The “American Restoration” crew got a visit from Billy Joel this week and, surprisingly, he didn’t want them to restore a piano. Instead, he needed them to restore a vintage motorcycle.
It was a 1967 BSA bike -- just like the first motorcycle Billy ever rode. Billy said the bike he brought to the shop was the closest he’s ever come to that original motorcycle, and he wanted to relive the glory days. Billy has his own bike shop, but he didn’t want to mess up the hard-to-find classic chopper. That approach paid off, because Rick Dale made Billy’s dreams come true.
Joel was quite pleased with the work. “Oh wow!” he exclaimed. “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.”
Rick told HuffPost the bike build was a challenge -- but a fun one. “If the bike is hard to find, you can imagine how hard it is to find parts. It's a British bike, so we went overseas and found collectors of this brand. I had a lot of parts to buy ... When I revealed the finished product, Billy said to me ‘This is the best bike I have in the shop!’ That was such an honor.”
And Joel won’t be the only famous face you’ll see on the show this season -- singer Jason Mraz will appear in an episode later this summer.
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"American Restoration" airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on History.
