Super Soco are superheroes: Electric bike firm step in to help NHS bike theft victim

It’s nice to be able to report some good news and that’s never been more true than during the Coronavirus lockdown. Last week we brought you the shocking story of dementia respite worker, Keith, who had his Kawasaki ZZR1400 stolen, leaving him unable to get to work.

Well, electric bike firm, Super Soco heard of Keith’s plight and they’ve delivered him a TC Max from their fleet to tide him over until he can procure a full-time replacement with his insurance pay out.

“How nice is that? They drove all the way from London to deliver me a bike and help out,” Keith said when he spoke to MCN after the bike was delivered. “I spoke to some of the big dealers around here and no one was able to help.”

Related articles on MCN

• How a police bike is made
• Motorbikes are most likely vehicle to be stolen in UK
• 92 motorbikes stolen in just eight weeks

Keith is still off work because his daughter is ill but he has made a trip to the shop for essential supplies on the bike and was quickly spotted by people who had seen his story online. “They’d never seen an electric bike before and they knew exactly who I was because of the story on the website.

“I’d never ridden an electric motorbike before but it’s fun. I locked up the rear the first time I tried to pull the clutch and realised it was a rear brake and I nearly ran a woman and her dog over because she didn’t hear me coming, but it’s very impressive.”

Richard Jordan from Super Soco explained: “I saw Keith’s story on Facebook and got in touch. We want to help as much as we can during Coronavirus, we’ve got a lot of demo vehicles, which are usually out on demos with potential dealers and there seemed no point for me to have those sat around if we can get them out and get them working.”

Keith’s insurance has paid out and so he’ll be back on his own wheels as soon as he can but it will be tricky to complete a bike sale until lockdown restrictions have been lifted.

Keith isn’t the only NHS worker to have been helped out by the leccy philanthropists at Super Soco. Having already announced a 10% discount on their machines for NHS workers, they then started to help by lending bikes to those like Keith who had been targeted by bike thieves.

They’ve also delivered a bike to 53-year-old NHS Scientist, Ian who had his Triumph Sprint stolen in Brighton. “We were getting a lot of enquiries from doctors looking for a way to get to work during the pandemic without using public transport,” explained Super Soco’s Richard Jordan. “We’ve lent bikes to Keith and Ian but we’ve probably got a few more we could get out.”

---

Dementia worker left struggling to get to work after bike stolen during lockdown

First published 7 April 2020 by Ben Clarke

A key worker in Eastbourne had his motorbike taken from outside his home while he was upstairs putting his son, who had Coronavirus symptoms, to bed.

Keith Kingsbury, 47, had left his Kawasaki ZZR1400 Performance Sport chained and covered about a metre and a half from his front bay window when it was taken some time between 7.15pm and 9.45pm on Monday, March 30.

“I work with people with dementia at a respite service and I’ve been self-isolating because my son and wife have both had Coronavirus symptoms,” Keith told MCN, “but I was hoping to get back to work soon and my motorbike is the only way I can get there.”

“I’ve been working at the respite centre 15 years and I’ve been in the healthcare system for 29 years. I enjoy helping people.”

The loss of the bike would mean Keith having to either walk two miles each way or get a lift with others, putting those in his care at greater risk.

The bike was taken on March 30 and by April 1, Keith had a letter from the police telling him they’d closed the case. A very kind nurse on Facebook offered him a spare car, but he only has a bike licence so can’t take them up on it.

Stolen bikes are often dumped close to where they were taken and monitored by thieves to see if they are being tracked so Keith walked around the local area to see if he could spot it.

He added: “The area is full of motorbikes, I just can’t believe it was mine that was taken. I haven’t had a bike nicked in 20 years. All it would take is for someone to look out of their window and spot it, and I’ll have it back.”

Keith’s insurer, Devitt, is prioritising his case as he is a key worker but organising a replacement motorbike can take a long time under normal circumstances, let alone during a pandemic. Keith is appealing for anyone who has any information about the whereabouts of his bike to contact Sussex Police. The registration is CN17 OWO.