Thieves Stole This Super Rare British Motorcycle: What Do They Plan To Do With It?

It's a 1904 Riley, and it's apparently the only one still known to exist in the UK, and one of only two left in the entire world.

Photo by: Robert Fellowes

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Dec 19, 2025 at 7:58am ET

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You hate to see it, but at the same time, you're probably not surprised to learn that another motorcycle has been stolen in the UK. Unfortunately, the country has had a massive problem with motorcycle theft for some time now, but this particular instance is extra strange, because what's been stolen this time around is probably the only one of its kind in the entire country.

It's an ultra-rare British antique motorcycle called a Riley, and it dates all the way back to 1904. It disappeared from a Suffolk village sometime on Monday, December 15, 2025, reportedly from inside a locked barn that was located inside a locked yard. The thieves cut through a padlocked gate to get inside, and also stole a number of other tools.

Know what's even worse, though? Besides the fact that someone did this in the middle of the holiday season, it was apparently stolen from the great-grandson of one of Riley's founders. So it's not just some guy and some random antique; it's a genuine piece of family history and lore. In fact, owner Bill Fellowes has talked at length about the theft with British outlets, including the BBC and MCN, about the bike, and said that he'd recently paid a good deal of money for a full restoration since it's so meaningful.

Why steal a motorcycle that stands out, anyway?

This 1904 Riley is apparently worth somewhere in the neighborhood of £10,000, which certainly isn't nothing. But even if the thieves didn't know what they had (which they likely didn't), it's definitely not a little Honda PCX or a Yamaha NMAX that you can find on almost any street. For what it's worth, the owner suspects it was more likely to be a crime of opportunity (as in "hey, let's take this motorbike since it's here with all this other stuff we're already loading up in the van") than a premeditated plan to steal this bike in particular.

What do you think?

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In any case, Fellowes is offering a reward for the safe return of the bike, but advised MCN that its complicated starting procedure (remember, this thing is 121 years old, and most bikes from the early 20th century had incredibly complicated starting procedures) and the fact that it doesn't currently have a belt installed will make it next to impossible to start.

Here's hoping there's a happy ending to this story, and that Fellowes gets the bike back in one piece. If it did happen to turn up somewhere for sale, it seems unlikely someone would buy it; news usually travels fast and far amongst motorcycle folks.