Slight Drop in Motorcycle Thefts in U.S.

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

Motorcycle thefts in the U.S. dropped one percent in 2012 from 2011. A total of 46,061 were reported taken, down from 46,667, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau statistics released today. Honda had the highest theft rate with  9,082 taken, followed by Yamaha (7,517), Suzuki (7,017), Kawasaki (4,839) and Harley-Davidson (3,755).

California had more thefts than any other state – 6,802 – and was followed by Florida (4,110), Texas (3,400), North Carolina (2,574) and Indiana (2,334).

While New York ranked ninth on the list, states in the northeast did well, ranking as follows: 18. Massachusetts, 21. New Jersey, 23. Connecticut, 42. Rhode Island, 45. New Hampshire, 46. Maine and 51. Vermont. Included in the list was the District of Columbia.

Among cities, New York ranked first, followed by Las Vegas, San Diego, Indianapolis and Miami.

While the recovery rate of all motor vehicles was 53.9 percent, the recovery rate for motorcycles was only 39 percent.

The theft rate for motorcycles is down 7.5 percent from 2010. In 2012, motorcycles were most likely to be snatched in July (12 percent), followed by August (11 percent). June, September and May were next. December, January and February were the months when motorcycles were least likely to be taken.