Oh great, my seven year old comes over to watch the video just as the guy grabs his crotch and says "...with balls."

That wasn't McQueen. That was Bud Elkins.

The only thing that would have made that video cooler would be if Colley had first popped the gas cap, shaken the bike, and said, "Switzerland".

Arthur Fonzerelli set the bar, and thus far no one has surpassed it.

FTA:

"When I was in the air it was dead silent," he said. "\ was hard. It just went bang, then it bounced. I made it on the first pass. I filmed it. That was that."

Said the amateur porn director...

Awesome.

John Paul Jones: That wasn't McQueen. That was Bud Elkins.

Weird, you'd think they'd have mentioned that in TFA...

FarkinNortherner: Weird, you'd think they'd have mentioned that in TFA...

They did, but I didn't RTFA first, natch. Oh, and it's Ekins, not Elkins.

The jump would be much harder using terrain, as per the movie, instead of a man-made mound of a ramp.....and no barbed wire? That makes it a much easier, 2-3 ft lower, jump. No brass necessary here.

Cool bike. Would love to have an original Triumph twin.

The jump was at totally the wrong angle. If Elkins had jumped at that angle, he would have hit the second fence and probably died.

Great 'recreation'.

Both Ekins and McQueen rode for the the USA in the 1964 International Six Days Trials in East Germany. Height of the Cold War.

Real brass balls on both of the guys.

Here's to 'em both, as Ekins died back in 2007, I think.

Motorcycle guys IRL.

IIRC McQueen developed the stunt, and did it himself first, proving it could be done, but when he wanted to do it in the movie MGM wouldn't let him because of the liabilities, so they had a stunt rider do it instead. As consolation, McQueen was allowed to be the Nazi chasing "himself" in that scene.

desidog: The jump would be much harder using terrain, as per the movie, instead of a man-made mound of a ramp.....and no barbed wire? That makes it a much easier, 2-3 ft lower, jump. No brass necessary here.

lofty29: The jump was at totally the wrong angle. If Elkins had jumped at that angle, he would have hit the second fence and probably died.

Great 'recreation'.

After completely RTFA (which appears to be more than they did), these comments are so full of fail that I don't know where to begin.

Nick Nostril: Cool bike. Would love to have an original Triumph twin.

The "barn fresh" picture of my 64 Bonneville.
This si the year I'm going to finish it. Frame and engine are finished (top end not on motor is all that left). Wheel bearings, wiring harness and minors bitsas and she'll be finshed. Even found an OK condition original tank with original paint. One ding, but hey, original is original.

loki see loki do: Nick Nostril: Cool bike. Would love to have an original Triumph twin.

The "barn fresh" picture of my 64 Bonneville.
This si [sic] the year I'm going to finish it.

And with these words have wives, lovers, and girlfriends been completely unconvinced and steeled themselves to the realization that they, like football widows, will spend their Sundays alone.

/I'm with you, brother.
//Post some pics and buy her some flowers.

ElPresidente:After completely RTFA (which appears to be more than they did), these comments are so full of fail that I don't know where to begin.

Yes I know it says that they built a natural ramp to do the original stunt. However, watch the original jump and the 'recreation', and you'll notice that the angles are hugely different.

Disguised as an American.

lofty29: However, watch the original jump and the 'recreation', and you'll notice that the angles are hugely different.

So are the camera angles. He still jumped an old school style motorcycle the same 7' high. That deserves respect.

loki see loki do: The "barn fresh" picture of my 64 Bonneville.

Motorcycle museum less than 20 miles from me, and only a few miles from the original Triumph factory. Enjoy (new window).

warlok42:.

Truer words never spoken, Brother Warlok.

Happily,she share some of my obsessison, and is SecaGirl600 online.
Although looking over my shoulder just moments ago, she did suggest that the Bonnie finished and sold would pay for a vacation in Hawai'i...

Funny, I never considered selling it.

loki, nice scooter. Good luck with the restoration. Love me some British vertical twins.

My old 68 Norton sure would look sweet on the street again.

Did you go with the new electronic ignition in place of points? Way more reliable.

Steve McQueen was a fellow Devil Dog, so them what tries to judge him need to grow up their own balls first. We are, of course, the Few, the Proud....

During his time in the Marines, McQueen saved the lives of five men in the Arctic after a transport ship struck a sandbank during a training exercise. Due to this dramatic event, he was greatly rewarded by becoming part of the honour guard protecting Harry S Truman's yacht.

ElPresidente: lofty29: However, watch the original jump and the 'recreation', and you'll notice that the angles are hugely different.

So are the camera angles. He still jumped an old school style motorcycle the same 7' high. That deserves respect.

loki see loki do: The "barn fresh" picture of my 64 Bonneville.

Motorcycle museum less than 20 miles from me, and only a few miles from the original Triumph factory. Enjoy (new window).

I was there with my brother in 1993 before the fire. Even rode Triumphs from London to Birmingham.

Cheers to me Brummie mates, BTW! Had a memorable couple of nights there.

...what I remember of them, anyway.

/much good beer!

