According to the recently-released National Insurance Crime Bureau's 2011 Motorcycle Theft and Recovery report, 46,667 bikes were reported stolen in 2011, down 6 percent from 49,791 reported stolen in 2010.
Although overall thefts waned in 2011, motorcycle sales slightly increased. Citing the Motorcycle Industry Council, NICB reports that sales increased in 2011 to 440,899 units compared to the 439,678 units sold the year prior.
The five motorcycle makes in the following slideshow were targeted the most by thieves, with their thefts accounting for 35,304, or 76 percent, of the total thefts.
Click “next” to see the top 5 most stolen motorcycle makes of 2011 and to read more data from the report.
5. Harley-Davidson: 3,120
Harley-Davidson was the fifth most stolen motorcycle make in 2011, with 3,120 reported thefts.
The NICB report also tracked on which days motorcycles were most likely to be stolen. 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.
4. Kawasaki: 5,009
Coming in fourth place is Kawasaki, with just over 5,000 thefts reported.
The report also looked at what time of year motorcycle thefts occured. Last year, states logged the highest number of robberies during the warm months of July and August, with 5,544 and 5,397, respectively. On the other end of the thermometer, the cooler months of February and December witnessed the fewest thefts with 2,147 and 2,475, respectively.
3. Suzuki: 7,281
Number three on the list is Suzuki with 7,281 motorcycle thefts in 2011.
The top five U.S. states with the most reported thefts are California (5,927), Texas (3,950), Florida (3,927), North Carolina (2,466), and Indiana (2,114).
2. Yamaha: 8,880
The runner-up of the most stolen motorcycle makes is Yamaha which saw 8,880 of its bikes stolen.
The U.S. motorcycle theft rate averages out to one theft every 11 minutes. Industry experts speculate the fact that many bikes are not equipped with adequate theft-deterrence technology is fueling the problem.
1. Honda: 11,014
Similar to theft trends for passenger vehicles, Hondas continue to be frequently targeted, topping the list of the five most stolen makes of motorcycles in 2011 with 11,014 reported as stolen.
The NICB extracted all data from theft reports contained in the National Crime Information Center. For more information on motorcycle thefts, watch this video.
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