Owner revved for washed-up bike’s return
Japanese man who lost home, 3 kin grateful for recovery
Efforts are under way to reunite a Harley-davidson motorcycle that washed up on the shores of Haida Gwaii with its owner in Japan, a homecoming that will bring full circle to an epic odyssey that began with last year’s devastating tsunami.
What began as a story of loss and grief has turned into one of bittersweetness after Ikuo Yokoyama was identified Tuesday by Japanese media as the owner of the bike. The 29-year-old motorbike enthusiast lost his home and three members of his family in the March 11, 2011, tsunami.
“I’m very thankful that it came back,” he told public broadcaster NHK. “I would like to thank the man who found my bike in person but because it’s hard to do that, I’d like to thank him here right now.”
Harley Davidson is now working through a local distributor on Vancouver island to return and restore the bike, a 2004 night train, toyokoyama, who’s staying in temporary housing after the loss of his home.
Steve Drane of Steve Drane Harley Davidson on Vancouver Island said he was initially going to try and locate the owner and do the restoration work himself after getting in touch with the man who found the bike.
Masset resident Peter Mark first spotted the bike on a remote beach on Graham Island on April 18. It was poking out from a white cube container.
Drane said he had also planned on setting up a website documenting the restoration process, which he estimated could have run upwards of $40,000 — almost double the cost of the original purchase price — due to the extensive salt-water damage.
Those plans changed Tuesday with the identification of Yokoyama.
“I’m just going to be a facilitator that will hopefully just be able to get the motorcycle, keep it safe here until arrangements can be made to fly it home to Japan,” he said, adding that the restoration will likely take place in Japan.
“I think after a story like this, it would just really make everybody in the world feel good to see this man reunited with his joy.”
Mark, a beachcomber, said he was told about the good news early Tuesday when he got a call from a Japanese TV station.
The container also contained a set of golf clubs, which Mark salvaged. The rest of the items, including camping equipment, tent poles and tools, were just a “ball of rust.”
“I’m pretty happy. I’ve been worried the whole time that something bad had happened to him. It’s a major relief knowing he is OK,” he said, adding he would like to meet Yokoyama one day.
“I understand he lost a lot in the tsunami. My heart really goes out to the guy.”
The container, which drifted 6,500 kilometres across the Pacific, didn’t sink because it was lined with Styrofoam.
Yokoyama told Japanese media he bought the bike about five years ago and had been using the white container as his garage. He had been storing it in his backyard when the earthquake and tsunami struck.
Jim Standen, co-chairman of the Provincial Tsunami Debris Coordinating Committee, said staff from Parks B.C. are en route to Haida Gwaii to investigate the recovered debris.
Meanwhile, it’s only a matter of time before more debris starts to wash up on B.C.’S shores. According to the latest estimates provided by Japanese authorities, one to 1½ million tonnes of material went into the ocean as a result of the tsunami.