Triumph Unveils Two New Rocket 3 Evel Knievel Limited Editions

Triumph Motorcycles has unveiled two new Limited Edition Rocket 3 motorcycles, celebrating the legendary partnership between Evel Knievel and Triumph.

Offering riders a rare opportunity to own a piece of daredevil history with a record-breaking pedigree, Triumph will be making just 500 of these special motorcycles available around the world.

The new Rocket 3 R and GT Evel Knievel Limited Editions honour the enduring relationship between Triumph and Knievel, from his first televised performance riding a Bonneville T120, to his breakthrough leap over the fountains at Caesars Palace.

Featuring stunning full chrome fuel tanks, the Limited Editions take inspiration from Knievel’s iconic white jumpsuit, adorned with Knievel’s iconic stars and stripes graphic on a crisp white base. The matching rear bodywork and contrasting matt Sapphire Black panels, are paired with statement leather seats featuring a gold-embroidered Evel Knievel signature logo, creating a bold, impressive look.

Each bike features a unique start-up screen animation and individually numbered black and gold cam cover plate, laser-etched with the Evel Knievel signature logo. Every owner will also receive an exclusive collector’s edition hardback book telling the story of Evel Knievel and his Triumphs, individually numbered to match their bike.

The Rocket 3 R and GT, with their record-breaking 2500cc engines, deliver power, performance and agility worthy of the world’s most famous daredevil motorcyclist. As well as generating a phenomenal 225Nm of torque and 182PS at 7000rpm, the Limited Editions benefit from a lightweight aluminium frame, high-specification suspension components, and top-tier braking performance, delivering effortless response and handling.

Triumph Motorcycles’ Chief Commercial Officer Paul Stroud said: “Evel Knievel performed many stunts on Triumph motorcycles during the 60’s, but his jump at Caesar’s Palace on a T120 TT, was the moment he created a legend that has inspired generations of fans. Working with the Knievel family, we have created two striking Limited Editions that are as spectacular on the road as Evel Knievel was in his heyday. With just 250 of each model available globally featuring beautiful Knievel design touches and with a specially commissioned book celebrating his achievements with Triumph, these Rocket 3 Limited Editions will appeal to collectors, fans and the thrill seekers among us.”

DISTINCTIVE DESIGN AND PREMIUM FINISHES

The iconic red, white, and blue colour scheme which incorporates America’s stars and stripes, adorns the stunning chrome fuel tank, and continues on to the front mudguard, where it has been incorporated into a new EK graphic, while elegant gold signature graphics embellish the radiator cowls.

The exclusive colour scheme, with Pure White accents, and contrasting Matt Sapphire Black panels on the flyscreen, headlight bowl, mudguards, side panels, and rear bodywork, highlights the bike’s powerful presence. The premium leather seat features a gold-embroidered Evel Knievel signature and inset brushed aluminium Triumph badge, while a custom Knievel-branded start-up screen animation provides a bespoke welcome every time the 2,500cc triple fires up.

Every owner will also receive an exclusive, collector’s edition hardback book, specially commissioned by Triumph, telling the remarkable story of Evel Knievel and his iconic connection with the brand. Written by renowned author and Knievel expert Stuart Barker, each book will be individually numbered to match the bike and signed by Triumph CEO Nick Bloor – a prized collectable in its own right for any fan of Triumph and Knievel.

ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE AND UNMATCHED PRESENCE

Riders can choose between the Limited Edition Rocket 3 R, with its bold muscle-roadster stance providing optimum power and control, or the Rocket 3 GT, which adds a more relaxed riding position and generous pillion accommodation.

Both are powered by the world’s largest production motorcycle engine and this raw power translates into exhilarating acceleration and an unforgettable ride experience. The distinctive triple-exit silencers further enhance the presence of both motorcycles, producing a deep, resonant exhaust note that complements its muscular performance and amplifies its commanding road presence.

PHENOMENAL HANDLING

Harnessing the Rocket’s impressive performance to deliver a controlled and compliant ride are large 47mm diameter Showa forks, adjustable for rebound and compression damping. At the rear is a Showa monoshock RSU with piggy-back reservoir, fully adjustable for preload, rebound and compression damping.

Exceptional stopping power is provided by top-specification radial Brembo Stylema brake calipers with twin 320mm discs. These lightweight, compact, and high performing calipers offer great airflow for pad cooling during spirited riding. The Brembo M4.32 four-piston radial monobloc rear caliper and 300mm rear disc is bigger and more powerful than the front brake setup on many bikes, helping to provide massive stopping power. The Rocket 3 R and GT Evel Knievel Limited Editions retain full Optimised Cornering ABS functionality.

DISTINCT ERGONOMICS

Each Rocket offers a distinct feel and personality, due to key differences in their ergonomics. The Rocket R’s roadster rider position and handlebar placement is designed to create a purposeful and engaging ride. The GT has a slightly more swept back set-up with a 125mm difference in grip position versus the R, for a more upright riding position.

