Year after year, the same four names top the theft reports: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. NICB data has consistently shown the Japanese big four accounting for the majority of US motorcycle thefts, with Honda typically leading. Harley-Davidson usually lands next, and high-volume scooter brands round out the lists.
Why the big four dominate:
- Volume. They’re the best-selling brands, so there are simply more of them on driveways to steal.
- Parts demand. Sport bikes get crashed constantly, so used fairings, engines, and wheels sell fast — many stolen bikes are parted out within days.
- Interchangeability. Parts swap across years and models, and most components carry no VIN, making stolen parts hard to trace.
- Older models lack immobilizers, and lighter bikes lift into a van in seconds.
Geography and season matter too — warm, high-population states like California, Texas, and Florida consistently report the most thefts, and summer months run hottest.
If you ride one of these brands you’re not doomed — just statistically popular — which means the basics matter more: chained to an anchor, covered, out of sight, and a tracker hidden on the frame so that if you do join the statistics, you’re in the small group that hands police a live location and gets the bike back.
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