Great Escape re-enactment

[subanator]

Seen this on another site, well worth reviving the memory.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/videos/article5718912.ece

[Gerard De Ruyter (Twistandshout)]

yes, nicely (re)done great escape jump.  but really, was that jump that 'daring'?  your average vmx meet has bikes doing this all day long.  not over a pole but that height.  the landing on pre-75 suspension wouldn't be fun, but the jump itself ain't dangerous. 

and no comparison with modern mx meet jumps, specially in the states.  they're in the air for like days.

[husky61]

Very nice little Doco.

[mx250]

yes, nicely (re)done great escape jump.  but really, was that jump that 'daring'?  your average vmx meet has bikes doing this all day long.  not over a pole but that height.  the landing on pre-75 suspension wouldn't be fun, but the jump itself ain't dangerous. 

and no comparison with modern mx meet jumps, specially in the states.  they're in the air for like days.

I agree. It was a good and a daring jump but not so exceptional to qualify for the hype that has surrounded it I think. Probably a classic of Hollywood PR hype appealing to the uninformed.

To do the jump without helmet or protective gear took balls or stupidity , or maybe it was enormous ego and over confidence . or a fat pay check .

[husky61]

I'll go with the pay cheque theory

[mx250]

Despite the 'voice over' comments in the vid I think the difference between the Rickman and the original Triumph is like chalk and cheese. You'll notice in the original as Steve powers away the rear suspension pogoing away - it looks like a street bike.

[TooFastTim]

To do the jump without helmet or protective gear took balls or stupidity , or maybe it was enormous ego and over confidence . or a fat pay check .

Steve Colley can walk on water. Nah seriously, Steve won a bunch of world championship trials rounds and wouldn't have done it unless he was confident.

[Tex]

Thanks a lot for posting this, it was quite interesting.

Tex

[Freakshow]

mmm i have to agree its a little bit of media looking for somthing to do really, i cant even say the reinactment represents the jump.

From what i remember Bud edkins, Mc queen and another riding buddy went out and practiced that jump a days before the location was used and they all cleared some string they had set up to represent the height, they took a spade and made a ramp behind the mound as a launchpad, they said they then covered it up to make it look less intense for the studio boffins and mc queen was going to do it, but when they came to set up for the shot the studio put there foot down and said No ( as they did to a few scenes in the bullit) and in the end Bud did it, most Studio crew where surprised he did it in one take, reality was they all had cleared it days before and had well rehearsed the run up and speeds needed.

Although i still think it would be a sore arse landing as i kid i always thought the bike changed from the one in the shot before to the one in the air even to the point it had knobblies on it, anyhow that aside for that era a jump that high was failry standard for these guys, on the TT curcuit you would see track guys clearing that height on lesser run ups.  If i look through my Photo album a few images show that, like :

Pic 1 is Ricky Graham and Alex jorgensen with Air at Cow palace, TT, ( Boss frame 650 YAm and triumph) jump take off is about 4ft so same height as Buds
Pic 2 is Ricky Graham and hank scott ( Boss frame triumph/yamaha) Flat jump

I guess what im saying is i agree with the comments above its an Iconic moment in Movies, not a overwelming jump though, and the Papers re-inactment really was a waste of time...........

But thanks for the post, it show Vmx is coming mainstream 

[vandy010]

that little video was actually quite entertaining/funny.
nice bike though...

[jimg1au]

have any of you jumped a pre 65bike i have it is not easy if in std road trim.i jumped a compy matcho out of a dry dam once and when it landed it was all over the place.it came out of the dam at chest height as i was told by onlookers.i was about 14 at the time.my brother had a bout 4 old british bikes we used to ride around.he said if i could start them i could ride them.ot the back of his house was the dam on his 8 ac block 48klm out of goulburn.the other was a triumph tiger cub,jupmed the 15 ft drop off at mt kemble mx track at a st george no 1 plate day.dirt track mx and trials all on the 1 bike on the 1 weekend.a bit daring on my part and hit a big tree coming out of the corner that was the end of my weekend damaged the bike.
cheers

[Doc]

I read an interveiw with the late Bud Ekins recently and here is a small snippet about this particular jump. 65ft on a 'stock' '62 triumph is a pretty mean feat in my eyes

There were three other stuntmen on the set and I learnt from them. This jump was shot on a Monday. On Sunday, Steve, myself, an Australian motocross racer and Tim Gibbs, an excellent rider, all went out to where they were going to shoot it and the effects man put a piece of string across at all these different heights. The bike was a '62 Triumph. It was completely stock.
 
 The first time, I'd take a run at it and jump maybe two feet off the ground. Then we would take a shovel and dig this natural ramp, changing the angles on it. And I'd jump four, six, eight feet and then when we reached 10 feet we said that's it! Nobody else from the crew knew we were up there.
So when it comes to Monday none of us said we'd already done it. When I went ahead and did it, we did it in one take. It seemed I was up in air forever - 10 or 12 feet high and 65 feet distance jumped. When I was in the air it was dead silent
 

[Freakshow]

YEp thats what i remembered Doc. 

but i dont remember the 65 ft bit i heard it was more like 30 ft but it was a while back i read that.  True it was a prity mean feat on that ol girl, (cause the arse end would always drop in flight ), but then so was jumping the same bike over 150 ft over the fountains at cesaers palace 

I know its differant eras and bike carateristics, but a leap over a rubber band fence isnt as ballsy as a drop off  robbie madison style is it ?

i mean you might break your leg on the old girl but not you life like this one http://www.break.com/index/robbie-madisons-world-record-jump.html

[mx250]

I think is was in the order of 65ft. I've replayed it a few time and I estimate the bike is doing about 80kph and its in the air for a second or so. 80kph=24m/sec, x 3=pretty damn close to 65ft .

[maicomc490t]

Wow - in this day and age no lid?
Steve Colley should have read the label on all old Honda's, lol!!!
Nice bike, nice sound and a neatly done jump - the rest - welllllllllllllllllllll
Dave Mac