They call it their “baby” – a vintage Harley Davidson custom sportster motorcycle, stolen from their Gaston County storage unit early Friday morning.

“We were heading down the road and looked over and seen all the doors were all bashed in and pushed up,” said Misty Stover.

She turned around and drove inside, “..and realized our Harley was gone,” she said. “I got sick.. I got sick.. I mean, that's an irreplaceable piece of equipment.”

Stover said almost every unit in the complex had been pried open. The door to her unit was open only a couple of feet.

“They had to drag our Harley out -- they had to lay it down and drag it,” she said.

Stover’s husband Mike built the 1977 sportster by hand more than 30 years ago. It’s one of only about half a dozen like it ever made – and it’s been a central part of their 15-year friendship and marriage.

“I haven't been able to eat in three days,” she said, getting emotional. “It's horrible, it's horrible.”

Stover figures the thieves made more than one trip, because so many units were broken into.

The fence around the complex was cut open in two places – holes large enough to walk through both on the lower level and near another set of units up a hill. There are no security cameras to record the crime.

Several thousands of dollars worth of the Stover’s power tools and construction equipment were also taken, in addition to other people’s things.

The Stovers say they just want their Harley back, even if it’s in pieces. “We don’t care,” said Stover. “We’ll take it.”

The serial number is etched on both the engine and the frame – 3A18952H7.

Anyone with information about the rare motorcycle or any of the other items stolen from other units should call Gaston County Police.