After experiencing a few bike issues and attending to them we found ourselves behind schedule, so Day 3 was devoted to making up for the lost time. It was an 800 mile day through Kansas, which is a lot of (incredibly boring) riding, but it wasn't all blasting down the highway, hell bent for mileage. We did take a little time out to visit the Evil Knievel Museum, which is located inside the Harley dealership in Topeka, Kansas.
Here you see the actual rocket-powered motorcycle that Evil used to attempt a jump over the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho, circa 1974. The jump was a spectacular failure when the parachute deployed prematurely as the bike launched off of the ramp, putting enough drag on the bike to make it miss its mark on the other side of the canyon. It drifted down to the bottom of the canyon and crashed into rocks next to the river. You can see how beat up the nose it - they did no repair on it. Aside from a few minor injuries, Evil was unharmed.
I recall that event with great clarity, so it was a thrill for me to view the real thing in the museum.
Interesting capture and machine Ron, no wonder the visit put the schedule back, I could spend a day there no problem, its funny I remember it happening all those years ago, the thing about it most people think it was over the Grand Canyon not the Snake River, the failure was down to a poorly desgined parachute release system:)
800 miles in one day? In Kansas? On your motorcycle, oh my! This looks like a rocket ship from the 50’s movies. I remember the stunt too, how cool to see this in the middle of nowhere.
@pcoulson Thanks, Peter. Evil had initially planned to jump the Grand Canyon, but could never get the proper confirmations and permits. There was a movie made about Evil and the publicity photos showed him trying to jump the Grand Canyon, so that's likely why so many people make that assumption. I've been to the Snake River where the jump was attempted, and while not the Grand Canyon it's still quite a daunting sight!
You and I both could spend many hours in the museum. It's actually quite large and details his long history and many jumps. There are all kinds of interesting artifacts, photos, and oodles of info on his long history. If you ever find yourself in Topeka (and I'm not sure why in God's name you ever would) be sure to check it out! And bring your A7 RIV!!
You and I both could spend many hours in the museum. It's actually quite large and details his long history and many jumps. There are all kinds of interesting artifacts, photos, and oodles of info on his long history. If you ever find yourself in Topeka (and I'm not sure why in God's name you ever would) be sure to check it out! And bring your A7 RIV!!