As a kid, My uncle Peter had an older Triumph that had been chopped. I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and it stirred my initial interest in riding. As I recall, the chopper began it's life as a Triumph Bonneville.

A good friend of mine, Bill Wisnewski, re-introduced me to the character some of these British bikes offer. He stumbled onto an opportunity to pick up a 1979 Bonneville. It had been locked away in a barn of an old friend for many years. I'm not sure Bill knew what he was getting into.

He brought the bike home and began the restoration process. As he got further into the project, he discovered he'd found a diamond in the rough. After a great deal of careful cleaning, Bill realized the paint was still in fine shape. Some of the chrome needed to be replaced but even some of that was able to be saved.  CONTINUED BELOW VIDEO