.  He is recognised by Guinness World Records as having broken or re-broken more bones than any person in history, with the total listed at 433 (although this is likely exaggerated), and he would spend years of his life in hospital.   But despite failed jumps, crashes, and multiple broken bones, he always rose to perform again.

Evel Knievel has left a remarkable legacy behind him. He inspired an entire generation of kids to jump their pushbikes over ramps and, later, to progress onto motorcycles. In fact, most of today’s top stunt performers and extreme sports athletes credit Evel Knievel as an inspiration.

In every kid who pops a wheelie on their pushbike, in every motorcyclist who guns the throttle, the spirit of Evel Knievel lives on.

EVEL KNIEVEL AND TRIUMPH
In 1967, Knievel finally received national exposure with his first appearance on ABC’s ‘Wide World of Sports’ jumping a 650cc Bonneville T120 over 15 cars at Ascot Park Speedway in Gardena, California.

During 1967 and 1968 Evel Knievel exclusively rode Triumphs, provided by Johnson Motors in Los Angeles. He made at least 15 jumps all over America first over cars and then on to the longest attempt of his entire career – 141 feet over the Caesar’s Palace fountains in Las Vegas.

In 1978, Knievel opted to ride a Triumph again for what would prove to be his final public appearances, this time on a 750cc Bonneville T140. By that point, Knievel was too badly injured to make jumps, so instead he would perform wheelies and act as master of ceremonies, while other stuntmen and women provided the thrills and spills. His final public performance was in Puerto Rico in March of 1980, meaning Evel Knievel saw out his career on a Triumph - the same manufacturer with whom he had originally made his name.