old trials fanatic Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 (edited) Sorry to post this in this forum but i've just had a call from a distraught Alan Whitton who this morning has had his van stolen a white Transit connect LWB reg NC 56 KKN now Alan is less bothered about his van because insurance will sort that out but inside was his Bantam rolling chassis that he had on his stand at Telford show along with some Triumph Tiger Cub heads and various parts. Alan dosent have any photos of the rolling chassis and needs some for the Police so if ANYBODY has any piccys at all of the Bantam frame from Telford show could they please either post them on here or let me have them and i will forward them to Alan. Obviously if you know of anybody offering any cub parts or a Bantam frame for sale please let us know. The frame is very trick and easily identifyable as are the wheels that have Alan's own billet alloy hubs which have been anodised gunmetal and the spoke flanges have been scolloped between the spoke holes along with Alans own modified forks and Billet alloy yokes etc. The cub heads have been blasted and look like new. Alan Whitton is a well known person in Classic circles and has helped many many of you who use this forum nows the time to all pull together and help him. thank you. Edited February 19, 2013 by old trials fanatic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinshockdude Posted February 19, 2013 Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 thieving *******s !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted February 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2013 Agreed mate. Serves as a reminder to us all about what we have in our vans and garages and that there are scum out there who may have designs on it. As trials riders we all tend to be very trusting especially amongst each other but so many people have been around to Alans and know he has stuff in his van normally that this has to serve as a reminder to us all to be vigalent. Amazing when you think how we all at a trial just lean the bike up against a tree and walk off. Surprising one has'nt "disappeared" at a Trial. I've had stuff nicked off my stall under my very nose when dealing with a customer. Only at the end of the day when i came to pack up did i notice what went missing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted February 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 Piccy of the Bantam rolling chassis that was stolen along with many Cub parts from Alans van when it too was stolen yesterday. Lets hope these low life pariahs arent stealing pre65 stuff to order now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axulsuv Posted February 20, 2013 Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 what ever happened to eye for a eye etc.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted February 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2013 what ever happened to eye for a eye etc.....! First you got to catch them then we can sort the eyes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted February 21, 2013 Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 Hi Guys. I take it there is no news of the theft ? To much time now to find the van abandoned somewhere. So I was the van ,or the contents that were the target? We know that all of Alan's stuff is top of the range. And works. So if that is what they were after? It may have been nicked to order? Alan has had hubs nicked before, the goods are just that good! And there are many of these hubs about now so they may fade into the background. The frame looks to me like a Drayton? So this to could have a change of colour and disappear . I don't know what Cub parts were in the van until I speak to Alan. But you all know that agin he would only have the very best of parts, and you know how Cub parts are now getting scarce. The old adages that Pre 65 and Classic trials are just getting to expensive may be the problem now.which means there will be a load more of this type of parts targeted. Buy crooks to fuel there pashion. So these parts need finding NOW before the rot sets in OK. Don't forget this site only has a small following compared with the whole trials community ,so every one that reads this needs to pass the message on this weekend, now is the time to stick firmly together!!! Charlie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted February 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 Well said Charlie as an aside i have also posted this on my and the clubs facebook pages and quite a few people have shared it to their pages also so hopefully we are covering as wide a population of Classic and Trials enthusiasts as possible. I agree that normally the van would have been found by now possibly burnt out but nowadays a lot of vehicles including perfectly good servicable ones are being broken up as they are worth more in parts than they are as a vehicle. The same thing was very prevalent a few years ago with superbikes that were being stolen just for the plastics which were then sold on and were nigh on untraceable. This very nearly saw the end of high performance road bikes until people wised up that every part you bought at an auto jumble or no questions asked only fuelled the problem. As you say now P65 has become so expensive have the low life scum tagged on to the fact that there is money to be made here? Makes you wonder how many people at Telford and other shows are "clocking" whats available and making notes? As i've said before i've had stuff nicked off my stall at trials and it really saddens me to think it could be anybody i ride with and who i think of as friends. How long will it be before a bike gets nicked at a trial? I've had friends had bikes nicked off the carrier on the back whilst visiting the loo on motorways or parked outside their mums. I just hope and prey it's not a "fellow" trials "enthusiast" who now "owns" the parts. It does make you wonder sometimes if it's all worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted February 21, 2013 Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 Might also be worth contacting wheel builders if bare hubs were stolen, and spoke and rim suppliers ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalshell Posted February 21, 2013 Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 (edited) the most likely scenario remains that a couple of likely lads just stole a van. or a white van was sourced. its location is high end with lots of footballers etc locally and would be somewhere car thieves might target. the stuff in the back would be a bonus.. itll be most likely in a scrap yard by now. ( the new system of cash less systems is a joke if they then cash your cheques on the same site as they do at my local yard) a stolen connect is worth a grand cash.. no one can pass off cub heads hubs etc as a job lot as anyone building such a bike would know only too well what they are and where they most likely came from so the parts 'cash value' might be a lot less than a couple of hundred quid.. scrap they might be worth 100 quid.. so by and far the van is the most easily 'moved' and the most 'profitable'. the van then is the key.. the police will make absolutely no attempt to locate it. they will rely on neighbours reporting it if dumped or it appearing on the radar of one thier anpr vehicles. a rip to all the local tescos with carparks and pfs (with anpr) might prove sucessful ( i found two stolen vehicles this way for customers whilst working for tesco..) or advertise for a connect in the free paper and put loads of searches out on ebay etc.for the van and contents. Edited February 21, 2013 by totalshell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted February 21, 2013 Report Share Posted February 21, 2013 Hi Guys. The problem is we are only a few? And we are talking to ourselves, We are not even a nation wide network, and most off the readers could not give a stuff. This is the nature of the beast nowadays. This is the problem with the whole trials scene , no one does anything until it is too late. This incident must prove a point though.when something gets financially as expensive to fund, the crooks tack over running things, and the black market for these products, gets bigger. Van scrap? Could be? But I now doubt it. More likely someone who was at Telford, and could see the trend, and got one of Alan's cards after checking out the goods? Someone will be buying these parts,make no mistake, and YOU will probably know them. The police will not be that worried it is only a crime number to them, so it is down to us to keep our ears to the ground and track down anything we can ,as it is our sports reputation that is now at risk ,and will discourage other people joining the sport if this thing happens more frequently. I am sure Alan will continue in what he does, but he will now be on his back foot to who he thinks is a friend! Mark my words!! Charlie . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted February 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2013 Well said Charlie. I too am far more worried about who comes around to my house now and i am sure Alan is. Thing is a friend who can be trusted could inadvertantly and innocently mention calling and that you had a really nice whatever in the workshop whilst talking to a mate in the pub or wherever. Johnny Scroatbag is earwigging and logs what was said. Next thing you know the workshop has been cleared. This is the modern world the lilly livered liberals who emaciated our education system all those years ago have now saddled us with. Trouble is if we quite rightly chopped these scroats hands off the state would step in and give them a 3 bedroom house, unlimited benifits and free holidays every year. Perhaps instead of taking callers we are going to have to go back to meeting in laybys away from where you live. At the very least if you sell somebody something and you dont know and can trust them well i am seriously considering taking their photo. Sounds harsh ? well what have they got to hide? It just makes me feel sick when you consider how hard we all work to fund our passion only for some idle scroat who's only really useful contribution to society would be to be an organ donor takes it all away in a flash. At least if we and by that i mean ALL true Trials riders only buy everything from reputable sources will there be any hope of trials not going the way of road bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie prescott Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Hi Guys. Hi OTF, I take it there is no update on Alan's loss? So someone is now the proud owner of some very HOT goods? And probably flaunting the fact to his close mates? Either here or abroad? One day they will come to light, probably at a two day trial somewhere ? Regards Charlie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted February 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Hi Charlie sadly no news is bad news and also sadly i think you are correct. Perhaps the van was nicked just for the van parts and the bike bits are just a bonus? I doubt very much that the bike bits will be crushed or melted down and that you are correct that at some point we will be sitting in a queue along some or all of those parts unknowingly. They will have been repainted, remodled etc but you can bet your bottom dollar that no matter what principles some people express if offered a "bargain" they will accept and not question. Sad comment on the human race but life has taught me that it is fact. The problem as always is proving they are the stolen parts Charlie even if they do resurface. Just take a look around any trial paddock and ask yourself the question "are any of those parts here?" just got to accept it. Dont like it but thats how it is in todays world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy m Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 Spoke to Alan yesterday, can't believe how unlucky he was, a few minutes either way and things may have been different. I think it was for the van but the bike stuff could surface at any time, trouble is the local plod won't be bending over backwards to find it,as soon as Alans insurance pays for the van the case will be closed in their eyes.. it'll be a chance sighting by someone either at a trial or on ebay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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