NICB: Motorcycle thefts still declining
News Release
The National Insurance Crime Bureau [on Monday] released a report on motorcycle thefts in the United States for 2013. A total of 45,367 motorcycles were reported stolen in 2013 compared with 46,601 reported stolen in 2012—a decrease of 1.5 percent.
Since 2008, annual motorcycle thefts have seen significant decreases, but that trend appears to be leveling off. The following graph shows the trend using 2007 thefts as the baseline number:
| Year | Thefts | Difference From Previous Year | Percent Change |
| 2007 | 65,678 | — | — |
| 2008 | 64,492 | 1,186 | -1.8 |
| 2009 | 56,093 | 8,399 | -13.0 |
| 2010 | 49,791 | 6,302 | -11.2 |
| 2011 | 46,667 | 3,124 | – 6.3 |
| 2012 | 46,061 | 606 | -1.3 |
| 2013 | 45,367 | 694 | -1.5 |
The report is based on National Crime Information Center (NCIC) motorcycle theft data for 2013. The complete report can be viewed here.
The following graph shows the top five manufacturers in 2012 and 2013 whose motorcycles were reported stolen. Their ranking remained the same:
| Rank | Manufacturer | 2013 | 2012 | Percent Change |
| 1 | American Honda Motor Co., Inc. | 8,557 | 9,082 | -5.8 |
| 2 | Yamaha Motor Corporation | 7,038 | 7,517 | -6.4 |
| 3 | American Suzuki Motor Corporation | 6,378 | 7,017 | -9.1 |
| 4 | Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. | 4,736 | 4,839 | -2.1 |
| 5 | Harley-Davidson, Inc. | 3,907 | 3,755 | +4.0 |
The top five states were in the same order as in last year’s report with California and Texas posting increases:
| Rank | State | 2013 | 2012 | Percent Change |
| 1 | California | 6,637 | 6,082 | +9.1 |
| 2 | Florida | 3,735 | 4,110 | -9.1 |
| 3 | Texas | 3,407 | 3,400 | +0.2 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 2,490 | 2,574 | -3.3 |
| 5 | Indiana | 2,199 | 2,334 | -5.8 |
When ranking the top five cities, the top four are identical to last year’s report. In fifth place this year, however, is Los Angeles replacing Miami:
| Rank | City | 2013 | 2012 | Percent Change |
| 1 | New York | 1,001 | 903 | +10.9 |
| 2 | Las Vegas | 899 | 757 | +18.8 |
| 3 | San Diego | 700 | 633 | +10.6 |
| 4 | Indianapolis | 576 | 584 | -1.4 |
| 5 | Los Angeles | 545 | 514 | +6.0 |
Motorcycles are generally a seasonal mode of transportation making them most susceptible to thefts during mild times of the year. Most thefts occurred during the summer months and the fewest during the winter. July had the highest number of reported thefts in 2013 with 5,360. August was next with 5,288 followed by September with 4,793. The fewest thefts were reported in February with 2,124 followed by December with 2,546 and March with 2,674.
View and download our motorcycle theft prevention brochure for more useful information.
Great article! Glad to see that our hard work is starting to pay off! People need to start protecting their motorcycles!