Let's say that you're just sitting at home, minding your own business, thinking motorcycle thoughts. Maybe you like project bikes, and all your friends (the real ones, anyway) know this about you. Perhaps you even have a specific niche that you prefer, like old Japanese bikes.
Then a friend contacts you, and lets you know that they just talked to a completely random person they met at the auto parts store. In fact, they say, the entire conversation started because they overheard said random person lamenting a storage unit full of old Japanese motorcycles that they needed to clear out at the behest of a client. Worst of all, it turns out, they were considering simply turning all those old bikes into scrap. (The horror!)
What would you do with this knowledge? If you're Brick House Builds, you'd say "Not on my watch!" and you'd pull up to your shop a little later with a trailer full of bikes. Like some kind of vintage motorcycle ark, this eight bike haul even appears to have come in pairs. There are two Bridgestones, two Honda CB77s, two Honda CB450s, and two Honda CB750s.
All are in varying states of repair and/or disrepair. Some are clearly better suited to being used as parts bikes, while others appear to be nearly complete. One of the Bridgestone 175s looks to be very complete, which is cool to see. The other one isn't, but that's why it might make a good parts bike. One of the CB750s even has a set of matching Lester mag wheels on it, which is a particularly enticing period-correct mod for some enthusiasts.
Now, while it's true that motorcycles generally take up less physical space than cars do, it's also true that not everyone has space to suddenly take in eight entire bikes on a whim. BHB has a whole new workshop, but the purpose of that shop is to work on projects, not be a warehouse.
The idea in rescuing these bikes isn't to keep them (or at least, not to keep all of them). Instead, it's to help them find new homes with other project bike enthusiasts instead of turning into scrap. From the point of view of anyone who loves seeing old bikes live on, it's of course an admirable thing. It's also practical, as keeping BHB running does require money, just like everything else.
What's your favorite bike, out of all of these? Do you have any good stories to share about random bikes falling in your lap in the strangest of ways? Let us know in the comments!