I happened to pick up an insert to the Financial Times this weekend at B&N and inside there was a piece about these same motorbikes, The Triumph Desert Matisse. The company built one for a display and had so much interest that they began building them for sale. The builders were able to source original motors from the US and like the man mentioned they are completely re-built. I think they are selling for about 20,000 British pounds brand new now. Looks like a fun toy.

20,000 pounds?!

Not surprised about sourcing engines from this side. I think we have more Triumphs here than the UK.

And Metisse, Rickman, and various Flat Track (Trackmaster, etc.)frames are all over here frames are allover here, too.

BTW, here's the ultra nice 1970 TR6 me and my freinds at Autobahn Craftwerks restored.



Paint is incorrect for the model and year (1969 Bonneville scheme), but that is whatt the customer wanted. No one lays down paint like my pal Len Kerkhoff.

I don't know, and I don't really care, if the motorcycle chase scene from the 'Great Escape' was faked. For me, it was the best part of the whole movie.

evel is still not impressed
huge gonads on that one

Whamdangler: Oh great, my seven year old comes over to watch the video just as the guy grabs his crotch and says "...with balls."

So you and your kid don't have balls?

I have that movie. I never grow tired of watching it.

All that needs to be said about The Great Escape.


Link

Should pop.

I jumped a Triumph today, so I'm really getting a kick...


Naw, really. Of course the difference is that mine is a Speed Triple, and I only jumped it over the railroad tracks down the street from my house.

The movie bike and the recreation bike are nothing alike, at all. Same engine, maybe.

martid4: So you and your kid don't have balls?

Regardless, I don't need my kid going around at second grade now, grabbing his crotch and saying "I have balls!"

Is there anything science can't do?

loki see loki do: warlok42:.

Truer words never spoken, Brother Warlok.

Happily,she share some of my obsessison, and is SecaGirl600 online.
Although looking over my shoulder just moments ago, she did suggest that the Bonnie finished and sold would pay for a vacation in Hawai'i...

Funny, I never considered selling it.

You have to score one that has your sickness.

Girl Wonder is getting ready to trade her GB-500 to a friends husband for a fairly new Ducati ST2 with about 9k in upgrades on in. Girl Wonder has finally been bitten with the Italian bug after too many rides out on my little two-valve mistress.

And, she never spends a Sunday alone. Yeah, that's me on the back and her on the throttle.

[/im]

ElPresidente: So are the camera angles. He still jumped an old school style motorcycle the same 7' high. That deserves respect.

Impressive, yes, but it's still not a recreation.

I would have considered wearing a helmet.

TommyymmoT: I would have considered wearing a helmet.

Stu.

Whamdangler Oh great, my seven year old comes over to watch the video just as the guy grabs his crotch and says "...with balls."

...said the Farker w/ the name Whamdangler.

/I lol'd

So this is the thread where we post pics of our vintage bikes?
Here is my 1965 Honda S90.
She may not be as fast as the other beauties shown but I like the 89cc of "power" I can get up to 70mph if I have a light breakfast.

Midnight Rambler sez:

Arthur Fonzerelli set the bar, and thus far no one has surpassed it.

'Were gonna need bigger balls!'

The original bike was way heavier, and you can see the suspension is fairly soft. Took some pretty mondo huevos to stick the landing and not cough up a nut.

Would have been more impressive on a BMW single or twin of the era, but Ekins nuts would have been blasted out his ears on landing, and they'd still by prying the seat out of his dead and rotting arse crack to this day.

McQueen and Ekins both were pretty bad-ass. Take a look at 'On Any Sunday' for some good footage of them and some other off-road motorcycle greats.

Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky...

brigid_fitch: The only thing that would have made that video cooler would be if Colley had first popped the gas cap, shaken the bike, and said, "Switzerland".

From now on every time I ride my Ducati I'm going to do just that...

Bot v2.38beta: So this is the thread where we post pics of our vintage bikes?
Here is my 1965 Honda S90.
She may not be as fast as the other beauties shown but I like the 89cc of "power" I can get up to 70mph if I have a light breakfast.

Cool! When are you getting the engine put in?

Kooh-lah. Sir-tee daze!

FTA 'Though not identical to the Tiger used in the film, the Desert Racer is comparable in size (albeit somewhat lighter at 297lb versus 365lb)'

Somewhat lighter? There's a huge weight difference there. Of all the knocks on it being a true recreation or not that's the biggest one to me.

John Paul Jones: That wasn't McQueen. That was Bud Elkins.

This.

According to the Director's commentary on the DVD, That was the only stunt he didn't do himself on the bike. He wanted to, but they refused to allow it because it was done very early in production.

That'd be great if he did it over actual international boundaries and they had to lock him up in the cooler for it

Dammit... now I'm jonesing for an English bike again. My first and second streetbikes were a '72 Bonneville and a '75 Commando. I miss 'em both, oil leaks and all.

/still have my cbr900rr... favorite bike o' pirates: three times the 'arrr' of its nearest competitor.

This is a cool thread. It deserves a cooler tag.