Close Ian.....
So the guy leans out of the car and looks at the pedal and tells me he used to own the bike. Now... I know there are a lot of orange 750's out there and I had no idea how he KNEW this was his bike.
He gets out of the car and he does not have a right leg from the knee down.... He explained that the hole in the brake pedal was where he mounted an extension so he could activate the back brake with his "Stub" (His word not mine).
He also moved the key from under the gas tank to the top (in between the speedo and the tach) so he didn't fall over to the left when he tried to turn the bike on.
He is a Vietnam Vet and POW. He was released in 1972, spent a year in a hospital and another year in bed recovering from his wounds in the war. He told me this bike was his very first real taste of freedom. He did a ride across the country and came back and parked the bike. He could not remember who he sold it to but he did recall it was in 1985.
We had a very nice long talk and I offered to build another extension for him and he can ride it anytime he wants. He declined the offer. We exchanged numbers, and I promised him I would keep in touch and visit as I progress on the resto-mod.
I was very proud to own this bike last week. After last night, this bike will never be sold, I will give it to the original owner if he wants it. I told my new friend, Ed that as well. That was the best ride of my life.
PEACE!!!!
