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HYRUM, Cache County — Rex Jeppesen’s 50-year-old moped only had about 226 miles on it when it was stolen from his shed.
Jeppesen purchased the red 1965 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson M-50 from its original owner at a swap meet in 1980 for $50. He recently discovered the moped, which had all original parts, was missing when he went to get tools from the locked shed at his Hyrum home.
“It had to be someone who wanted that particular item, because there was other stuff in there they could have had, but they didn’t take it,” he said. “(The moped) was all covered up.”
The Cache County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the theft, and Jeppesen said he is keeping an eye out for related postings online. The moped is worth more because it was made by Harley-Davidson and still has its original stickers on both sides of the tank, according to Jeppesen.
He said he saw similar mopeds in worse condition selling for about $2,500 on eBay a few years ago. Since it’s considered an antique, he said the moped is worth more now than it has ever been. Jeppesen saw an M-50 that was identical to his at the National Motorcycle Museum in Iowa when he visited in 2009.
“It’s just a rare item,” he said. “The people who do have them don’t sell them.”
Jeppesen has a passion for collecting motorcycles and currently owns about six or seven different models, including two other Harleys, an Indian Enduro and a Triumph. He’s been riding motorcycles since he served in the Vietnam War. When his time in the military ended, he signed up for a motorcycle mechanics class.
“I just grew up around (motorcycles),” he said. “If I find them cheap, I just buy them and never sell them.”
At one point Jeppesen had 17 motorcycles, but his wife pushed him to get rid of the bikes that were only good for parts. He kept the ones that were worth more.
Jeppesen’s favorite motorcycle, the 1954 Panhead he is currently rebuilding, has a place of honor in his home’s front room.
“You’re not a real biker unless you’ve got one in the house,” he said.
Right now, Jeppesen he said he just wants to get his M-50 moped back. Anyone with information about the theft can contact detective Ramirez of the Cache County Sheriff’s Office at 435-755-1136.
