Evel Knievel2014 Evel Knievel Days July 24-26For Evel Knievel fans, his hometown of Butte, Montana, is the only place to be July 24-26. Why? Evel Knievel Days gets underway.
And this year’s meeting will feature the largest collection of authentic Evel Knievel memorabilia, including the stunt rider’s performance leathers, never-before-seen photographs, X-rays of Evel’s broken bones, plus his original jump bikes and his personal helmets.Speaking of the collection, its owner Lathan McKay says “After years of Evel’s possessions being lost in obscurity and so many things sold, stolen or missing, the collection is coming back together.” McKaay terms the hunt and discovery process, “Evel Archaeology.”Some other special names in the stunt world will be on hand at Evel Knievel Days, including Evel’s son, the daredevil Robbie Knievel. He will sign autographs and greet fans.Also in attendance will be BMX stunt rider Mat Hoffman, who will put on a show. Other events include the Evel Urban Downhill bike race, a skateboard competition, tons of musical acts and so much more – “all in the hometown of the ultimate daredevil whose fearlessness is still imprinted on the imagination of an entire generation.”Knievel made headlines from the mid ‘60s to the early ’80s for his daring motorcycle jumping and risk-taking attitude. A man of unabashed confidence and brashness, he derived as much fame from the jumps he failed to make—and the injuries he suffered—as the many he completed.For updates, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Evel-Knievel-Enterprises.
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This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!