Just after midday on the 22^nd of February, the streets of Christchurch New Zealand started shaking violently. This wasn’t the first time they had experience an earthquake – the city is built on a seismic fault line. Not only did the quake kill 185 people but it also left the roads in a terrible way. So when Christchurch local, Chris Penniall from Seven Motorcycles was looking for a new project, he opted for a street tracker style bike that would be able to handle the odd pothole in style. Last year, when he noticed a really cheap Suzuki DR650 come up for sale he thought it would be the perfect post-earthquake donor bike.

We all have family heirlooms that have been passed down from generation to generation. Like expensive silverware, bone china plates, antique furniture and the most precious of all – motorcycles. We love a good story about a bike being in the family for decades and this is one of those tales. From as young as five years old, Jerrett Bellamy from Ontario, Canada, has been riding this exact Yamaha XT500 with his dad. “He made up some foot pegs that would clamp onto the frame so I could ride in front of him,” recalls Jerrett. “I can remember riding with him hanging onto the handlebar and us popping little wheelies.”