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A nine year old boy’s dream motorbike becomes reality in this exacting copy of stunt man account Evel Knievel’s Harley-Davidson jump bike – now for sale with iconic auctioneers on November 12th at the NEC, Birmingham.
Lifelong Evel Knievel fan, John Timoney, spared no expense in creating his fully exact copy of Evel’s bike that he describes as: “a lovingly-created, way-too-noteworthy-spent Knievel Jump bike….”
It involves sale with Iconic Auctioneers for an estimate of £15,000 to £20,000 at the NEC on November 12th.
John says: “I’m a lifelong Knievel fan and am old adequate to have actually been at Wembley on twenty sixth May 1975 to survey Evel jump. Evel and the bike made a vast affect on me, and I vowed that one day I would gain a bike factual care for his. Many years ago, I did actually purchase a true ex-Scott Pearson XR750, but didn’t have the heart to decrease up a true race bike, so ended up promoting it on after a decade of it sitting in my office as an costly ornament.”
He says that it took a decade to create this masterpiece, the planning, accumulating the parts and the constructing itself took many years of his lifestyles. “To set aside it mildly, it was a labour of treasure.”
All his lifestyles, from his earliest memories, John was a passionate petrolhead, and when he came across Evel Knievel this hobby in cars and bikes was turbo charged. He speaks about Evel with great data and compassion, and a fascination with the complexity of the man – huckster, swindler, safe cracker, and ultimately, a tortured soul who created a larger-than-lifestyles character, who repeatedly set aside his lifestyles on the line for the entertainment of an audience. He delivered even when he knew his jumps may easily trace him his lifestyles (care for the famous Snake River Grand Canyon jump). Evel never went back on his notice, and went ahead with increasingly unstable stunts, despite the crippling pain of his damaged and abused physique.
It is this respect for the account of Evel Knievel that has driven John Timoney to recreate in each detail this astounding motorbike. One day there may smartly be a e-book on the man from this source as smartly, one thing that Hollywood may smartly take to in a vast way.
“Many, many years of accumulating parts and information went into this bike, as smartly as an insane amount of cash to acquire it hand-constructed and worked on by the suitable other folks – Andy and Sav at Pacoima Bikes in Norfolk, and Baz Church, who did the engine. Assist was also sought from Lathan Mackay at the Topeka Museum in Kansas, along with other infamous consultants, in conjunction with John Steele within the US, who met Knievel and did a deal to promote licensed replica Knievel XRs”.
John continues “the bike is road registered and road legal, although all thru daylight hours most attention-grabbing, as it has no lights or electrics. As a historic automobile, it’s also free from road tax, so that you can legally avoid paying tax, not like Knievel, who got caught for doing exactly that. It’s registered accurately as a 1966 XLCH, and the original frame is incorporated within the sale. The original XLCH donor bike was a basket case and has been rescued. It was a very most attention-grabbing base, as it already had a lot of parts that weren’t original, so I had no qualms about chopping up an original bike. The reason the frame wasn’t old-fashioned, and is supplied as a spare, is because I sourced a 1979 Sportster frame, because the rear geometry and castings on the rear of the frame for that year, are very shut to the scale and survey of an XR750 flat-tracker. The entrance terminate was then decrease out and fresh parts fabricated, to the exact dimensions of an XR750 (the exhaust of factory blueprints). Many other folks make XR-replicas and avenue trackers, but no person goes to the effort of copying the headstock and rake of the bikes… and I’m now not taken aback; it’s a lot of work. But to me, that’s one of the magical substances that offers the bike it’s aggressive stance. Many original 1970’s XR race parts had been sourced and imported, in conjunction with waffle grips, fork-stops, slay swap, and an ex-race XR750 oil tank”.
Millimetre-very most attention-grabbing replicas of Knievel’s self-designed double-brace handlebars had been purchased from the Evel Knievel museum in Kansas. These had been not probably to source for years, because they had been originally made by Apartment of Handlebars to Knievel’s specifications, and that company ceased operating years ago. They’re accurately finished in nickel, now not chrome, and Evel wanted these extra-large bars, as he believed they gave him better stability in mid-air.
“The petrol tank and tail had been accomplished by two artists that I persuaded to collaborate” continues John, “and maintain me, it’s a stunt in itself to acquire artists to collaborate without their egos clashing!” The base colours are airbrushed, and the graphics, lettering and gold leaf was all hand-painted by a man identified as Nefarious; an unbelievable talent who has now sadly passed away. There’s no vinyl or stickers, and this has been done as faithfully as that you can imagine to George Sedlak’s original absorb (Evel’s painter at some point of the 1970’s, who was accountable for customising his bikes and helmets). There’s a apt vinyl pinstripe seat which replicates the jump bike; Evel had is driver and mechanic, John Hood, brink three XR’s to Wembley: A jump bike, a wheelie bike, and a spare. The wheelie bike had seat pinstripes which ran 90 levels the alternative way, to present Evel better ’shoe-grip’ for standing wheelies).
The bike also has accurately ‘mis-matched’ entrance and rear wheels and tyres. The entrance tyre was a 19” flat track racing tyre and the rear was a Pirelli DT knobbly, because that would give the rear tyre extra grip in stadiums, and a miniature extra cushion on landing. The entrance wheel is also an XR alloy (19” XR high wall/flanged rim), however the rear was always a standard Sportster rim, because it had a better chance of now not buckling on landing. Factual and very hard to acquire 35mm Ceriani GP forks are old-fashioned, as they had been retained on Knievel’s XR from the factory race bikes. John also tells us that “the start shotgun exhaust pipes now have baffles in… but are aloof loud! The baffles are easy to take out if you really want to hear the bike roar, but factual know that you’ll lose the friendship of your neighbours, and you’ll slay any natural world inner a 500m range”.
John Timoney says: “The tank artwork was taken from what I maintain was the originally-meant jump bike; which Knievel switched earlier than the jump, because he didn’t care for the gearing (Knievel was to blame for the gearing which came up fast on the eventual jump). So I maintain this tank absorb was presupposed to be the jump bike, and for me, it was the ‘luckier’ paint scheme. In addition, the actual jump bike featured a coiled ’Snake River’ Cobra which I didn’t mediate as good a absorb.”
John Timoney has one thing of his hero’s passion. His gain background is in art and graphic absorb, having constructed up a number of marketing consultancies in this area. He described Evel as “a kind of surrogate dad” and hopes that his passion challenge would meet with the great man’s approval.
In some ways the two echo each other. When Evel said he would terminate one thing, on the alternative hand crazy, he would whine, follow thru, and be suitable to his notice. In creating this bike, John Timoney has delivered on the disclose he made as a nine-year old, and all thru that pilgrimage, has made a personal tribute to his hero, creating and delivering a remarkable challenge that deserves the greatest of homes (preferably with anyone who has access to 13 London buses, and a hefty provide of Wild Turkey Kentucky Bourbon).
As Evel would trace his autographs: “Happy Landings” (and happy bidding).
For extra information on this motorcycle or any of the others already entered for the Motorbike Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Reveal on 12th November, please survey www.iconicauctioneers.com. If you happen to have a motorcycle or sequence that you are interested is promoting, please contact our motorcycle specialist on +44 (0) 1926 691 141 or [email protected].