An 83-year-old woman has appealed for the return of vintage motorbikes worth more than £125,000 which were stolen from her isolated farm. Joyce Cobbing's rare collection of more than 100 models was broken up when thieves broke into an outbuilding in rural Gloucestershire and took 19 machines.
Cobbing, an avid rider who started the collection nearly 60 years ago, said she was devastated. "It's not the value or the money that matters to me, it's more that motorcycles have played a huge part in my life. It started because I built myself a lightweight cycle when I was 22. I had that stolen too and decided to get a motorcycle, even though I thought they were smelly. I bought my first for £2.10 shillings," she said. "I can't ride after four hip replacements, a heart attack and bad knees but it's a lifetime commitment and the enthusiasm is still there. I was riding motorcycles the year the Queen was crowned."
Among the machines taken from the farm in Kilcot, near Newent, on Sunday evening was a Brough 1915 ladies' model worth £24,000 and thought to be the only one of its kind in existence. The oldest machine to be taken was a Humber 1904. A Moto Guzzi 1926 valued at £12,000, a Hobart 1911 ladies' model worth £10,000 and the Brough were the only models covered by insurance, Cobbing said.
Some of the stolen machines belonged to her husband Ken, who died in 1990. The pair met when they discovered a shared passion for motorbikes.
Cobbing remains optimistic that the bikes will be returned. "Unless they are kept under lock and key, the bikes are so rare that they will be recognised. Of course the parts can't be used by anybody else now. If they dare come back for the rest, I'll catch them," she said.
Police believe the offenders broke into the outbuilding and wheeled the bikes over farmland before loading them on to a vehicle. The farm's alarm system was down at the time, and thieves broke a single padlock to gain access to the outbuilding. Acting Detective Sergeant Pipe said: "The offenders have selected some very rare models, which indicates this theft was planned."
original article
Collector, 83, appeals for return of stolen vintage motorcycles | UK news | The Guardian
Linear Mode
