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Motorcycle Theft

Our goal is for this page to become a directory of links to information, data and statistics regarding motorcycle theft.  We're especially interested in listing information regarding motorcycle theft statistics for the U.S.A.  For some reason, statistics about this topic are very hard to find.  So if you know of links to resources about motorcycle theft in the U.S., the U.K., Canada or other countries, please send them to

Motorcycle Locks and Alarms:  On the wBW Motorcycle Alarms, Locks and Immobilisers page

Preventing Motorcycle Theft:  AMA "Nine Ways to Keep Your Bike From Being a Motorcycle Theft Statistic" article with some basic tips on preventing motorcycle theft  |  Good tips on preventing motorcycle theft in this .pdf download from the Home Office in the U.K. entitled "Steer Clear of Bike Theft"  |  Here's a report on motorcycle security with tips and photos on correct lock placement  |  The U.K. Bike Theft Index lists the most popular motorbikes for thieves  |  BBC tips on preventing motorbike theft  |  More from the Home Office on preventing motorcycle theft  |  The Insurance Journal (U.S.A.) cites a study commissioned by LoJack that claims that "motorcycle theft rates (have climbed) more than 55 percent" but 49% of motorcycle owners are concerned about bike theft and 84% believe the chances are "slim to none" of getting a stolen bike back  |  Kryptonite (US) lockup tips  |  Anti-Theft Strategies for Motorcyclists by Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine  |  More tips on preventing motorcycle theft from Sport Rider magazine

Motorcycle Theft Statistics:  U.S. Motorcycle Accident and Theft Rates - See below  |  Here's the 2005 list of most stolen motorcycles in the U.K. in the "Bike Theft Index 2005" (Note: .pdf file opens in new window)

GPS Tracking Devices:  BikeBone has many different types of motorcycle locks, alarms, GPS tracking devices and more  |  Digital Guardian is a GPS anti-theft tracking device for motorcycles or trailers that includes intrusion detection and perimeter guarding

Stolen Motorcycles:  Lost Ride is claimed to be the "largest online registry of stolen motorcycles in the world"; list your bike's VIN if it was stolen or search for a VIN prior to purchasing a bike to see if it is listed  |  Everyone is a potential victim -- on July 5, 2006, two of Shane "Shakey" Byrne's Suzuki GSX-R1000K6 race bikes were stolen from a locked garage at the Croft circuit in North Yorkshire.  The bikes were garaged in preparation for the start of the official MCRCB two day test at the circuit, due to start this morning.  The team left the circuit at around 20:00 and returned at 8:00 this morning to find the garage door open and the two bikes missing along with parts and accessories.  Airwaves Ducati and Redbull Honda also had parts stolen.  The Rizla Suzukis were since recovered, but the point is that it can happen to anyone, any time.

Recent Motorcycle Theft Statistics:  See below for recent statistics on motorcycle theft rates.  The National Insurance Crime Bureau says that motorcycle theft rates have increased over 135% in the past 5 years, with approximately 70,000 motorcycles stolen in 2006; Suzukis and Sportbikes seem to be the most targeted by thieves  |  Summarized information on motorcycle theft rates; if you have more recent information or know of good sources, please email us at the address at the top of this page.

- Highest risks of motorcycle and moped theft were in Denmark and England and Wales, where 4% of owners were victimized. Motorcycle theft in Japan is also relatively high at 3%.

- The U.S.A., with a 2005 population of 295,734,134, reported approximately 44,000 motorcycle thefts in 2001.  The small size and portability of motorcycle parts (and possibly the active custom motorcycle market in the U.S.A.) means that the parts can be reused, resulting in a low recovery rate of approximately 25% to 30% when compared to the automobile recovery rate of 65% to 70%.  Motorcyclists also report that the Police don't seem to place the same emphasis on recovering stolen motorcycles as they do for stolen automobiles.

- The U.K. had a 2005 population of 59,830,000, and reported a motorcycle theft rate of 37 per 1,000 registered motorbikes in 2003, compared to 39 per 1,000 in 2001

 

- The number of motorcycles stolen in the U.K. has risen from 48,412 in 2001 to 50,591 in 2003 but the number of registered motorcycles on the road has also increased, from 1,247,688 to 1,360,874.

 

- Mopeds and scooters are the most stolen two-wheeled vehicles in the U.K.

U.S. Motorcycle Theft and Accident Rates

The National Insurance Crime Bureau announced the top ten states for motorcycle thefts in 2005. They are, with theft totals in parentheses, as follows:

1. California (9,110) 2. Florida (6,324) 3. Texas (5,755) 4. North Carolina (3,053) 5. Ohio (2,573) 6. Arizona (2,464) 7. New York (2,195) 8. Indiana (2,186) 9. Georgia (2,159) 10. Pennsylvania (2,021)

Nationally, 70,613 motorcycles were stolen in 2005 which is a slight decrease from the 71,108 stolen in 2004.  This represents a loss of over $434 million to motorcycle owners and the insurance industry.

With recovery rates typically in the 25-30% range nationally, motorcycle owners need to take every precaution in protecting their investments.


July 2, 2006 - Motorcycle Theft Report
Courtesy of Progressive Insurance
Progressive Insurance reports the following statistics, based on claims:

Most Likely to be Stolen:  1. Suzuki GSX-R; 2. Yamaha YZF-R; 3. Suzuki Hayabusa; 4. Honda CBR; 5. Kawasaki ZX-R.

Least Likely to be Stolen:  1. Suzuki Savage; 2. BMW R1200C; 3. Yamaha Virago; 4. Honda Nighthawk; 5. Triumph Bonneville.

Most Likely to be in a Crash:  1. Suzuki GSX-R; 2. Suzuki TLR; 3. Kawasaki ZX-R; 4. Honda CBR; 5. Yamaha YZF-R.

