I’m 65, been riding since I was 13. I would have loved to spend a day looking thru there to see if I could find any of the models of bikes I had in the 70’s and 80’s. Pains me to hear in your video it was destroyed by arson. Perfect crime by city officials.
I envy your riding history! To be fair, the city gave him ample time to clear out bikes and parts after he defaulted on taxes for multiple years. My opinion is the "crime" was letting the bikes and parts sit for years without action. Posting an auction notice on motorcycle forums in those years would have attracted a huge group of enthusiasts to the warehouse and perhaps saved some rare or valuable pieces of history.
Motorcycles are probably the only thing in my life I can depend on to be what it is. I know this sounds odd but this place seems alive to me, I’d love to *live* here even in this state and just have peace and solitude… then start cleaning up
Sad, I've ridden motorcycles for 50 years. When our local bike shop closed down, the kids of the owner auctioned off the contents of the shop. It was a very large auction and nearly everything was sold. I would guess it involved a lot of money. It's sad many of the bikes and parts in your video probably went to waste. When the roof of a building starts leaking, it's usually not long before the building and contents are gone.
It was an incredible discovery! I wasn’t a rider but sensed the magnitude of the waste. Fortunately, some of the more unique bikes and parts were saved. And your 50 years of riding sounds like enough stories for a great book!
@@chrisluckhardt I suspected you weren't a motorcycle rider by what you videoed, paperwork? Any "real" motorcycle rider would have been drooling at that "secret goldmine" and would have recognized the valuable bikes right off and videoed them. Anyway, no problems I've been to two "semi" abandoned places in West Virginia. A former lunatic asylum and a prison. They are some creepy places, you can pay to tour them. At the asylum "Dr." Walter Freeman did "ice pick" lobotomies. He would hammer an ice pick in beside a patients eyeball, swish it back and forth like a windshield wiper, and make the patient "docile". (if they didn't die). My guide said the nurses hated Freeman because he wouldn't wash his hands. Some of the ice pick he used are still there. At the prison, the trap door for a gallows is still there as is the electric chair and a tripod mounted machine gun at the back of the cafeteria. Charles Manson grew up in that area, his mom was in that prison at one time. Manson was arrested in CA but wanted transferred back to WV, he wrote a letter to the warden, it's still posted on the bulletin board. They wouldn't transfer Manson, there were "devil worshipers" in there at the time, you can still see some of their graffiti.
The accounting ledger segment was just 45 seconds. But I do remember having only 15 minutes of DV tape to film the entire building’s contents. I went back to film specific bikes but they were already gone unfortunately.
@@chrisluckhardt "DV tape"? Digital video tape? I worked as a projectionist at a drive in years ago. Our "films" came in on 35 millimeter film. One movie might be 5 or 6 reels of film, they lasted about 20 minutes each. The film cans were heavy, they might weigh 80 pounds. We had 2 projectors, when one reel ran out, we switched to the other one, when it ran out, we switched back. Thanx for your video, those old bikes bring back memories of those days. th-cam.com/video/qCEeg6-ax6Y/w-d-xo.html
I would die happy just to have had a chance to pick just 1 bike to save. Just the one that spoke to me, "Pick Me"! And I would have gave it the home it deserved. Thank you for posting.
Woke up stricken by sadness seeing this here. What a goldmine. Had I knew if it is have made a good offer and shipped it out to ID. Restoring these old off brands is bringing in huge dollars to collectors world wide. So sad. Thank you for sharing.
Very cool video! I own a vintage MC repair shop myself. Its a shame what happened to the building. Most of those bikes could've been given second lives.
Thank you! I wish I was a rider so I could understand better. I was scheduled to get my license but the pandemic caused classes to be canceled. Haven’t re-registered yet.
I did business with Walt back in the late 70's.He had "EVERYTHING", somewhere or other. What wasn't stolen, looted, or sold was buried and crushed in the basement by city officials after arsonist(s) burned it down.
Incredible. My research for the video turned up some fun stories about Walt and his wife. She seemed to be the accounting brains of the business while Walt had an encyclopedic knowledge of the inventory.
