Motorcycle thefts in the United States fell by 13 percent in 2009, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a Des Plaines-based nonprofit organization. A total of 56,093 motorbikes were reported stolen last year, down from 64,492 in 2008. The decline continues a downward trend in such thefts and is in sync with reduced thefts of cars and light trucks, the NICB said.
Then again, 2009 also saw a 40.8 percent decrease in motorcycle sales from the previous year, meaning there were also fewer bikes on the road to steal.
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.
