We followed the news: Nitro Circus and Indian Motorcycle, America’s first motorcycle company, announced that Travis Pastrana will be jumping an Indian Scout FTR750 when he looks to pay tribute to Evel Knievel, the founding father of motorcycle stunts, and surpass America’s most iconic daredevil. “Evel Live”, an unprecedented three-hour live event premiering Sunday, July 8th at 8PM ET/ 5PM PT on HISTORY in partnership with Nitro Circus.
We will see Travis Pastrana attempt three of Knievel’s most famed jumps on the Scout FTR750, including jumping the length of 52+ crushed cars, 16 Greyhound busses, and the ill-fated Caesars Palace fountain jump that left Knievel grasping for his life.
If successful, Pastrana will be the first individual to complete all three jumps in one three-hour timespan and on a motorcycle similar to those Evel used.
The Indian Scout FTR750 is a flat track racing motorcycle designed to push the boundaries of speed and redefine control with two wheels firmly on the ground. Rewinding time, you find the motorcycles Evel jumped were designed for similar purposes. However, neither were intended for jumping.
“It was extremely important to use a motorcycle similar to the ones Evel jumped. The Indian Scout FTR 750 is just that, a modern-day evolution of the flat track motorcycles of the past,” said Pastrana. “It has the power I need and handles well, but I’m only going to have a few days to get comfortable on it, not to mention I’ve never jumped a V-twin before. I’ve got my work cut out, but we’re used to going big at Nitro Circus, so we’ll make it happen.”
The Indian Scout FTR750 is far different from the lightweight motocross bikes you would typically find Travis Pastrana jumping. The engine of the FTR750 features a powerful 750cc 53-degree V-Twin and utilizes 43mm conventional front suspension with an adjustable Ohlin’s mono-shock on the rear.
Introduced in the American Flat Track racing series in 2017, the Indian Scout FTR750 secured 14 victories along with the manufacturer’s and rider’s championship in its first year of competition. So, they reached out to Roland Sands from Roland Sands Design, who is an experienced racer and amazing builder and an Indian fan to dial in these bikes for this historical event.
“We stayed with the stock forks but Jimmy Wood dialed them in for jumping with stiffer springs and a re valve,” said Roland. “We replaced the rear shock with a reteach shock that had an inch more travel, which on a bike with only three inches of total rear wheel travel made a big difference. We had to make a few changes during testing as we bent some swingarms after bottoming we found the limit and further stiffened the shocks.”
If you watched the History Channel show, you know the wild outcome.
“Dirt bikes have far more travel, up to 14 inches,” said Roland Sands. “The Scout has, I think, 4 inches of travel in the front. With a bike that weighs over 100 lbs more than a dirt bike with far less suspension it makes for a dangerous combination if it’s not set-up right. The margin for error is thin even when you have it set up perfect. Mistakes were not an option.”
LAS VEGAS (Sunday – July 8, 2018) – Sunday night, in front of an estimated 25,000 fans watching in-person from Las Vegas and more tuning in live on television across North America, action sports superstar Travis Pastrana celebrated Evel Knievel during the unprecedented HISTORY live event, “Evel Live.” Produced in partnership with Nitro Circus, “Evel Live” saw Pastrana pay homage to Knievel’s legacy as he set out to recreate three of the American legend’s most iconic jumps.
Pastrana pushed the limits even further though, breaking Knievel’s famous car and Greyhound bus jump records before completing the epic Caesars Palace fountain jump that left Knievel grasping for his life 50 years ago. Shortly after Pastrana took a celebratory dive into the Caesars Palace fountains to cap off the night, #EvelLive trended at #1 on Twitter.
“I’m thrilled to have had this opportunity to honor Evel Knievel, whose guts and showmanship created the foundation for action sports,” Travis Pastrana said afterwards. “Evel pushed himself and flew further on a motorcycle than anyone thought possible. So with this modern day tribute we wanted to bridge generations.”
In just three hours and under the pressure of a live TV broadcast, Pastrana first topped Knievel’s 1973 jump over 50 crushed cars by soaring more than 143 feet in the air over 52 vehicles.
Then he surpassed Knievel’s 1975 jump over 14 buses, flying nearly four stories high and covering a jaw-dropping 192 feet to clear 16 modern-day Greyhound buses.
“We gusseted the swingarms,” said Roland, “where we had some failures. The frames stayed Indian factory stock.”
Afterwards the first two jumps, Pastrana took to the streets with a police escort to ride to the Caesars Palace jump site. Fans quickly lined Las Vegas Boulevard, exchanging high-fives with Pastrana from taxis and the side of the road as anticipation for the finale built. The motorcade quickly closed The Strip.
Then Pastrana faced the Caesars Palace fountain jump that nearly took Knievel’s life a half-century ago after his infamous crash. As if that wasn’t daunting enough, given the expansion of Caesars Palace since Knievel’s ill-fated attempt, Pastrana had only a 200-foot run-in to accelerate to the 70-mph speed necessary to clear the fountain.
Pastrana also had to contend with stifling heat reaching 102 degrees and, just before the event, potential thunderstorms.
“Dirt bike weights vary anywhere from 220 to 250 pounds,” said Roland. “The FTR he jumped weighed a little over 350. Evel’s bike would have weighed about the same as the FTR.”
Even in ideal conditions and if he hit his speed marks perfectly, Pastrana would land with just a few feet to spare.
“The 2-into-1 pipe was the right pipe for the mapping and acceleration we were looking for,” said Roland. “The bike never had to sustain high speeds, but it had to accelerate like a beast to get Travis up to speed on the fountain jump. The run up was short-short and the bike isn’t a drag bike, it drops off pretty hard out of the gate until it gets the revs up, then it’s a beast.”
But, after arcing over the fountains, Pastrana touched safely down on the landing ramp to the roaring crowd and a flash of pyrotechnics.
“We’re proud to of been apart of the project,” said Roland. “It really felt like a defining moment for motorcycling and for Travis and as a result of the success a great moment for us as well. There was a lot riding on the jumps, primarily the life of my friend (Travis) who we sent over those gaps. It was a huge relief when it was over. Anything can happen and sometimes does, so we were ecstatic it all happened like it was supposed to.”
This electrifying event paid tribute to Evel Knievel in every possible detail. From Pastrana riding a Indian Scout FTR750, a modern day evolution of the flat track motorcycles of the past — and very different from the modern-day dirt bikes Pastrana usually rides – to the white leather suit and helmet decked out in American stars and stripes just like Knievel’s classic livery, these specifics illuminate how much Knievel achieved and the impact he has had on generations of fans.
“The moto cross seat we did with Saddlemen was really neat,” said Roland. “The TT foot controls, which make the foot controls the same on both sides (they are staggered for flat track) were seriously helpful, if your not riding a flat track. All the mods were to make Travis comfortable. They wouldn’t be mods you would make for riding around in a circle. Outside the paint job by Airtrix which would look good on just about anything.”
Spiegler brake lines
“The wheels are the exact wheels you can purchase from RSD for flat track racing,” said Roland. “They are the same wheels that came on the FTR with no modifications outside of the TT front brake set up. Normally a flat track bike has no front brakes.”
Paint by Airtrix
