Chapter 178: Old Goods Trade
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
To Li Du, to turn a pile of parts—and not even a complete set of parts—into a proper motorcycle, the difficulty seemed outrageous!
He reminisced for a moment; since his childhood, the largest thing that he had tried to build was… yeah, a computer desk.
But for Hans, Stephen, and even Hannah, using these parts to assemble a motorcycle was just like assembling a computer desk. It didn’t take them much effort.
Stephen was an expert in this field, so he was leading the task.
Li Du just watched at the side. After the few hands worked together, the pile of parts was assembled, and finally the rough outline of a motorcycle was forming.
Half a day flew by, and it was time for lunch. After, a motorcycle finally appeared before him. Hans topped up gas into the fuel tank, and then pressed the accelerator. The motorcycle roared to life.
"That’s incredible! Great job," Li Du heaved a sigh of admiration.
Stephen wiped the oil off his hands and said with a smile, "The parts were all there, all we needed to add was some circuitry."
"I still feel like this was a difficult task," Li Du said. "Honestly, even if you were to disassemble a proper one before me, I wouldn’t be able to assemble it back."
Stephen said, "It’s really simple, and if you’ve been in contact with this stuff since childhood, you understand. They aren’t that different from Legos."
Although it sounded arrogant, the words rang true. Li Du had been in contact with textbooks and assignments since his youth, and these guys had been working with machinery all instead.
The motorcycle that they had put together did not have a control system that could perform drifts, like the one they had picked up last time. It was a simple, old-school motorcycle.
With the experience making the first one, it was easier to assemble the next few.
They assembled a total of five motorcycles. They used up most of the parts, and what was left was a bunch of useless stuff.
After working for the whole day, night fell. But after the heavy rain, the skies were clear, allowing the stars to shine dazzlingly in the night sky.
Clapping his hands, Hans said, "We should have known—why would junk parts and accessories be categorized in such detail? These were all disassembled bikes."
Li Du asked, "Then what’s the value of these motorcycles?"
Hans laughed and said, "We have to see how well they run. If they were to be sold normally, then one would be about 400 to 500 dollars."
In America’s vehicle market, ordinary motorcycles and cars were cheap. These self-assembled, second-hand motorcycles were even more so.
Li Du smiled bitterly. "Then all together, it’s only worth about 3,000 dollars? Wouldn’t we have a loss?"
Hans patted his shoulder and said, "I said if they were sold normally. But Big Fox wouldn’t do that, relax, I’ll show you magic later. The bikes will at least double in value!"
Stephen squatted on the ground to finish wiring the last motorcycle. Hearing the conversation between the two, he raised his head and said, "Big Fox, not just 400 to 500—each of them could sell for 1,000."
Hans rolled his eyes and said, "Of course, I know. But we’ll have to maneuver well…"
"Even without it, although these are second-hand, they have a high displacement engine. This is a modified cross-country motorcycle. See, 600cc. It’s a king of the roads."
Stephen patted the engine of the motorcycle, and then used a cloth to carefully give it a wipe. One could tell that he really liked the bike.
Hans had not noticed the displacement—most of the crucial components were done by Stephen. Hans was in charge of fitting the tires, seat and lights: the easier tasks.
Seeing the plated brand on the engine, Hans was overjoyed. "I didn’t notice it, but it’s a Kawasaki engine? Awesome, things are looking better than I expected. Now it’s not just 1,000, but up to 2,000!"
Stephen rubbed his hands together and said, "We’ll have to test the bikes. How about letting me ride?"
Li Du nodded. They cooperated to lift the motorcycle onto the Iron Knight, and then drove it to a road near the suburbs. There were few cars and people here, and it was the same place where they had tested the Harley Davidson bike as well.
After an additional check to ensure that there were no issues, Stephen got on a bike. The exhaust pumped out large volumes of smoke together with the roar of the engine, and the bike sped off.
Li Du was shocked. "That’s fast!"
"600cc displacement—these are a bunch of bad-tempered kids." Hans smirked.
The bike went for a round and came back. Stephen alighted and patted on the bike, saying, "No problems—they’ll own the streets!"
Li Du looked at him and said, "You like this fella’?"
Stephen shrugged and said, "Anyone who likes motorcycles will love these. See, look at how charming they are."
Seeing such, Li Du said to Hans, "Then give this bike to him."
Hans leaned on the bike and said, "Whatever you say, brother."
Stephen took out the keys and threw them to Stephen. "Alright, they belong to you."
Stephen was an honest man. After taking the key, he was dumbfounded. "No, no, no, Li. This gift is too expensive for me, I can’t—"
"At most it’ll sell for 1,000 dollars, and that’s not expensive," Li Du smiled. "You’ve helped us a lot. The reason for giving you this bike isn’t because of how much its worth, but because you like it."
Hannah nodded as well. With that, Stephen lowered his head in embarrassment. "Then, I’ll take this little tyrant."
"You assembled this bike yourself, so you’re the most familiar with it. But I still want to warn you: if you want to stay with Hannah until your eighties, then don’t go past 125 mph."
Stephen said seriously, "Of course. I understand the dangers of these things."
The other four bikes had no issues after being tested. Li Du gave one to Hans and said, "We don’t have any lighter forms of transport, so take one."
Hans grinned, "Are you sure about this?"
"Since it’s your flesh and blood," Li Du joked, "take one with you—we can’t sell your flesh and blood away."
Hans reprimanded, "Sh*t, what are you calling my flesh and blood?"
Li Du laughed heartily, "Not yours, both of yours. You and Stephen’s flesh and blood."
Stephen wasn’t bothered about the joke; he was wiping the motorcycle, discussing with Hannah how they should customize it.
The next day, Stephen and Hannah went to customize their motorcycle. Hans brought Li Du to the suburbs.
He rode on the newly-assembled bike, and it could comfortably carry another passenger. The two enjoyed the wind against them as they rode on.
The motorcycle drove to a small town in the suburbs. There was a large, empty field there, with a stage held up by wooden supports. There were also spotlights hanging on the telephone poles, and some cars around.
Li Du asked, "What’s this?"
Hans smiled, "I’m bringing you to see another kind of business here in Arizona—an Old Goods Trade!"