The Annual Theft Report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau )NICB) shows the number of bike stolen rose 2% nationally in 2016. A total of 46,467 motorcycles were reported stolen, up from 45,555 in 2015.The largest number per State disappeared in California, where 7,506 motorcycles were reported stolen compared with 4,482 stolen in Florida and 3,692 in Texas. New York, San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles are the most-plagues cities. , while Los Angeles County is the top county.
Logically, the NICB report confirms that the bulk of motorcycle thefts occur during the summer months, when more bikes are on the street and when more people enjoy riding. August is the top month, when almost twice as many motorcycles were reported stolen than in December or January. Some bikes are more popular targets than others or are simply easier to steal. A disproportionate number are Japanese models.
great news for Born Free, not!
While I believe that the owner is responsible for securing their motorcycle I do not believe law enforcement does much to try and find those stealing them.
The general attitude seems to be not a big deal and it is probably insured anyway.
Now you have the Motorcycle Task Force who travel to motorcycle events around the country at taxpayer expenses to look for stolen motorcycles.
Their success rate sucks.
The are usually in plain clothes because they say they are undercover but can be seen out about town partying.
Maybe the money they are paid to go to motorcycle events and party could better be used if they stayed home and actually went out and looked for those stealing the motorcycles.
Motorcyclists have victimized themselves.
Motorcyclists have acquiesced to the “it could happen” fantasies of do-gooders from all walks of life. Motorcyclists have been the first to relinquish any rights that their God may have created them with. Motorcyclists?
Mike Greenwald – What?
From my friend Tony Pan
Besides taking bikes known to be stolen, the task force also confiscates bikes with suspicious looking VIN, resulting many times in innocent people having their property taken and sometimes they get it back and sometimes not. It depends upon if the judge hearing a forfeiture case understands the complexities and variances of the numbering system over the years, and which years a motor constituted the VIN and which years the frame held the VIN. Despite the arguments in court by the agencies which confiscated the bikes, frame and motor numbers, transmission numbers, etc., do not have to match. Misunderstanding and false claims about this causes many to never have their property returned, despite no crime had occurred.
Johnny Speed,
Exactly.