Each model also gets its own dedicated seating set-up. The Rocket 3 R has a roadster rider and pillion seat with a 773mm seat height, offering comfort, low-speed confidence and manoeuvrability. Designed for enhanced comfort on longer rides, the Rocket 3 GT Evel Knievel Limited Edition offers greater touring comfort with more generously padded leather rider and pillion seats, with matching leather pillion backrest, ensuring both comfort and style for the passenger. The seat height for the GT is just 750mm, further improving rider confidence.

The biggest difference between the two models is the footpeg positions. The R has mid-foot controls, with two settings that offer 15mm of vertical adjustment, to cater for every size of rider, delivering a natural and sporty riding position. The GT has feet forward foot controls giving a more laid-back cruiser feel, with three horizontal position settings offering 50mm of adjustment, to provide the most comfortable position for long rides. Both R and GT models have innovative, neat, retractable pillion footrests.

Amplifying the bikes’ aggressive stance and attitude, both Rocket 3 Limited Editions have twin LED headlights with the Triumph maker’s mark triangle and signature shaped daytime running lights (DRL)*. There are LED indicators, rear light and number plate light, delivering a really distinctive light signature maintaining the Rocket 3’s strong road presence even at night.

GENEROUSLY EQUIPPED

Intuitive rider-focused technology allows riders to confidently exploit the Rocket 3 R and GT epic performance potential.

Ride-by-wire enhances rideability, safety and control, while the Rocket’s high-performance gearbox is engineered with helical cut gears to transmit the huge torque to the rear wheel smoothly. The Torque Assist clutch helps riders shift up and down the six-speed box with satisfying speed and smoothness, while a Triumph Shift Assist quickshifter is available as an accessory fit for both models.

Both models feature optimised cornering ABS and traction control for enhanced stability, improving both straight line and cornering, acceleration and braking. Hill Hold prevents the bike rolling backwards and applies the rear brake until sensing the rider is starting to move off. Both come equipped with four riding modes, road, rain, sport and rider-configurable, which adjusts the throttle map and traction control settings.

The electronic cruise control system is fitted as standard as well. Activated by a single press of the button, the speed can be set and adjusted up or down in 1mph increments, as well as be resumed with just one touch.

Both models feature a high functionality full colour TFT set-up with a five-way back-lit joystick. This has a minimal stylish design with two information layout design themes, and the adjustable instrument angle set-up provides optimum visibility for every height of rider. The rider can even personalise the start-up screen message with their name.

Adding extra security, both bikes have standard fit keyless ignition and steering lock, which can be disabled. The key fob can also be turned off to prolong battery life and increase security. Plus, there’s a USB charging socket in a dedicated compartment under the seat, where devices can be kept safe and dry while charging.

LIMITED EDITION WITH EXTRA PERSONALISATION

With over 50 Genuine Triumph Accessories to add comfort, practicality, style and security, riders can customise their Limited Edition Rocket to make it truly bespoke. Owners can choose from interchangeable R and GT foot controls, rider and pillion seats for tailored ergonomics, plug and play technology for greater convenience, styling parts to customise the look and luggage solutions for longer rides.

ON THE ROAD

Arriving in dealerships from March 2025, the new Rocket 3 R Evel Knievel Limited Edition will be available from £25,495 OTR, while the Rocket 3 GT Evel Knievel Limited Edition will be £26,195 OTR. Customers can place an order or find out more at triumphmotorcycles.co.uk.

SPECIFICATION ENGINE

SPECIFICATION CHASSIS

SPECIFICATION DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHTS

SPECIFICATION CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS (EU)

THE MAKING OF A LEGEND – EVEL KNIEVEL

Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007) was an iconic American motorcycle stunt performer and showman, performing ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps during a career that took him from rural county fairs to sold-out stadiums.

To many generations of fans, he was more than just a stuntman—he was a symbol of daring and adventure, and Triumph motorcycles played a pivotal role in his rise to fame. Knievel performed some of his most iconic jumps on a Triumph Bonneville, including his first televised stunt and the infamous 1967 Caesar’s Palace fountain jump, which cemented his global fame. During 1967 and 1968, Knievel exclusively rode Triumphs, recognizing their superior handling and reliability for his dangerous feats.

Evel’s iconic name supposedly came about after a police chase in 1956 in which he crashed his motorcycle. Taken to jail on a charge of reckless driving he was placed in a cell next to one William Knoffel. Knoffel was well known as ‘Awful Knoffel’ (rhyming ‘awful’ with ‘Knoffel’), and at roll call the guard referred to Knievel as ‘Evil Knievel’. Evel adopted the tag and chose the misspelling to match his last name… and because he didn’t want to be considered ‘evil!’

Performing more than 175 jumps during a career that took him from rural county fairs to sold-out stadiums, Knievel went toe-to-toe with danger and lived to tell the tale.  He is recognised by Guinness World Records as having broken or re-broken more bones than any person in history, with the total listed at 433 (although this is likely exaggerated), and he would spend years of his life in hospital.   But despite failed jumps, crashes, and multiple broken bones, he always rose to perform again.

Evel Knievel has left a remarkable legacy behind him. He inspired an entire generation of kids to jump their pushbikes over ramps and, later, to progress onto motorcycles. In fact, most of today’s top stunt performers and extreme sports athletes credit Evel Knievel as an inspiration.

