Favorite Bike: 1959 Honda 250 Dream

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THE OWNER: Loren Suelzle of Modesto

THE VEHICLE: 1959 Honda 250 Dream

ROAD TO OWNERSHIP: Suelzle isn't interested in trading his rare motorcycle, but that's exactly how his family acquired it. He said Emanuel Suelzle, his late grandfather and owner of Suelzle Electric in Lodi, in 1960 took the Honda and 250 silver dollars in trade for a brand new Whirlpool washer and dryer set.

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The original owner had served in the Army and had purchased the 250cc bike while stationed in Japan. After bringing the Honda back to Lodi, he decided his young family needed clean clothes more than the red motorcycle.

The elder Suelzle, a longtime motorcycle enthusiast, and his son Milton put nearly 20,000 miles on the Honda before transmission problems stopped the fun. Loren and his brother Roger purchased it from their uncle Milton in 1988 for $600. The pair thought a quick repair would have the bike back on the road, but a tear-down revealed a crankshaft in terminal condition and parts that were not available.

Up shift to 2005 and Loren decides the time is right to gather up the boxes and buckets of parts and resurrect the 250 Dream. "I just couldn't throw it away," he said.

BODY OF WORK: In his initial research, Loren discovered only 500 Honda 250 Dreams were manufactured and only 50 were known to have made it stateside. A fully restored model in excellent condition is valued at $11,100, according to the NADA price guide.

Loren's mission became possible when Modesto Honda dealer Phil Ray recommended Bill West of Vintage Works in Clovis to do the restoration. West, an internationally noted Honda expert, had restored several Hondas for Ray.

Four years and $8,000 later, Loren had his perfect Honda Dream. "There's nothing else you can do to it," he said.

The biggest challenge of the makeover was the 2½-year search for an elusive crankshaft.

"The crankshaft was found in London, England. A brand-new crankshaft in a box," Loren said. "It cost $1,500, including paying a finder's fee."

A FAVORITE MEMORY: Loren enjoys taking short rides on his "brand new" 1959 motorcycle.

"I restored it for sentimental reasons," he said. "My family has owned it for 49 years and I drove it to Pacific Union College one semester."

To have your favorite car featured in WeekEnd, e-mail jfarrow@modbee.com with the following information: Name, address, phone numbers (daytime and night), the car (year, make, model), "What sparked the interest" (why it's your favorite car), "Road to ownership" (how you came to own the car), "Under the hood" (engine details), "Body of work" (what's been done to the car) and "A favorite memory." Also, we're depending on car owners to provide their own photos, so attach a photo in jpeg format, as least a few hundred kilobytes in size. Photos may be republished in any manner.