Pennsylvania man who bought 40ft shipping container filled with motorbikes banned in the USA for $80k tries to start them up
- Pennsylvania-based YouTuber paid $80K for a shipping container
- It was filled with Japanese motorbikes that were banned in the USA
- However, he then had to wade through to determine their condition
Published on Jan 06, 2025 at 4:28 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 07, 2025 at 1:03 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
If you saw the story of the Pennsylvania-based YouTuber who paid $80,000 for a shipping container of Japanese motorbikes that were banned in the USA – you’re probably keen to know whether the investment paid off.
The loot included rare models from the Honda Motocompo to the Honda Z series of Monkey Bikes.
However, they had been stored in the 40-foot container for months.
So he was unsure what condition they were in and if they’d even start.
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The shipping container
Sean Kerr, the host of the YouTube channel, Bikes and Beards, was lucky enough to get his hands on the container.
The video followed the journey of unpacking the 40-foot container filled with unique motorcycles imported from Japan.
“It’s like Christmas morning every time we open one of these containers!” he said.
The focus of the initial video was on assessing and attempting to revive these bikes after they had been stored for months – although not as long as this Chevrolet Nova that was inside a shipping container for 30 years.
Now it was time to find out if his seemingly risky investment was a wise one.
Japanese motorbikes banned in the USA
While the Motocompo and Silver Pigeon started without issue, as you might expect, many of the motorbikes faced issues like fuel leaks, flat tires, and mechanical problems.
The Honda NSR250 and Kawasaki GPZ1000RX in particular required significant work – so Kerr and a friend decided to go head-to-head to revive the bikes and eventually race them.
“Some of these bikes look like they’ve lived a thousand lives, and they’ve got the scars to prove it,” he said.
There were some gems in the lot too.
“The Monkey Baja might just be the crown jewel of this haul—less than three miles on the odometer!” Kerr enthuses.
Another highlight was a stunningly preserved lime-green XJR400.
“This may possibly be the first bike of its kind in America!” he said.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
