Thieves have stolen 11 AJP bikes worth £40,000 from Trailworld just days before the Hertfordshire business was to become an official off-road test ride centre in partnership with the UK distributors of the Portuguese machines.
The raiders used hydraulic cutting gear to break into the isolated off-road centre, then disc-cutters to remove locks from a steel shipping container which housed the trail bikes.
Police told owner Bob Allen that the thieves were obviously professionals.
This is the second time Trailworld has been raided since it opened seven years ago, the first theft, in which six off-road machines were stolen, three of which were later recovered, occurred just before AJP became involved with the training school.
The business became an official AJP dealer in November last year. It also runs guided tours, providing bikes and kit for newcomers and proficient riders, through the Home Counties (Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire) and in Andalucia in southern Spain.
Allen, who is preparing an insurance claim, fears he is now unlikely to get insurance in the future.
Full story, and any development, in the next issue of British Dealer News.