website/content/museum/atari-stunt-cycle-model-sc-450.md

---
title: Atari Stunt Cycle (model SC-450)
categories:
- Consoles
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1977'
params:
  name: Stunt Cycle (model SC-450)
  image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stunt-cycle_1_s.jpg
  company: /companies/atari
  company_name: Atari
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Stunt Cycle (model SC-450)
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Atari
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1977'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Stuntcyle, Motocross, Drag Race, Enduro
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: motorbike handlebars
  - label: CPU
    value: Unknown
  - label: RAM
    value: Unknown
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: Unknown
  - label: COLORS
    value: 'yes'
  - label: SOUND
    value: 'yes'
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: Unknown
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: RF TV video output
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External power supply (9v DC, 500mA)
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  - software
  - links
  - videos
  forum_thread: 1245
  photos:
  - title: ATARI STUNT CYCLE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stunt-cycle_1_m.jpg
  - title: EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stunt-cycle_psu.jpg
  - title: BUTTONS & SWITCHES
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stunt-cycle_buttons.jpg
  - title: LOGO
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stunt-cycle_logo.jpg
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stuntcycle_box-complete.jpg
  - title: BOX - BACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/atari_stunt-cycle_box.jpg
  links:
  - title: AtariHQ.com
    url: http://www.atarihq.com/dedicated/stuntcycle.php
    text: nice info about Stunt Cycle from Atari
  - title: Chronogamer
    url: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=87&showentry=4164
    text: Nice review of the Sears version
  videos:
  - title: Sears Motocross Head Slide
    url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXtxfYLqN5A
    text: 'Length: 4 s'
  software:
  - /software/drag-race-616
  - /software/enduro
  - /software/motocross
  - /software/stunt-cycle
  oc_id: 1280
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230614010953/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1280
    date: '2023-06-14'
---

The following description comes from [www.atariHQ.com](http://www.atarihq.com) website, especially [the Stunt Cycle dedicated page](http://www.atarihq.com/dedicated/stuntcycle.php) :

"Considered by many collectors as the coolest of the dedicated (non-cartridge) Atari home consoles, Stunt Cycle allowed aspiring Evel Knievel wannabes the joy of performing knarly stunts -- without the risk of breaking one's neck. Tons of tricks to pull off here, from jumping cars and buses to flying over wide canyons. Based on the coin-op of the same name.

The original coin-op had been released in 1975 to take advantage of the then popular motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel. Originally a motorcycle salesman who began doing stunts to draw attention to his store, by the early 70's he was a household name. Atari's coin-op attempted to capture the feel and fun of the stunt jumping Evel Knievel was famous for, and was a mild success.

Now under Warner control and hoping to ride the crest of the Evel Knievel toy craze (even though it was near it's end), Atari decided to release a home version of Stunt Cycle. Originally codenamed "Stunt Debbie" during it's design, Atari Stunt Cycle (Model C-450) was released in 1977. Unfortunately 1977 also happened to be the year known for the death of the "dedicated" consoles, as the Fairchild Video Entertainment system had been released the year before. Known as the first programmable cartridge based console, it caused the "pong" market to collapse as the many pong knockoff manufacturers saw "the end" coming. Subsequently, they dumped their merchandise at clearance prices in an effort to get out with at least some money - unknowingly sparking what is known as the "first great video game crash". Atari didn't help Stunt Cycle's chances by releasing no less than 6 new pong consoles that year AND debuted it's own programmable console - the now famous Atari Video Computer System (2600).

As with all Atari dedicated consoles, Sears released it's own Atari manufactured version of the Stunt Cycle that same year. Called the Sears Telegames Motocross (Model 99748), Sears tried to remedy the flood problem by combining it's Ultra Sports IV console (equivalent to Atari's Pong Sports Doubles) console with Stunt Cycle. The result was a hybrid system that allowed you to plug in 4 pong paddles and play 16 different pong games along with the normal Stunt Cycle games.

Unfortunately, the plan didn't help Sears either. Besides the dedicated console crash, Evel and his toys were on the way out by the late 1970's due to his decreasing popularity after a series of failed stunts "

**Commercial text taken from the system box**:

"Jump 32 buses in your living room!\
\- Converts any TV into a racetrack with competition event for all members of the family.\
\- Designed with different skill levels, for handicapping. Always challenging, even for experts.\
\- Once you get the hang on it, go for it and put the difficulty switch in the "PRO" position. Be careful."