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PROVO — A Provo man selling a yard full of motorcycles says he hopes someone who loves biking as much as he does will buy them and fix them up like he had planned.
Dan Miller has been riding motorcycles since he was 14 years old growing up in Los Angeles. He was riding his bicycle to a friend’s house when he saw a moped inside a neighbor’s messy garage and decided to ask the man if he would sell it.
The old Puch did not run, and the guy said he would give the bike to Miller for $40. Miller sold his model planes for $35, borrowed another $5 from his dad and bought the bike. With the help of his brother’s friend, he fixed the moped up and started a lifelong obsession.
“I was the last kid to get to school, the first kid to run out of school and get on my moped and ride till dark.”
Miller has filled the last 50 years of his life with daily rides and regular adventures through ghost towns and mines. He has 10 motorcycles of his own that are running and that he rides regularly.
“I do the exact same things now as I did when I was 14,” he said. “I’m still as excited. My heart starts pounding when I’m about to ride.”
Miller has also filled his life — and yard — with bikes. He started fixing motorcycles after he realized being a Spanish teacher wasn’t for him. As the years went on, he purchased and was given dozens and dozens of motorcycles. Some represent goodwill, while others represent unpaid bills, he said. People who could not afford the work would sometimes leave their bikes behind instead.
He always intended to fix the motorcycles up and get them running, but didn’t get around to it, Miller said. He is selling the lot of hundreds of motorcycles and scooters for a minimum of $400.
“I figured during the winter when I don’t have much work I would fix these bikes up or maybe sell one or two or something. I just ran out of time, out of energy,” Miller said. “I hate to do it, but I have to sell them.”
He said he has had dozens of calls about the lot, but hasn't sold the lot.
Miller hopes someone will fix the motorcycles up and have as much fun and adventure as he has: “They can experience possibly what I experience everyday,” Miller said.
