Bike theft hero group expands globally as more join the cause
Volunteer bike recovery group get set to expand operations
New branches of the London-based stolen motorcycle recovery team, Biker Biker, are opening across the UK including Kent, Southampton, Sheffield and Scotland. The newest addition to the fold is Leeds, but now they’re setting their sights further afield to America, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and India. “After we spoke to MCN last year we had a real surge of exposure,” said Shane, the founder of Biker Biker. “I ended up going on LBC radio to talk about bike theft and the work we do. After that I was invited to a virtual event with guys from all over the world and they were saying, ‘Hey we need this in Canada and America’ and I just thought, ‘Yeah, why not?’. “We’ve found a guy to work with on the East Coast of America and we’re working on the others now, too. It’s just a case of finding
‘People want to get involved in America’ SHANE, BIKER BIKER FOUNDER
people you trust not to try to behave like vigilantes and give us a bad name.”
Staying on the right side of the law has been at the core Biker Biker since the start. Shane is clear to point out that the group are not interested in going after thieves, they just want to give the victims of crime their bikes back. “We’ve managed to get a van on the road now, which is amazing,” he adds. “It cost less than a grand and it was a bit rotten here and there but we’ve fixed it up and got a ramp thanks to the generosity of the biking community.”
The van means that the London group no longer have to wait for a third-party recovery truck, they can just scoop up stolen machines as soon as they have confirmed that the bike has been nicked. You can now become a subscriber to Biker Biker on Facebook and donate £3.49 per month. This money will go towards Shane’s next project. “I want to keep a stock of locks, chains, alarmed disc locks, lever locks and covers to lend people when we give their bikes back. These people have often had their security destroyed when the bike was nicked and this will stop the thieves having an easy job of taking the bike back again.”