The months of July and August had the most thefts.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau today said that motorcycle thefts were down 6% in 2011 from their 2010 total. This means 46,667 motorcycles reported stolen in 2011 compared with 49,791 in 2010.
The theft rate, which sounds low, actually averages to one motorcycle heist every 11 minutes. Motorcycle sales were essentially flat in 2011 at 440,899, — up 0.3% from 2010 sales of 439,678 units.
The worst five states with the most motorcycle thefts were: (1) California, 5,927; (2) Texas, 3,950; (3) Florida, 3,927; (4) North Carolina, 2,466; and (5) Indiana, 2,114. These five states accounted for 18,384 thefts, or 40% of the total.
The warm months of July and August logged the most thefts in 2011 at 5,544 and 5,397, respectively; Cooler months of February and December saw the fewest thefts with 2,147 and 2,475, respectively, according to data from the National Crime Information Center.
The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $339 billion in insurance premiums in 2011, or approximately 80% of the nation’s property/casualty insurance.
