yesterday morning to find his treasured bike gone.

Mr. Anthony Amaral said he is "devastated'' by the loss of the vintage motor cycle he has owned for seven years and painstakingly restored.

"I'm just numb,'' he said. "I'm broken-hearted. It's almost like a death in the family.'' The 1963 model with its 150 cc engine is no longer available on the Island -- making the bike virtually priceless Mr. Amaral believes.

He discovered the bike missing on Thursday morning and thinks it was stolen from his Devonshire home on Wednesday evening.

"I think someone knew it was there,'' he said. But he could not confirm if he had left it locked.

Nothing else was stolen from the garage where other items of value were stored, leading him to believe the thief knew the bike was there.

According to members of the Triumph Motor Cycle Owners Club, Triumphs are rarely stolen because of their distinctive look. The last theft was 20 years ago.

"It is not just an ordinary bike,'' Mr. Amaral said, adding it had helped him through difficult periods in his life.

"It was my pride and joy. It kept me together mentally when I was going through my divorce.'' Mr. Amaral, who restores vintage bikes as a hobby, is appealing to members of the public to help retrieve his Triumph.

The Tiger Cub Sports model is a metallic purple and white with Harley Davidson gooseneck handlebars and a chrome front fender. The licence plate number is X868. Mr. Amaral can be contacted at 235-1080.

Police spokesman Insp. Coghlin Gibbons urged owners to take extra precautions to secure vintage bikes because thieves targeted them for their lucrative parts.

"We urge people always to double lock them,'' he said. But he admitted thefts of Triumphs were relatively rare because of the small number of bikes on the Island.

STOLEN -- Mr. Anthony Amaral's pride and joy, a 1963 Triumph, was stolen from his home this week.