Motorcycle Thefts
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its motorcycle theft report for the United States this week, reporting that thefts were down 6 percent in 2011 compared to 2010.
In all, 46,667 motorcycles were stolen in 2011, compared to 49,791 in 2010. This equals to one theft every 11 minutes, the NICB reports. This decline occurred when motorcycle sales slightly increased; the Motorcycle Industry Council reports that in 2011, motorcycle sales increased 0.3 percent to 440,899, compared to 439,678 in 2010.
The most stolen brand? Honda. The NCIB reports that of the motorcycles stolen throughout the United States, one in four was a Honda.
Following are the top brands and states in the study:
Top Five Motorcycle Manufacturers Stolen in 2011:
- Honda, 11,014
- Yamaha, 8,880
- Suzuki, 7,281
- Kawasaki, 5,009
- Harley-Davidson, 3,120
Combined, these five brands accounted for 35,304 thefts in 2011, or 75.6 percent of the total.
Top Five States where Motorcycles were Stolen in 2011:
- California, 5,927
- Texas, 3,950
- Florida, 3,927
- North Carolina, 2,466
- Indiana, 2,114
These five states accounted for 18,384 thefts, or 39.3 percent of the total.
The NCIB reports that as expected, the warm months of July and August logged the most thefts in 2011 at 5,544 and 5,397, respectively. On the other end of the scale, the cooler months of February and December saw the fewest thefts with 2,147 and 2,475, respectively.
While the most active day for thefts was Monday with 6,962, there was a relatively even spread across the week with the least active day, Sunday, posting 6,422 thefts.