Least Likely to be in a Crash:  1. Yamaha Virago; 2. Honda Rebel; 3. Honda Nighthawk; 4. Suzuki Savage; 5. Harley-Davidson Tour Glide.

Background
Progressive reviewed claims data on more than two million motorcycles insured over the past three years to determine the likelihood of a motorcyclist getting into an accident or having a bike stolen.  The analysis focused on the 89 U.S. metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 and higher.

The study found Honolulu riders are most likely to have their bikes stolen, even though it's the 53rd largest metropolitan area.  In fact, a motorcyclist in Honolulu is four times more likely to have a bike stolen than is a motorcyclist in Chicago or Detroit, which are the third and seventh largest metro areas in the country, respectively.

Similarly, though Baton Rouge ranks 75th in population, it ranks third when it comes to the likelihood of a rider experiencing a motorcycle crash.  And a motorcyclist in Philadelphia, the country's fifth largest metro area, is 36 percent less likely to have an accident as one in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metro area, which is the 47th largest.

One metropolitan area where the statistics are more in line with what you might expect is New York; it ranks number one both in population and in the likelihood of motorcycle collisions.  And, while three metro areas rank among the most likely for both thefts and collisions (New York, Norfolk-Virginia Beach, and San Diego), only one — Cincinnati — ranks among the least likely for both.

The rankings in the following tables are based on a relative scale, with 100 representing the national average. (So, for example, in the table showing the metro areas in which a motorcycle is most likely to be crashed, New York would rank 71 points above the average.)

U.S. Motorcycle Accident and Theft Rates

Metro Areas In Which A Motorcycle is Most Likely to be Crashed (See Note 1)
(among metros with pop. >500,000)
Metro Area Likelihood vs.
National Average of 100
Population Rank
1.
New York, N.Y.-N.J. 171

1

2.

Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Portsmouth, Va.-N.C.

157

47

3.
Baton Rouge, La. 153

75

4.
San Diego, Calif. 142

15

5.
San Francisco-Oakland, Calif. 140

9

6.
New Orleans, La. 128

41

7.
San Antonio, Texas 126

31

8.
McAllen-Pharr-Edinburg, Texas 124

76

9.
Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. 123

16

10.
Orlando, Fla. 123

36


Metro Areas In Which A Motorcycle is Least Likely to be Crashed (See Note 1)
(among metros with pop. >500,000)
Metro Area Likelihood vs. National Average of 100 Population Rank
80.
Columbus, Ohio 82

37

81.
Oxnard-Simi Valley-Ventura, Calif. 82

62

82.
Cleveland, Ohio 80

24

83.
Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, R.I.-Mass. 79

69

84.
Tacoma, Wash. 76

64

85.
Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. 74

32

86.
Toledo, Ohio-Mich. 72

61

87.
Akron, Ohio 70

65

88.
Indianapolis, Ind. 70

34

89.
Bakersfield, Calif. 68

67


Metro Areas In Which A Motorcycle is Most Likely to be Stolen (See Note 2)
(among metros with pop. >500,000)
Metro Area Likelihood vs.
National Average of 100
Population Rank
1.
Honolulu, Hawaii 428

53

2.
Miami, Fla. 359

22

3.
San Diego, Calif. 277

15

4.
Las Vegas, Nev. 249

35

5.
New York, N.Y.-N.J. 247

1

6.
Washington, DC-Md.-Va. 242

8

7.
Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. 233

2

8.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Fla. 229

29

9.
New Orleans, La. 228

41

10.
Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Portsmouth, Va.-N.C. 226

47

 

Metro Areas In Which A Motorcycle is Least Likely to be Stolen (See Note 2)
(among metros with pop. >500,000)
Metro Area Likelihood vs.
National Average of 100
Population Rank
80.
Nashville-Davidson, Tenn. 45

39

81.
Pittsburgh, Pa. 42

23

82.
Milwaukee, Wis. 42

33

83.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.-Wis. 41

14

84.
Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. 41

32

85.
Lansing-East Lansing, Mich. 41

88

86.
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. 39

57

87.
Syracuse, N.Y. 35

73

88.
Harrisburg, Pa. 33

85

89.
Grand Rapids, Mich. 29

55

Notes:
1) The rankings in the tables above are based on a relative scale, with 100 representing the national average. (So, for example, in the table showing the metro areas in which a motorcycle is most likely to be crashed, New York, at 171, would rank 71 points, or 71 percent, above the average. In the table showing the metro areas in which a motorcycle is least likely to be crashed, Bakersfield, at 68, would rank 32 points, or 32 percent, below the average.)

2) The rankings in the tables above are based on a relative scale, with 100 representing the national average. (So, for example, in the table showing the metro areas in which a motorcycle is most likely to be stolen, Honolulu, at 428, would rank 328 points, or 328 percent, above the average. In the table showing the metro areas in which a motorcycle is least likely to be stolen, Grand Rapids, at 29, would rank 71 points, or 71 percent, below the average.)

"Riders can't assume that just because they may live in a smaller metropolitan area they have less risk of accident or theft; the data make that very clear," said Rick Stern, motorcycle product manager, Progressive. "No matter where they live, motorcyclists are encouraged to ride safely; to take appropriate measures to protect themselves and their bikes; and to review their insurance policies to make sure they have the coverage that's right for them based on their individual circumstances."

Oh, and in case you're wondering, if you live in Wichita, you're 67 percent more likely to have your bike stolen than if you live in Chicago — even though Chicago is the third largest metro area in the country and Wichita is the 87th. Click here for the complete list of the 89 largest metropolitan areas where motorcycles are most likely to be stolen; click here for the list of where motorcycles are most likely to be crashed.

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