Motorcycle from Japan washes up in Canada

A couple weeks ago, Peter Mark of British Columbia found a Harley-Davidson in a white shed washed ashore this Harley-Davidson buried in the sand on one of the islands of British Columbia. Tracking the license plate led Mark back to the bike's owner. In Miyagi, Japan. Apparently, the March 2011 tsunami, which destroyed Ikio Yokoyam's home and took the lives of three family members, washed the motorcycle out to sea. From BBC News:

The shop that sold the motorcycle to Mr Yokoyama is now hoping to ship the Harley-Davidson back to Japan and restore it.
The motorcycle is among the first items in a wave of debris heading to the west coast of North America. Most of the debris is expected to arrive in 2013...
Lighter items, such as buoys and bottles, have been among the first to wash ashore on the continent.
In March, an Alaska man found a football and later a volleyball from Japan.

"Tsunami survivor claims Harley-Davidson found in Canada"

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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http://twitter.com/redBitBucketHed Patrick Goruick

um…not found buried in the sand, like in that apparently unrelated picture. it was in the cube part of a cube van which, presumably, is the only way a motorcycle could make it across – i don’t think they float: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/05/01/bc-tsunami-motorcycle-owner.html
- David Pescovitz
  
  Um… Did you read the story I linked to?
  
  “Mr Yokoyama’s bike was inside a large white container he was using as a storage shed, which eventually washed away, leaving the bike partially buried in sand.”
  - http://twitter.com/redBitBucketHed Patrick Goruick
    
    “A couple weeks ago, Peter Mark of British Columbia found this Harley-Davidson buried in the sand on one of the islands of British Columbia.”
    
    ok…so someone went back later and took another picture of it after the container washed away – my bad. PM still didn’t find it as you stated.
    - Guest
      
      Keep It Classy™ Pat.
    - RedShirt77
      
      In addition, the picture is on its side.
  - StickR6
    
    Not to pick nits, but Patrick is right. The part about finding it “buried in sand” is just a little extra flair added by the media. This is the same motorcycle:
    
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/29/bc-tsunami-debris-harley.html
    
    Either way, it’s an amazing story.
    - Guest
      
      retracted
    - David Pescovitz
      
      StickR6, this article you linked to does clarify it for me. Thanks. I’ve corrected the sentence.
  - http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi
    
    Unfortunately David, that part of the story isn’t true, as evidenced by the photos in the other articles.
johne2

Look Err, free egg.
Kwolfbrooks

Any piece of steel mechanical equipment that’s been washed in salt water is a waste of time to restore. Every nut and bolt and electrical wire is rendered worthless. Even the aluminum on the bike will have oxidized. As a mechanic, I’ve worked on cars that have been in close proximity to surf and the salt rots them away. Remember this when you drive your new car on the beach!
http://hame.ca/one/ Hamish Grant

yeah but wait what about this one? HD is already paying to restore this one and return it to its owner. Different bike! Weird all these Harleys washing up in BC. I guess it’s better than feet-in-sneakers.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/29/bc-tsunami-debris-harley.html
- ChicagoD
  
  Man, I was coming here to make a foot joke. Nice job, bravo.
http://profile.yahoo.com/SZRCPGCPDY4BKDNOMDBH5MR65Y Net Fire

Did they test the motorcycle for radiation?
- Guest
  
  By what vector would a motorcycle, washed out to sea days before the reactors failed, become radioactive?
  - http://daruiburns.tumblr.com/ Dlo Burns
    
    Could of passed through Godzilla’s digestive tract.
mesocosm

Harley-Davidson is not only going to completely restore the bike, they’re returning it to the owner by helicopter:
http://gawker.com/5907395/harley+davidson-will-restore-motorcycle-lost-in-tsunami-and-found-in-canada
- mkultra
  
  Erm, I’m not sure if you’re serious, but when they refer to having the “chopper” shipped back, they are using “chopper” as slang for a cruiser-style motorcycle, not implying that the bike will be shipped via helicopter.
  
  As a parenthetical note, the reason bikes of that style are referred to as “choppers” is because the (typically) v-twin engines are typically very loud, and the sound can be somewhat reminiscent of a helicopter in flight.
  - jasonmarks
    
    Actually, the term “chopper” comes from an earlier era of motorcycle customization, where it was common to “chop” the fenders short.
  - Bad Juju
    
    Er, nope.
    Chopper refers to a custom bike that’s had its frame heavily modified (“chopped”, get it?), most often increasing the rake of the headstock.
    
    Gawker was taking liberties with the term as this tsunami bike is relatively stock-appearing. Not all loud HD’s are choppers and not all choppers are HD’s or even v-twins for that matter (see Truimph & Honda CB750 choppers of the 60s/70s)
    
    Here’s a tip, kids, don’t come to BB for tips on biker culture. Or just take a peep at Wikipedia, even.
    - http://www.ikaink.net Itsumishi
      
      Or read Hunter Thompson’s Hells Angles. It’s an amazing book.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  I’m a little disturbed by all of the publicity around this. Three of his family members died and now IT’S A MIRACLE that he’s getting his bike back. The need to find something good about this gigantic tragedy seems a bit desperate.
  - Sasha K-S
    
    Family members can be a real PITA, but a good motorcycle just keeps on giving smiles all day long.