In every kid who pops a wheelie on their pushbike, in every motorcyclist who guns the throttle, the spirit of Evel Knievel lives on.

EVEL KNIEVEL AND TRIUMPH

In 1967, Knievel finally received national exposure with his first appearance on ABC’s ‘Wide World of Sports’ jumping a 650cc Bonneville T120 over 15 cars at Ascot Park Speedway in Gardena, California.

During 1967 and 1968 Evel Knievel exclusively rode Triumphs, provided by Johnson Motors in Los Angeles. He made at least 15 jumps all over America first over cars and then on to the longest attempt of his entire career – 141 feet over the Caesar’s Palace fountains in Las Vegas.

In 1978, Knievel opted to ride a Triumph again for what would prove to be his final public appearances, this time on a 750cc Bonneville T140. By that point, Knievel was too badly injured to make jumps, so instead he would perform wheelies and act as master of ceremonies, while other stuntmen and women provided the thrills and spills. His final public performance was in Puerto Rico in March of 1980, meaning Evel Knievel saw out his career on a Triumph – the same manufacturer with whom he had originally made his name.

ASCOT PARK SPEEDWAY – FIRST TV PERFORMANCE

Evel Knievel got his first breakthrough when ABC’s ‘Wide World of Sports’ agreed to film him jumping over 15 cars at Ascot Park Speedway in Gardena, Southern California.

The jump marked the first time Knievel had ever appeared on national television, with the footage airing two weeks after the jump.  On March 25, 1967, American TV audiences got to see Evel Knievel jumping his Triumph Bonneville for the very first time.

The Ascot jump predated Evel’s now iconic white jumpsuit and cape. Instead, he wore yellow and black leathers, but he would return to Ascot a few months later to jump 16 cars – this time sporting a white jump suit for the first time.

COLOR ME LUCKY

Eight months on from Gardena, Evel Knievel shot to worldwide fame overnight after attempting to leap over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas on a Triumph Bonneville T120 called ‘Color me Lucky’.

Ahead of the New Year’s Eve festivities, thousands gathered outside the casino on December 31, 1967, to watch the attempt. After soaring 141 feet over the fountains, Knievel lost control of his Bonneville on landing and crashed spectacularly, horrifying the spectators.

Knievel suffered a concussion, multiple broken ribs, a broken left hip, a crushed pelvis, a broken jaw, and a broken nose. “I was hurt real bad,” he said. After spending 29 days in a coma, Knievel woke to discover that he was internationally famous, and that his life would never be the same again.

ROCKET MAN: THE SNAKE RIVER CANYON JUMP

Of all the outrageous stunts Evel Knievel performed, the most spectacular was his attempt to leap over the 500m (more than a quarter-mile) wide Snake River Canyon in Idaho, using a steam-powered rocket he dubbed the X-2.

But long before the X-2 was built, Evel had planned to make the jump on a heavily modified Triumph Bonneville T120 he referred to as the ‘Skycycle’. The original idea had been to jump over the Grand Canyon, and a mocked-up Triumph was shown at events to drum up publicity for the jump. The dummy Bonneville was fitted with four-foot delta wings, a seatbelt, a parachute, and two jet booster engines.

Permission for the Grand Canyon stunt was refused by the National Park Service. So, after flying over it one day, Knievel switched his attention to the narrower, but still imposing, Snake River Canyon instead.  Even so, it became apparent that it would take a different kind of vehicle than a conventional motorcycle to make such a huge jump. Never one to give up, Knievel adapted his plans and, along with US-Navy rocket engineer Bob Truax, developed a super-heated, steam-powered rocket – Knievel dubbed it the Skycycle X-2.

On September 8, 1974, after months of hyperbole, Knievel pressed the launch button and shot up a ramp, set at a 56-degree angle, hoping to reach a maximum speed of 394mph five seconds into the flight, before both he and his Skycycle X-2 drifted down to safety on the other side of the canyon with the use of parachutes. It was one of the most spectacular, and dangerous, stunts ever attempted… but, ultimately, it failed. The rocket’s drogue parachute deployed on take-off, causing Knievel and the Skycycle to lose control. The world watched on in horror as Knievel disappeared into the canyon, not knowing if he was alive or dead.

Miraculously, he crash-landed against a rocky outcrop a few feet from the river in which he would surely have drowned, surviving the crash relatively unhurt, and was picked up by a rescue team.

The Snake River Canyon stunt proved to be a major catalyst of Evel Knievel’s remarkable career. Although he would complete many more successful jumps, he would never again attempt anything so outlandish, nor on such a massive scale.  But, by then, his legacy was well and truly established and just like James Dean, Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando before him – he had helped thrust motorcycling into the heart of popular culture worldwide.

In 2024, as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Snake River Canyon attempt, Evel’s son Kelly and stunt legend Robbie Madison led the anniversary parade through Twin Falls, Idaho on two special tribute machines, a Bonneville T120 and a Rocket 3 painted in a one-off scheme inspired by Evel’s original ‘Color me Lucky’ Caesar’s Palace Triumph.

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