It was so surreal. Slowly creeping up the stairs expecting an empty building...and then...the sight of hundreds of motorcycles quietly sleeping on a shadowy and partially collapsed floor.
Was anyone ever arrested for the arson? It's a familiar story, an abandoned building, perhaps in the way of new development and maybe a little too costly to tear down just mysteriously gets set on fire. The building itself was a hazard and needed to come down, but the motorcycle parts alone were a gold mine. I'm glad some of the vintage bikes made it out before the fire, but it's hard not to lament the loss of what would've been rusty treasure for those restoring old bikes.
No cause of the fire was officially confirmed but, like many old abandoned structures, kids or teenagers were likely playing with fire and it quickly got out of control. The simplest explanation is usually the most accurate one.
I just got done watching this vid and it really sucks that this wonderful place was trashed by arson. Me personally I'd would've to buy the place and fully restore all the bikes there and build new custom bikes for whatever remaining parts. Aswell rebuild the place as a place for upstate NY kids to come after school and learn how to build,repair,fully restore and learn to ride em. It's sad that place is gone forever.
The cost to move sort sell restore would be astronomical I've been in salvage for 25 years 100 thousand labor hours and about 30% of the parts might sell
Agree - most of those bikes were beyond repair when they were put there, purchased for scrape and never parted out or taken to a junk yard most of the time restoring a bike that far gone cost way more than the restored bike is worth this looks less like a collection and more like an extreme case of hording
Henry Hogben and I visited twice back in the early '80s, Henry went back at least once more. Anna was running the place then. We came away with a 2'x2' box full of NOS 10:1 Ducati 250 pistons, all standard bore, $150 US. It took about 5 years to sell them. It was pretty much as the video shows. I remember Anna warning us to be careful where we walked, and don't fall through the floor.
Much of the collection was junk by the time of filming. But I read about a collector who was given access just before the fire. He found a flatbed’s worth of highly valuable bikes and parts according to his blog.
Don't know total in dollar amount. But someone could have scored if they were willing to take charge and purchase the contents in that warehouse. But it's all lost. Hope some of the rare one was taken out. What a lost.
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I’m 65, been riding since I was 13. I would have loved to spend a day looking thru there to see if I could find any of the models of bikes I had in the 70’s and 80’s. Pains me to hear in your video it was destroyed by arson. Perfect crime by city officials.
I envy your riding history! To be fair, the city gave him ample time to clear out bikes and parts after he defaulted on taxes for multiple years. My opinion is the "crime" was letting the bikes and parts sit for years without action. Posting an auction notice on motorcycle forums in those years would have attracted a huge group of enthusiasts to the warehouse and perhaps saved some rare or valuable pieces of history.
@@chrisluckhardt well said Chris
Same from NZ
Motorcycles are probably the only thing in my life I can depend on to be what it is.
I know this sounds odd but this place seems alive to me, I’d love to *live* here even in this state and just have peace and solitude… then start cleaning up
If I could have been there I would have been like a kid in a candy store. My motorcycles are my favorite items I own
Thousands of dollars worth of gas tanks alone. Some very rare. What a waste. Thank you for sharing.
Now THAT'S a perfect example of American/Western EXCESS!!
Sad, I've ridden motorcycles for 50 years. When our local bike shop closed down, the kids of the owner auctioned off the contents of the shop. It was a very large auction and nearly everything was sold. I would guess it involved a lot of money. It's sad many of the bikes and parts in your video probably went to waste. When the roof of a building starts leaking, it's usually not long before the building and contents are gone.
It was an incredible discovery! I wasn’t a rider but sensed the magnitude of the waste. Fortunately, some of the more unique bikes and parts were saved. And your 50 years of riding sounds like enough stories for a great book!
@@chrisluckhardt I suspected you weren't a motorcycle rider by what you videoed, paperwork? Any "real" motorcycle rider would have been drooling at that "secret goldmine" and would have recognized the valuable bikes right off and videoed them. Anyway, no problems
I've been to two "semi" abandoned places in West Virginia. A former lunatic asylum and a prison. They are some creepy places, you can pay to tour them. At the asylum "Dr." Walter Freeman did "ice pick" lobotomies. He would hammer an ice pick in beside a patients eyeball, swish it back and forth like a windshield wiper, and make the patient "docile". (if they didn't die). My guide said the nurses hated Freeman because he wouldn't wash his hands. Some of the ice pick he used are still there.
