The 85-year-old Wangaratta restorer and racer had welcomed a photographer onto his property last week to snap some images of his vintage bike collection before an upcoming race meet at Phillip Island.

Mr Lucas had moved around some bikes to accommodate the shoot, however, did not notice until Friday after lunch something was amiss.

He said someone must have been watching his property before they drove in and snatched the motorcycles between January 4 and 14.

News of the theft spread quickly on the internet, with one post on Facebook asking people to look out for the bikes getting shared 7584 times as of Wednesday.

Wangaratta police are investigating the heist, but Mr Lucas said the unique bikes, worth about $50,000 each, had probably left Australian shores already.

Mr Lucas said it was likely to have been a professional job and not unheard of in the collector community.

“My friend in Melbourne, Eddie Thomas, bought a Manx Norton, he had a big long garage and put his Manx Norton in there, backed a car in front of it,” he said.

“He came out (the next day) and the doors were open, they'd picked up the Norton lifted it over the car and over a five foot fence and when the police came out they said Eddie that motorbike is halfway across the Pacific now.

“They case a place, they know where the motorbike is … they build a big crate and they book an aircraft to fly out of Tullamarine (airport) at 6am.”

Mr Lucas has a sizeable fleet of Norton, Vincent, Indian, Triumph and Douglas motorcycles, but said this was the first time a bike had been stolen.

The big-hearted Mr Lucas has always kept an open home to the busloads of classic vehicle clubs, professional motorcycle riders and enthusiasts who visit his property every year.

Mr Lucas told The Border Mail he wasn’t going to change his attitude following the loss of the two beloved motorcycles.

“I wouldn’t neglect anyone from seeing them because of some radical mongrels,” he said.

Anyone with information about the theft, should call Wangaratta police on (03) 5723 0888.