Left : Paul Yaffe ’ s “ Prodigy ” was just one of many custom bikes seen at the Buffalo Chip ’ s Motorcycles as Art exhibit . Middle : American Rider ’ s stalwart photojournalist Olivier Touron was invited to display his work , which centered on the Medicine Wheel Ride organization , at the Buffalo Chip ’ s Motorcycles as Art exhibit . Right : Karen and Bill Davidson share a laugh during an event to promote the newly released memoir written by their father , Willie G . Davidson . The book is titled Ride Free , and it includes incredible insight into the resounding legacy of Harley- Davidson .
Fast- forward several decades to when Buffalo Chip founder Rod “ Woody ” Woodruff and Shawn Ives , father of Kyle and Cody Ives of recent Ives Brothers Wall of Death fame and a renowned stunt rider in his own right going back to the Globe of Death , came up with the idea of the Death Wire Daredevil Spectacular .
For the main event , Kyle Ives would jump his motorcycle over Karl Wallenda ’ s great grandson Blake Wallenda , who would be on a steel wire with a diameter of only 5 / 8 of an inch walking the 375 feet across the Buffalo Chip amphitheater – you guessed it – without a net .
Wallenda was quoted as saying his great- grandfather and Evel Knievel talked about doing a similar feat but never did . The Buffalo Chip stunt was a fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation , a nonprofit with a long history of working with the motorcycling community . And it would be a tribute to Evel Knievel ’ s son Robbie , who died of pancreatic cancer this year , as well as Shawn Ives , a cancer survivor who kicked off the show by jumping a Harley- Davidson XG750 over 10 cars .
After a fair amount of theatrics , Shawn Ives pulled off his jump without a hitch , and I caught up with him and Kyle while they were signing posters and the crew was setting up for the main event .
Below : As he took flight , Shawn Ives ’ vision , which was already lessened as a result of radiation treatment , was further impacted by the setting sun in front of him . It wasn ’ t until he saw the landing ramp beneath him that he knew he was going to make it . Right : Darren McKeag designed the event poster .
Photo by Paul Dail
AMERICANRIDER . COM | OCTOBER 2023 | 15