At the prison, the trap door for a gallows is still there as is the electric chair and a tripod mounted machine gun at the back of the cafeteria. Charles Manson grew up in that area, his mom was in that prison at one time. Manson was arrested in CA but wanted transferred back to WV, he wrote a letter to the warden, it's still posted on the bulletin board. They wouldn't transfer Manson, there were "devil worshipers" in there at the time, you can still see some of their graffiti.
The accounting ledger segment was just 45 seconds. But I do remember having only 15 minutes of DV tape to film the entire building’s contents. I went back to film specific bikes but they were already gone unfortunately.
@@chrisluckhardt "DV tape"? Digital video tape? I worked as a projectionist at a drive in years ago. Our "films" came in on 35 millimeter film. One movie might be 5 or 6 reels of film, they lasted about 20 minutes each. The film cans were heavy, they might weigh 80 pounds. We had 2 projectors, when one reel ran out, we switched to the other one, when it ran out, we switched back.
Thanx for your video, those old bikes bring back memories of those days. th-cam.com/video/qCEeg6-ax6Y/w-d-xo.html
@@clintonearlwalker Yes, HDV tapes. I recorded the video with a Canon HV20 camcorder. It was a great gadget for its time!
I would die happy just to have had a chance to pick just 1 bike to save. Just the one that spoke to me, "Pick Me"! And I would have gave it the home it deserved. Thank you for posting.
Woke up stricken by sadness seeing this here. What a goldmine. Had I knew if it is have made a good offer and shipped it out to ID. Restoring these old off brands is bringing in huge dollars to collectors world wide. So sad. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching! I wish I was more into bikes at the time so I could've better appreciated the incredible collection.
What an incredible find, great vid. Truly heartbreaking everything was lost to arson, just devastating.
Thank you! At least some of the more unique bikes and parts were saved before the fire. I'm sure they've found good homes...or roads to travel!
Very cool video! I own a vintage MC repair shop myself. Its a shame what happened to the building. Most of those bikes could've been given second lives.
Thank you! Fortunately, someone rescued a truckload of unique bikes and parts before the fire. But an enormous amount of stock was lost.
That place looks like an absolute goldmine. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of parts left to rot!
It was as incredible as you describe! And it was unfortunate that all of those parts were left to decay.
As an avid rider 40 yrs felt alot of emotions watching your video aeesome
Thank you! I wish I was a rider so I could understand better. I was scheduled to get my license but the pandemic caused classes to be canceled. Haven’t re-registered yet.
That’s just amazing, every kind of oddball part you could ever think of in that place. Another unbelievable place I’ll never see.
Great video! Nice to finally see some proper video of this classic location!
Thanks! Glad to finally provide more context for a legendary abandoned location.
I did business with Walt back in the late 70's.He had "EVERYTHING", somewhere or other. What wasn't stolen, looted, or sold was buried and crushed in the basement by city officials after arsonist(s) burned it down.
Incredible. My research for the video turned up some fun stories about Walt and his wife. She seemed to be the accounting brains of the business while Walt had an encyclopedic knowledge of the inventory.
An Incredible discovery and a dreadful demise. Fiery motorbikes riding off into the smog. Glad you documented it before it went to dust.
It was so surreal. Slowly creeping up the stairs expecting an empty building...and then...the sight of hundreds of motorcycles quietly sleeping on a shadowy and partially collapsed floor.
It must of been so surreal to discover it but then so heart breaking to hear that it was burnt down
Oh yeah…it was a pretty big shock seeing all of those bikes the first time! My voice over doesn’t quite express my surprise in the moment.
@@chrisluckhardt what a dream find, I restore vintage motorcycles, that place would have had me running around like a kid, for days !
@@deborahchesser7375 Yes, a dream find! I wish I was a rider back then so I could’ve fully understood what I stumbled upon!
