Tag Archives: Evel Knievel

Not So Easy Rider safety film

This 1973 safety film starring Easy Rider star Peter Fonda and legendary stuntman Evel Knievel is not only hilarious, with some great period music, but also still surprisingly relevant today.

While the film doesn’t endorse lane filtering or splitting, most of the information supplied is still as relevant today as it was in the 1970s when the film was produced.

That is not to say that you will agree wth everything they say; for example that you should wear a white helmet to be more visible.

However, it’s an entertaining 17-minute video that features a segment with Evel.

Evel Knievel Harley-Davidson XL 1000 Sportster
Evel Knievel

We particularly love the reference to defensive motorcyclists treating all drivers as either “asleep, blind or drunk”.

There is also some great LA motorcycle police synchronised riding. It’s fascinating to watch, but it doesn’t have much to do with the message about how police cops “riding by the book” are actually safer than police in patrol cars. They quote the statistic of 18 accidents per million miles on police bikes compared with 27 in patrol cars.

There is also a true/false quiz to test your motorcycle knowledge.

And it finishes with a cringe-worthy safety message from Mr Easy Rider himself: “Have a good trip and don’t ride too easy.”

Could the Easy Rider Captain America chopper soon become the most expensive motorcycle in the world?
Peter Fonda on Captain America in Easy Rider

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com