Couple who endured theft during H-D 110th takes special tour

WAUWATOSA (WITI) -- Tim Viik of British Columbia, Canada, in town for the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration, says he and his wife had several belongings stolen from their Radisson hotel room in Wauwatosa. After their Harley-Davidson celebration got off to a rough start, it improved, thanks to the generosity of FOX6 viewers and the Harley-Davidson community.

Tim and Tina Viik on Monday, September 2nd, got a private tour of the H-D headquarters on Juneau Ave.

"It is very overwhelming. Not too many people get a private tour of the Harley facilities," Tim Viik said.

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was enjoyed by the Viiks after Kyle Konieczka with Harley-Davidson learned of what happened.

"When I heard the story I felt compelled to reach out to them and ensure that this experience, this journey was an epic one for good reason," Konieczka said.

Last Thursday, when the Viik's hotel room was burglarized, they lost jewelry, a computer, their leather jackets with their passports inside, along with many other things.

Immediately after FOX6 News aired the story on Friday, responses from the public poured in.

"Just the first day we had over a hundred phone calls. We had lots of people offer us riding gear, helmets, coats, leathers, boots. We had people offering money," Tim Viik said.

Chaz Hastings with Milwaukee Harley-Davidson was one of those people.

"It's going to be a cold ride back up there. So I thought we could help them out, at least with a couple jackets," Hastings said.

This was the last thing the Viiks wanted or expected, but the generosity continues.

"We were just expecting to warn people," Viik said.

"I think that that's not just Milwaukee, but that's Harley-Davidson enthusiasts and riders all over the world. You know, we are truly a family. And we take care of our family," Konieczka said.

"We tried to phone everyone back, but we've just got too many people to phone everyone back. So we'd just like to thank everybody," Tim Viik said.

The Viiks also got a private tour of the Harley-Davidson Museum on Monday.

As the Viiks leave Milwaukee, they will take the historic Route 66 to the Grand Canyon. After that they'll head up the Oregon coast before they get home to Victoria Island. They say they plan on returning to Milwaukee for the 115th celebration in 2018.

No arrests have been made in the case, but Wauwatosa police have two persons of interest in custody.