Motorcycle Theft in 2014
Motorcyclists have a lot of things to worry about. They have to survive potholes, slicks spots, road debris and wildlife crossings. They have to survive highways full of texting teens, road-rage speed demons, and fatigued mothers driving 2-ton SUV’s with distracting children. With all these worries, motorcycle theft may be the last thing any biker wants to think about.
So how worried should a motorcyclist be about their pride and joy? Well, it depends.
The NICB “Motorcycle Theft and Recovery Report” has been released for 2013, which can shed some light on motorcycle theft predictions for 2014. Here are some of the findings:
- There were 45,367 motorcycle thefts in the United States in 2013.
- The warmest months were also the months with the most thefts: July, August, September, and June were the top four, in that order.
- 2,060 U.S. counties reported motorcycle thefts in 2013; among them, Los Angeles County, California, ranked first by number of motorcycles stolen, while Fairfax County, Virginia, ranked first in theft rate by population (measured by number of thefts per 10,000 citizens).
- The top five brands stolen in 2013 were unchanged from 2012. Of the five, though, Harley-Davidson is the only one to show an increase in thefts (up 4 percent).
- The top five cities for motorcycle thefts are New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. The top four are unchanged from 2012; Los Angeles replaces Miami in the fifth slot.
If this list of facts causes some bikers to fret, we have a cure for that. Check out our previous post on protecting that pony from motorcycle theft:
Motorcycle Security: Protecting Your Ride