Oxford man tracks down stolen motorbike 1,600 miles away in Romania - and has to ride it home

Video report by ITV News Meridian's Juliette Fletcher

An Oxford man has embarked on a mammoth trip to recover a motorbike stolen from his home while he was away on holiday.

Kelston Chorley's detective-way led him on a 1,600 mile journey to Romania to track down his pride and joy.

The keen motorcyclist decided to take action after he saw an advert for a bike on a website in the country, and recognised it was his missing ride.

Kelston, who has been riding motorbikes since he was 12 years old, told ITV Meridian he couldn't let this one bike "end up trashed somewhere".

Kelston continued looking for his AJP Adventure bike, which he had previously ridden across South America, after it was stolen from his garage while he was away in Oxford.

He explained: "It's a horrible feeling when a bike that you love (is stolen)."

"You know that it's stolen and it's going to end up trashed somewhere. It's not a nice feeling."

Despite feeling disheartened when he realised his bike was taken, the story doesn't end there.

Kelston was alerted by a message on Facebook that his bike was on sale in Romania, where it was being sold for a price well below its value.

His first thoughts were that it couldn't be his bike, as it was too cheap, so he notified others asking if anyone else recognised it.

When he took a closer look he realised it was his own, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He jumped on a plane, with the intention of recovering the bike himself rather than waiting on the authorities.

When he arrived in Romania he notified local police who tracked it down to an area called Matca.

Within 48 hours the bike had been found and Kelston was reunited with his machine.

Kelston said: "Finding the bike was quite a unique moment, a mixture of excitement. I was pleased and nervous about what we do now and how do I get it back.

Although finding his bike in another country left him with a dilemma - he had no idea how to get it back from the UK.

The bike will now be bought back from insurers - but Kelston will have to ride it all the way home.

The big trip ahead did not put him off his joy at finding the bike.

He said: "I didn't expect to find it to be honest, so that was the most amazing part. To have it there in my hands."