Stolen motorcycles recovered

Three dirt bikes taken in a brazen burglary at a motorcycle dealership near Honolulu Airport on Friday were all recovered without damage, the dealership said.

Police said the theft happened at 2:39 a.m. at SouthSeas Cycle Exchange on Nimitz Highway.

"They (the thieves) must have panicked," said Mark Ely, South Seas Cycle Exchange director of motorcycle operations. "It looks like they just ditched it."

Ely said the dirt bikes, valued at about $8,000 each, were found inside a U-Haul vehicle parked on a residential street in Aiea Heights at about 5 a.m. Friday.

He said residents of the neighborhood heard about the burglary on the news Friday morning and noticed a U-Haul parked in front of their home when they went out for a walk Friday morning. They called police, who looked inside and saw the ignition had been punched.

"They opened up the back and voila, there’s our bikes," Ely said. "We’re extremely thankful."

It was the second time in a week that the motorcycle dealership was burglarized, probably by the same culprits, Ely said.

Five dirt bikes, made by KTM and Honda, were taken early March 22 by thieves who pulled open a door. Those motorcycles, valued at about $8,000 each, haven’t been recovered.

After the theft, the dealership put a chain on the door.

On Friday morning, the thieves probably found the door chained and stole a U-Haul vehicle from a nearby U-Haul dealer to ram the plate glass window, then take out the motorcycles, Ely said.

South Seas has since hired security to post overnight and was planning other security measures, such as installing a bar in front of the window to deter thieves from walking away with motorcycles.

Ely said he hasn’t heard about anyone being arrested.