Some 45 years after taking his first spin on a BSA Royal Star 850, Billy Joel decided that this is the time to purchase another BSA bike.
The only problem was, it needed some serious restoration. And rather than bring the motorcycle to his local garage, Joel decided he wanted a more high-profile fix up. So during a recent swing through Las Vegas, the 64-year-old rocker had his recently acquired 1967 BSA bike built up by none other than the crew of the popular History show "American Restoration."
Even for Rick Dale, the show's star and an experienced restorer, Joel's antique bike posed a huge challenge.
"If the bike is hard to find, you can imagine how hard it is to find parts," Dale told HuffPost. "It's a British bike, so we went overseas and found collectors of this brand. I had a lot of parts to buy."
But no matter, as Dale still managed to do an impressive job with Joel's treasure. Indeed, upon seeing the bike in its new condition, the Piano Man was blown away.
"Oh, wow!" Joel said. "When that thing first came out in the mid-60s, they were beautiful bikes. I don’t remember them looking that good. That looks great ... It's hard to believe it is the same bike."
