Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1002797
Riding a Roland Sands- modified Indian Scout FTR750 flat-tracker, Pastrana started off with a relatively simple 140-foot jump over 52 crushed cars, though each of the following leaps was more difficult and, therefore, dan- gerous—just how a showman like Knievel would've done it. About an hour later, he sailed over 16 Greyhound buses parked side by side in a back lot of the Planet Hollywood Casino. Then, after riding his bike up Las Vegas Boulevard with a police escort, Pastrana completed the most difficult leap of the afternoon, sailing over the fountain at Caesar's Palace despite being able to use only about 200 feet, or half of the run-up that Knievel utilized when he crashed spectacularly in his 1967 attempt. By today's elevated standards, none of the jumps was particularly difficult and would no doubt be relatively simple for nearly any local pro moto- crosser on a contemporary 450. (After all, a few years ago, Mike Metzger back-flipped his Kawa- saki KX250 over the fountain.) But Pastrana wanted this event (which kicks off Car Week on the History Channel) to be a tribute to Knievel and not just about him going farther than Knievel's leaps. Thus, he made the conscious decision to eschew his Suzuki RM-Z450 and em- ploy something closer to the old Harley-Davidson XR750 dirt-track bike that Knievel relied on—some- thing with a third of the wheel travel and a good 100 pounds more compared to today's 450s. Pastrana even carried the tribute theme over to the graphics scheme for the bike, leather suit, boots and helmet. After practicing in a black leather outfit on a rather stock-appearing FTR750 last month, he unveiled a package in Vegas that clearly evoked the Knievel image with a white base and wide blue stripes outlined in red and containing white stars. He even donned a cape for the initial, single practice run-ups before each jump, though he removed it for the actual jumps in order to reduce aerodynamic drag. After his last leap, a re- lieved Pastrana removed his helmet and trotted back to the fountain where, to the crowd's delight, he belly-flopped in to cool off in the near 100-degree weather. There would be no trip to the medical center in whose shadow he ironically completed the first two jumps. Instead, Pastrana was free to celebrate his accomplishment with his family and many friends. Mark Kariya IN THE WIND P54 Though free to the public, this was primarily a live television show.