Evel Knievel , born Robert Craig Knievel, was the epitome of daredevilry, a name synonymous with heart-stopping motorcycle jumps and death-defying jumps long before modern-day performers such as Travis Pastrana were even born.

By Gray Van Dyke Courtesy Hot Cars

Throughout the 1970s, he captivated the world, launching himself over cars, buses, and even canyons with nothing but grit, skill, and the luck of his motorcycle beneath him. But Knievel wasn’t just a stunt rider; he was an entertainer and a pioneer who pushed the limits of what was physically possible on two wheels. He experimented with several different twin-cylinder motorcycles throughout his career, but he only trusted one Harley-Davidson to carry him to safety. And the funny thing is – Harley had originally designed it as a low-production factory race bike.

As a rider for Harley-Davidson, Evel Knievel performed some truly death-defying feats, setting records with a 129-foot jump over 19 cars in 1971, a 120-foot jump over 50 stacked cars in 1973, and a 133-foot jump over 14 buses in 1975 – each on an XR750. Of course, not all of his performances went according to plan. Beyond the records he set for jumps, Knievel holds the Guinness World Record for the most broken bones in a lifetime with 433 fractures to his name.

Knievel Found His Footing On Other Bikes First

Long before Evel Knievel was big enough to attract the attention of Harley-Davidson, he started out on a little Honda 350. As part of a promotional effort to create publicity for a local dealership, he cleared a crate of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions. After that first jump, his increasingly ambitious stunts required bigger and more powerful motorcycles -- especially in the case of the Snake River Canyon attempt with the rocket-propelled Skycycle X-2.

Other Evel Knievel Jump Bikes

• Norton Commando 750 (1966)
• Triumph Bonneville 650 (1967-1968)
• Laverda/American Eagle 750 (1969-1970)
• Skycycle X-2 (Snake River Canyon Jump)

Making A Deal To Ride For Harley-Davidson

Evel made his first public jump atop a Harley-Davidson XR750 on December 12th, 1970 at the Lions Dragstrip in Los Angeles, California, successfully clearing 13 cars. From that point on, Harley-Davidson provided the American stunt rider with a series of XRs covered in the Stars and Stripes. As the owner of the Kewanee Harley-Davidson dealership, Roger Reiman took over as his head mechanic, while George Sedlak laid down the eye-catching paint that covered each bike.

A Stunt Bike Born From Harley's AMA Race Efforts

Evel Knievel’s daredevil career wouldn’t have been the same without the XR750. However, the fact is that Harley-Davidson didn’t design it with the intention of jumping. The XR was a purebred flat track racing bike, created in response to an AMA rule change that left Harley less competitive against rival British motorcycle manufacturers like Triumph, BSA, and Norton. It boasted a newly developed overhead valve V-twin race engine based on the Sportster XLR, and the frame was made to be lightweight yet responsive with a thinner backbone construction (1" compared to the XLR's 1.65") for flat track competition.

1972 Harley-Davidson XR750 Performance Specs

Harley-Davidson

Harley's initial XR750 efforts utilized cast-iron heads and cylinders that had a tendency to overheat during warm conditions and/or longer races, earning them the nickname "waffle irons." Evel Knievel's first jumps behind the bars of an XR750 came atop an Iron Head, though his performances weren't affected in the same way that flat trackers were.

Still, Harley-Davidson introduced a new, more powerful aluminum alloy XR750 engine in 1972 that benefited from a bump in power as well as improved cooling. In combination with the Ceriani forks, twin Girling rear shocks, aluminum rims, and fiberglass tank and tail, it made for a svelte package that weighed in right around 300 lbs. Flat track bikes were sold without a front brake, but Knievel's XR750 needed all the stopping power possible. The most miraculous part of his choice to use the now classic Harley , though, is that it had a mere five inches of suspension travel.

XR750 Competition Accomplishments

• From 1972 to 2008, the XR750 won 29 out of 37 AMA Grand National Championships
• The road-going XRTT won three out of six races in the 1972 Anglo-American Series
• The XR750 is the winningest motorcycle in AMA Pro Racing motorcycle history

What A Harley-Davidson XR750 Is Worth Today

As the XR750 was intended for competition purposes, Harley-Davidson didn't offer it as a standard production bike. After the XR debuted, Harley built small batches in 1972, 1975, 1978, and 1980. Because many racers would opt for a custom frame, Harley-Davidson eventually stopped offering the complete bike and made only the engine available. Some sources report around 500 competition XRs leaving Harley-Davidson, while others state that the tally numbers even less. Regardless, authentic examples from the era are hard to come by, and they can fetch some hefty sums at auction.

Harley-Davidson XR750 Pricing (Classic.com)

As with any Classic.com comparison, it's important to note that this market doesn't filter by trim. In this case, that means that the XR750 sales data also includes results from the XRTT racer as well as tribute bikes. Even still, the average serves as a decent benchmark. Mecum recently sold a 1980 XR750 for $55,000, while Bring a Trailer recently sold a 1970 XR750 for $28,000. Though XR750 flat trackers are beginning to creep up in value, you'll find that the XRTT makes for a much more expensive investment. Exact counts differ (some say 15, others say 25), but the low production volume means that original examples are routinely selling for close to six figures.

Knievel Bike Sales

• Bonham's valued the lone surviving XL1000 from 'Viva Knievel' at $80,000-$100,000
• Mecum sold Knievel's Honda CBX for a record-tying $49,500