Mitch Cronin Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 " Harley Davidson Swept Away by Japan Tsunami Surfaces in CanadaBy Kate Springer | @katespringer | May 2, 2012Read more: http://newsfeed.time.../#ixzz1tiuMFkFARiding his ATV across the beach on British Columbia’s isolated Graham Island, Peter Mark noticed a large container bobbing in the waves. Yielding to his curiosity, Mark peeked inside, only to find a Harley Davidson with Japanese license plates, along with some golf clubs and camping gear, Reuters reports. The bike is believed to have floated some 4,000 miles in the Styrofoam-lined storage unit, crossing the Pacific Ocean from Miyagi, a Japanese prefecture hit especially hard by the tsunami.Using the bike’s license number, authorities were able to identify the owner, Ikuo Yokoyama. The 29-year-old lived through the tsunami but lost his home and three family members. “The first thing that popped into my mind when I was looking at the scene [was] ‘I really wonder what happened to this person. I really hope this person is OK’,” Mark told CBC News. British Columbian officials say they plan to return the rusty — but salvageable — 2004 Night Train to Yokoyama as soon as possible, according to the National Post. "....Now for the best part of this tale, from the last line in the article:"Yokoyama’s Harley homecoming gets even sweeter — the motorcycle company has offered to clean up and restore the bike to a rideable condition." :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I saw the story but it didn't mention the part about finding the owner and sending it back to him. As I read it I couldn't help but wonder if its owner had been riding it at the time and had been swept out to sea. While I'm sure it won't help much in healing the hurt he must feel over losing several family members, it will still be good for him to get his machine back, especially in a restored condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 As I read it I couldn't help but wonder if its owner had been riding it at the time and had been swept out to sea. My understanding is that the motorcycle was inside a shipping container and that's why it made it to North America - motorcycles don't float on their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Guess I missed that part but you're right, they aren't known for their bouyancy characteristics. WTF was I thinking??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 ....- motorcycles don't float on their own.How do you know that ...what if it had really, really, really, SUPER BIG tires on it??? :Grin-Nod: (and an empty gas tank) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Caption for the second picture in Seekers post"Does this make my ass look fat?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Caption for the second picture in Seekers post"Does this make my ass look fat?"Perfect! You definitely DO NOT want to see that other picture I found though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Perfect! You definitely DO NOT want to see that other picture I found though. Hope you didn't mind that I 'looked' in your computer................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 OUCH! Damn that hurts!Kip!!!!.... Please make that go away!!!??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 This thread was going nicely until....well you know. Horrible event for those people in Japan a year ago. Perhaps this will brighten up the owner's day with something happy.Note to self: Stop using Canada Post. Wait until high tide and then ship. It will be faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Hope you didn't mind that I 'looked' in your computer................. Oh, I see you found a picture of Lisa Raitt enjoying a ride on her day off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Oh, I see you found a picture of Lisa Raitt enjoying a ride on her day off! :Grin-Nod: :Grin-Nod: :Grin-Nod: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo32a Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 "Yokoyama’s Harley homecoming gets even sweeter — the motorcycle company has offered to clean up and restore the bike to a rideable condition." :tu: The motorcycle is on its way to Victoria (Langford) right now, where it will be assessed to see if it is repairable.The bike cost about $20k new and a rough estimate to repair is at least double that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Repair it? It's like the joke about the farmer who's had the same axe his whole life - he's changed the handle 3 times and the head twice!You could "repair" the bike but I'm guessing that would really mean replacing almost everything. Maybe keep the original frame with the serial number - don't know if it's really the "same" bike though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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