Triumph Rocket 3 Special Editions Honor the Man With Most Broken Bones in History

Robert Craig Knievel by his full name, the stuntman took part during his career in some 175 jumps, performed in locations ranging from rural county fairs to Caesar’s Palace fountains in Las Vegas or the Snake River Canyon.

Knievel was a motorcycle man, so his jumps were performed on two-wheeled machines, including some made by Harley-Davidson. But no one can deny the fact he seemed to have a soft spot for Triumphs, of which he used many during his career.

A fan of the Bonneville, the American mounted a T120 nicknamed Color Me Lucky for his televised Caesar’s Palace fountain jump attempt in 1967, the one that really put him on the path to stardom. I say attempt because the 141-foot (43-meter) jump didn’t go as planned, and Knievel landed hard, suffering a concussion, multiple broken ribs, a broken left hip, a crushed pelvis, a broken jaw, and a broken nose, among others. And he also spent almost a month in a coma…

But that’s only the cherry on the injury cake that will forever be associated with the stuntman. The Guinness World Records recognized Knievel as the man who broke and rebroke the most bones in his body ever, with the count stopping at 433.

For no apparent reason (other than to celebrate “the legendary partnership between Evel Knievel and Triumph from his first televised performance riding a Bonneville T120”), British bike maker Triumph decided to bring Knievel back into the news this week by announcing two special edition versions of the Rocket 3, one meant for the R and the other for the GT.

As with any special edition something, the bikes are mechanically identical to the production variants of themselves, and only visual upgrades have been performed, to go with a small list of extras meant to make them a bit more special. As usual, I’ll start with what remains unchanged and that is, well, pretty much everything.

The Rockets’ aluminum frame still sport the world’s largest production motorcycle engine in existence, the mighty 2,500cc powerplant rated at 180 horsepower and 225 Nm of torque. It rides on a set of Showa forks at the front and a monoshock of the same make at the rear, while stopping power is provided by a collection of Brembo hardware.

The usual appointments continue to be offered, including the cornering ABS system, the twin LED headlights, or the keyless ignition and steering lock features. Also on deck are four riding modes, namely Road, Rain, Sport and a custom one.

The things that set these two bikes apart are still there as well. The Rocket 3 R, a roadster-like contraption by trade, still features the rider and pillion seat, floating 773 mm off the ground, and the mid-bike foot controls. The GT, on the other hand, is a more swept back touring two-wheeler with forward foot controls and a 750 mm seat height.

And now, a thing or two about the Evel Knievel Limited Edition bikes. Before going into it, keep in mind that what you’re about to read in the lines below applies to both motorcycles.

The first thing that catches the eye is, of course, the full chrome fuel tank on which special graphics have been crafted, in the colors of the American flag, with the accompanying stars and stripes, all of which extend to the front mudguard. There the eyes also see a special EK graphic, and then they fall upon the gold graphics displayed on the radiator cowls.

Triumph says the graphic and color design of the two Rockets were inspired by Knievel’s white jumpsuit, but that’s not the only visual upgrade made: the motorcycles also feature Sapphire Black panels, hints of Pure White, and plenty of Matt Sapphire Black (on the flyscreen, headlight bowl, mudguards, side panels, and rear bodywork). Topping everything off is a leather seat with Evel Knievel’s signature and logo embroidered in gold.

As a touch of coolness and in a bid to tie the bikes with the stuntman even more, Triumph went as far as to create a special start-up screen animation when the Rockets are powered up.

The bike maker says it will only make 500 units of the special edition Rockets, evenly split between the R and the GT. They will be available on a global level starting March 2025, and they will be offered for $27,495 and $28,295, respectively.

Each buyer will also receive “an exclusive collector’s edition hardback book telling the story of Evel Knievel and his Triumphs,” written by Knievel expert Stuart Barker, and signed by Triumph’s CEO, Nick Bloor.