Triumph Pays Homage to Evil Knievel Rocket Jump 50th Anniversary

Triumph has helped to celebrate the 50th anniversary of stunt legend Evil Knievel’s iconic ‘rocket jump’ by creating two special bikes that took part in a parade.

The first machine, which was ridden by Knievel’s son Kelly, was a custom-painted Bonneville T120, the inspiration of which was the Ceaser’s Palace Fountain Jump bike used in 1967. It was nicknamed Colour Me Lucky, with that moniker being painted on the top of the fuel tank. 

Knievel almost landed the 43-metre jump, but lost control of the bike on down ramp and then crashed, causing multiple injuries and reportedly leaving him in a coma for 29 days - although his close family later refuted this. The second machine, ridden by modern-era stunt star Rabbie Maddison, is appropriately a Rocket 3. The Rocket 3 is also finished in paintwork inspired by the Colour Me Lucky bike.

Caesars Palace may have been the jump that caused the most extensive injuries for the American daredevil, although it was the ‘rocket jump’ over Snake River Canyon that was the most dramatic of his long career. Strapping himself into the Skycycle X-2 Rocket, which was effectively a steam-powered missile built around a motorcycle frame without wheels, Knievel fired himself over the Snake River. Shortly after the launch though, a prematurely deployed parachute prevented him from reaching the other side, and the Skycycle crash-landed just a few feet from the water’s edge. Had he landed in the water, it’s widely believed that Knievel would have drowned, given the amount of time it would take to get out of the craft, and the time taken for rescue crews to reach him.

Speaking about the one-off machines, Triumph Motorcycles Chief Operating Officer Paul Stroud said:

“This was an uplifting celebration of one of Evel Knievel’s best-known stunts, and Triumph is thrilled to support his family and fans by creating these one-off custom bikes to lead the parade. Following his jump at Caesar’s Palace on a T120 TT, Evel Knievel performed many stunts on Triumph motorcycles during the 60’s, securing his name in the hearts of generations of fans. It’s good to see the latest generation of the T120 bike that was used to first promote this notorious Snake Canyon jump, now being ridden by the next generation of the Knievel family.”