From Miyagi Prefecture in Japan to Graham Island in British Columbia, Canada, to Milwaukee, Wis., the motorcycle tossed across the Pacific Ocean by the 2011 Japanese tsunami has landed at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

The 2004 Harley-Davidson Softail Night Train owned by earthquake and tsunami survivor Ikuo Yokoyama is now on display at the museum as a memorial to those affected by the March 2011 tsunami. The motorcycle will be preserved in the condition it was in when Canadian beachcomber Peter Mark found it inside a cargo box that washed up on Graham Island in May.

Yokoyama, who lost loved ones in the disaster and still lives in temporary housing, declined an offer by Harley-Davidson to restore and return the motorcycle, asking instead that it be enshrined as a memory of the disaster. Continue Reading »

Remember that video on YouTube about the rider going 185 mph on a highway in Canada? The video went viral and eventually led to the seizure of a Yamaha R1 and $1,449 (Canadian) in traffic tickets issued to its owner.

In April, police in Saanich, British Columbia believed they had enough evidence to seize the R1 and issued tickets to the registered owner for speeding, operating without due care and attention, and operating without insurance. Police were not able to lay more serious charges against the rider because there wasn’t enough evidence to identify the individual, believed to be the son of the registered owner.

After several months, police have now issued a warrant for Randy George Scott, a 25-year-old who allegedly rode the Yamaha sportbike in the video. According to Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen, investigators proceeded with charges of dangerous driving after receiving information from witnesses. Continue Reading »

Here’s a story that might seem humorous at first but turns out to be a testament to a man’s love of motorcycling and the memories of a fallen friend.

Ed Spalding of Terrace, British Columbia, Canada, and his close friend Roger Bourgoin bought Harley-Davidson motorcycles in 1991. To celebrate their purchases, the two also bought a pair of gold rings. Bourgoin was killed in a logging accident in 1993, but to this day, Spalding still wears the ring in memory of his friend.

While on a camping trip Aug. 28, Spalding discovered he had lost his ring after using an outhouse. After searching the grounds around the outhouse, Spalding realized the ring must have fallen into the outhouse pit.

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