Triumph Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Evel Knievel’s Rocket Jump
On September 8, 1974, stuntman extraordinaire Evel Knievel performed his famous Rocket Jump, attempting to jump the quarter-mile wide Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Although technically a failure due to a mechanical flaw, the stunt solidified Knievel’s fame as one of the greatest daredevils of all time.
On September 1, 2024, the city of Twin Falls, ID, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Rocket Jump. Participating in the commemoration was Triumph, whose motorcycles Knievel used exclusively during his early career.
The highlight of the celebration was a motorcycle parade that proceeded through town. Leading the procession was Evel’s son, Kelly Knievel, who rode a Triumph Bonneville T120 painted to resemble Knievel’s “Color Me Lucky” stunt bike.
Alongside Knievel rode stunt rider Robbie Maddison on a similarly-painted Rocket 3, paying tribute to the Skycycle X-2 rocket Evel used in the 1974 jump. Music for the parade was provided by Evel’s granddaughter Krysten Knievel, daughter of Evel’s late son Robbie Knievel.
It was a joyous day, with the extended Knievel family celebrating Evel’s legacy.
The Snake River Rocket Jump
While recovering from the injuries sustained during his infamous Caesar’s Palace jump, Evel Knievel began planning a stunt even more ambitious and reckless. His original goal was to jump the Grand Canyon, but his team failed to secure necessary permits.
Determined to jump some canyon, Knievel moved the stunt to the Snake River Canyon in Indiana. At a quarter-mile wide and 500 feet deep, this canyon certainly offered enough of a challenge.
Knievel promoted the stunt with the Skycycle, which was essentially his Bonneville T120 with wings attached. That bike (or any other, for that matter) wouldn’t have been able to clear the canyon, so Knievel hired ex-NASA engineer Robert Truax to build a special rocket-powered machine.
The true Skycycle’s first iteration, the X-1, was built around a motorcycle chassis. However, it failed to jump the canyon during a test and crashed into the Snake River.
Even a daredevil like Knievel decided a redesign was necessary. So, the Skycycle X-2 dropped the motorcycle concept altogether, instead being a more straightforward steam-powered rocket.
Following two test flights, Knievel performed his Rocket Jump on September 8, 1974. However, a mechanical flaw in the X-2 caused its drogue parachute to deploy upon launch, adding huge amounts of draft to the rocket.
Now, Knievel did technically make the jump, as the X-2 flew to the north side of the canyon. However, the strong winds in the canyon caught the rocket’s parachute and pushed it back over the rim.
Ultimately, Knievel crash-landed back on the southern side of the Snake River. He sustained only minor injuries, but he could still color himself lucky. According to Knievel, his safety harness’ release mechanism also malfunctioned, and he would’ve surely drowned if he’d landed in the river.
Although the Rocket Jump was a failure, it caught the nation’s attention. Together with the Caesar’s Palace jump, it made Knievel into the legend he is today.