Was anyone ever arrested for the arson? It's a familiar story, an abandoned building, perhaps in the way of new development and maybe a little too costly to tear down just mysteriously gets set on fire. The building itself was a hazard and needed to come down, but the motorcycle parts alone were a gold mine. I'm glad some of the vintage bikes made it out before the fire, but it's hard not to lament the loss of what would've been rusty treasure for those restoring old bikes.
No cause of the fire was officially confirmed but, like many old abandoned structures, kids or teenagers were likely playing with fire and it quickly got out of control. The simplest explanation is usually the most accurate one.
I just got done watching this vid and it really sucks that this wonderful place was trashed by arson. Me personally I'd would've to buy the place and fully restore all the bikes there and build new custom bikes for whatever remaining parts. Aswell rebuild the place as a place for upstate NY kids to come after school and learn how to build,repair,fully restore and learn to ride em. It's sad that place is gone forever.
Unfortunately, it sounded like it would be an expensive order. The owner claimed the roof would cost $300,000 to repair.
@@chrisluckhardt not really since I already have a good amount of experience doing construction including industrial roofing
What a shame, there's HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in parts there...
Thanks for posting. 😀
Whoa. No wonder all of the motorcycles were abandoned ever since. That looks HUGE! 😧😉
That's a lot of carb cleaning.
Finally got a proper video from this location thanks❤️
Thanks! Happy to share what I filmed of this legendary abandoned location!
WOW this is amazing
it's a heaven and hell for a builder 😄
Wow. Excellent quality!
Thank you!
Nicely done. Good on ya'.
Where Is
This
Beautiful
Place ????????
Is this still there 2024? If not where did all the bikes go ?
Answer is in the video.
This is incredible video so many motorbikes sorry not good texting 😊
So many left to waste away…
the vid of the fire is on you tube it was shot by locals and the fire dep
I found the first video: th-cam.com/video/db8dlHaHXJE/w-d-xo.html
The cost to move sort sell restore would be astronomical I've been in salvage for 25 years 100 thousand labor hours and about 30% of the parts might sell
Agree - most of those bikes were beyond repair when they were put there, purchased for scrape and never parted out or taken to a junk yard
most of the time restoring a bike that far gone cost way more than the restored bike is worth
this looks less like a collection and more like an extreme case of hording
Henry Hogben and I visited twice back in the early '80s, Henry went back at least once more. Anna was running the place then. We came away with a 2'x2' box full of NOS 10:1 Ducati 250 pistons, all standard bore, $150 US. It took about 5 years to sell them. It was pretty much as the video shows. I remember Anna warning us to be careful where we walked, and don't fall through the floor.
Great video 📹
I would’ve loved to have looked through that….
Much of the collection was junk by the time of filming. But I read about a collector who was given access just before the fire. He found a flatbed’s worth of highly valuable bikes and parts according to his blog.
Is there a contact to buy these?
LOL I’m guessing you didn’t watch the video.
@@chrisluckhardt hell na The first minute then I got too excited
@@HensonLoggingCompany Understandable - it was quite a collection!
I'll take them. Lol
Good luck with that lol
Don't know total in dollar amount. But someone could have scored if they were willing to take charge and purchase the contents in that warehouse. But it's all lost. Hope some of the rare one was taken out. What a lost.
Someone managed to salvage a lot of bikes and parts before the fire: dcclassiccycles.dynamitedave.com/graveyard.html
Real sad to see
Probably worth a £ 1.000.000 old them. Bikes + spare s
Is there Royal Enfield
I don't remember seeing Royal Enfield, but it was more than a decade ago.
Hi you doing sir this place still around can you send me exact address thanks
The address is mentioned in the video
@@chrisluckhardt thanks
Allought of people use to ride--- but don't anymore!
4 wheels better than 2.🤔
Если бы это было в России, то ничего не валялось☝ бы а всё работало бы хорошо
Это точно! 🏍
Gov, waste all that!!! sad
Gov, as in government? The collection was privately owned.
Their should be a law on motor cycles like you should knot let motor cycles fall apart. It's probably a sin in god's eyes
I don’t even ride and agree 100%. Bikes are art!