Instead of a Harley-Davidson XR-750, the bike will be an Indian Scout FTR750. Instead of a white suit, it’ll be black. And instead of Evel Knievel, one of the stunt world’s most iconic figureheads, the man who will attempt three of Evel’s most ambitious…and absolutely dangerous…stunts live on the History Channel will be Travis Pastrana, who will attempt all three jumps within a three-hour timetable, while showing interviews with members of both Knievel’s and Pastrana’s family members, plus the footage of Evel that cemented his place in legend…including the bits where there were crunching sounds heard upon impact, we’re sure.
Pastrana’s three jumps are as follows: fifty-two crushed cars, sixteen Greyhound buses, and just because something isn’t quite right in that head of his, to top off the list, his finale will be the fountain at Caesar’s Palace. That is the site of Evel’s most harrowing crash, the infamous scene where after missing the landing after flying 141 feet, he crashed at over 90 miles an hour, turning into a human pinwheel and taking out his pelvis, left hip, right ankle, hands, wrists, and left him in a coma for weeks. And unlike back in 1967, the area around Caesar’s Palace has had over fifty years of growth pop up, shortening the entire area Pastrana has to work with.
Pastrana knows how to make a bike fly, but the Scout he will be using is a far, far cry from his usual dirt bike setup. It’s got the grunt, but it does not have the suspension travel that he’s used to…the FTR750 was developed to flat-track race, not to fly like it’s the X Games. We don’t doubt Pastrana’s abilities, but we also don’t doubt the dangers involved here, either. You’ll be able to watch the action starting at 8 p.m Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific time.
So, we have to know: will you be watching? And will you be tuning in for the stunt, or the carnage?
I don’t have cable, so no.
If somebody will leave a link where I can stream it
Prior to the Snake River Canyon jump Evil also jumped 18 Mack Trucks at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto Canada. I was there!
Evil started jumping with Triumph, and an Americanized version of the Italian Laverda motorcycle called the American Eagle. Much lighter and better suited for not only jumping, but getting up to the required speed to successfully complete the jump.
There’s a guy in Massachusetts named Lightning Lou who replicates Evil’s early smaller jumps with the old American Eagle bikes. It’s a pretty amazing show if you ever get to see him.
And if someone was smart in marketing at Harley, he would have been on one of THEIR flat trackers instead of their biggest rivals!
TP is crazy but I bet he could never do a triple lindy
Great show TP in white did a good job of respect to Evil and at the same putting on a LIVE three hour show.