Don Ince knows a famous bike when he sees one. The guy has committed a rash of celebrity VINs to memory, and spends plenty of time looking over local motorcycle listings for vintage Husqvarna machines with famous pasts. While he has a soft spot for bikes owned by Steve McQueen, he recently came across something a little different. A local Craigslist ad served up this 1968 Honda 305 Scrambler with an interesting pedigree. Registration papers showed the bike once found itself in the care of Kenneth R. Howard, better known as the master-pin-striper and designer Von Dutch.That explains the wild paint and would typically be enough to give any machine a little notoriety, but Ince says he found something else in his research.
"The registration and lease and liability card that I have for it dated March of '68 lists a James Douglas Morrison living on Sunset Boulevard."
Now, Ince knows that while there are many James Morrisons in the world, only one went on to world-wide fame as Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors.
"I actually Googled and found a copy of his driver's license. That address matches his driver's license issued in 12/67. It was kind of a needle in a haystack."
The Scrambler is currently undergoing a quick service and should be running and rideable within a week. From there, the pin-striped 305 is headed for display at this year's Pebble Beach, though not for auction. The bike is for sale independently, and Ince says he has no idea what it could be worth. Outside estimates have put the value between $50,000 and $100,000. Not bad for an old Craigslist find.
Head over to HuskyRestoration.com for a closer look at the bike, or contact Dan Ince through his site, VintageViking.com.
*UPDATE: Morrison owned the bike from 1968 until his death in 1971. Kenneth Howard then bought the Honda in '71.
Via: Jim Morrison's 1968 Honda 305 Scrambler was found on Craigslist *UPDATE
Jim Morrison's 1968 Honda 305 Scrambler was found on Craigslist *UPDATE Gallery
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