UK business delivers new bike to Indian world traveller
It seems there’s a happy ending to the tale of an Indian world traveller whose bike was stolen while visiting England.
A Nottinghamshire business has gifted a new motorcycle to an Indian motorcyclist whose bike was stolen while he was on the UK leg of a round-the-world adventure.
Yogesh Alekari was 15,000 miles and four months into a global ride when his KTM 390 Adventure was stolen on 28 August. He had parked up for breakfast at Wollaton Hall, in Nottingham - placing his bike in a visible space and securing it with a disc lock.
A trio of brazen daylight thieves snatched the bike and were captured on video by bystanders. In addition to losing his bike, Alekari lost all his belongings - including his passport.
The case sparked international outcry among the motorcycling community and resulted in numerous offers of support - including from the production company behind Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s recent “Long Way Home” series.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring of goodwill, Alekari says he has been left speechless.
“I never expected this kind of support,” he told BBC East Midlands Today.
On Thursday, Alekari accepted delivery of a new bike from The Off Road Centre - a dealership based in Mansfield Woodhouse. The new KTM 790 Adventure offers Alekari a considerable boost in terms of horsepower and has been bedecked with stickers to make it look more like the machine that was stolen.
The Off Road Centre also says that if Alekari’s original bike is ever actually recovered, it will store it for him until he is able to collect it.
Earlier this week, Nottinghamshire Police said that an 18-year-old man had been arrested in Doncaster in connection with the theft of Alekari’s bike, but that it had not been able to locate the stolen vehicle.
Meanwhile, Runcorn-based auction house Manor Park Classics has helped Alekari in replacing much of his gear (if you look him up on social media you’ll see that he is wearing a lot of Manor Park Classics-branded clothing).
The only thing keeping him from hitting the road is the paperwork of replacing his passport. He’s hoping that will happen soon and he can return to his adventure.
“I need a lot of things to get on the road,” Alekari told the BBC. “I'll pack my bike and, as soon as possible, I will be on the road to somewhere in Africa.”
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
