CHEAP THRILLS
Don Stockett, one of the principals of Vintage Motorcycle Rescue, a classic Japanese motorcycle restoration business near Sacramento, California, was on a ride through the Sierra foothills with the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club when one rider had a carburetor problem.
A bike needing a little roadside TLC is not uncommon on a vintage run. Everyone pulls over, and the more mechanically adept attendees get a chance to show off their wrenching skills. What happened next on that day, however, was a little unusual. As Don tells it:
“We had all pulled into a parking lot and one of our members was taking the carburetor apart. This guy pulls up in a pickup truck. He yells out the window, ‘I’ve been following you guys for miles hoping you would stop. Anyone here interested in buying a CL90?’ I asked how much he wanted for it. ‘$300.’ I knew what that bike’s value was, and figured that even if it was a total basket case it was worth $300. I told him I would buy it.”
“I got the guy’s address and phone number and showed up at his house two hours later with
