Motorcycle Thefts Down 13 Percent in 2009

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Apr 13, 2010, 09:00 ET

DES PLAINES, Ill., April 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The latest report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) shows that motorcycle thefts in 2009 are continuing their downward trend. A total of 56,093 motorcycles were reported stolen to law enforcement in 2009, down from 64,492 reported in 2008, a 13 percent drop.

The top five makes stolen last year were: (1) Honda, 13,688; (2) Yamaha, 11,148; (3) Suzuki, 9,154; (4) Kawasaki, 5,911; and (5) Harley-Davidson, 3,529. Combined they accounted for 43,430 thefts, or 77.4 percent of the total.

The top five states with the most motorcycle theft activity were: (1) California, 6,273; (2) Texas, 5,526; (3) Florida, 5,009; (4) North Carolina, 3,045; and (5) Georgia, 2,067. These five states accounted for 21,920 thefts, or 39 percent of the total.

While overall thefts are down, reflecting the continuing decline in thefts of passenger vehicles and light trucks, another possible factor contributing to the decline is that there are fewer targets to steal in the first place. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, motorcycle sales between 2008 and 2009 were down 40.8 percent. Likewise, the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association reported a 47.4 percent decrease in motorcycle production in 2009 from 2008 figures.

Not surprising, the summer months of July (6,319); August (6,079); and June (5,672) saw the most theft activity while the fewest thefts were recorded during the winter months of December (2,927); February (3,100); and January (3,570).

Consumers should visit https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/brochures to review our library of valuable theft and fraud awareness information. It's free and it just might help prevent you from falling victim to fraud scams.

The complete motorcycle theft report is also available at www.nicb.org.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote nearly $343 billion in insurance premiums in 2008, or more than 82 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau