The Top 10 Most Stolen Motorcycles in Australia

Introduction

Motorcycle theft is down when you compare 2020 to 2019.

But if you take a look at these stats through the lens of what Australian’s experienced during 2020, a new picture emerges.

The entire country was locked down for months on end and motorcycle theft only fell by 16.7%.

That’s insane, and it goes to show that thieves are still out in full force.

A good way to help curve motorcycle theft is knowing how at-risk the brand of your motorbike is.

Here are the top 10 most stolen motorcycle brands in Australia. According to “The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council”.

The accompanying pictures don’t represent the bike that’s most stolen, just the brand. Because there isn’t enough data to tell us which model motorbike was the most stolen.

Finally, to make this a bit more interesting, every brand also has some accompanying facts so it’s not just a straight-up info-dump.

The dates are from 1/01/2019 – 30/12/2019 VS 1/01/2020 – 30/12/2020.

1. Honda - 2,007 in 2019 VS 1,695 in 2020:

Since the beginning of 2020 Honda has produced over 400 million motorcycles, in their catalogue of motorcycles is the Gold Wing.

One of the only motorcycles in the world that comes with an airbag.

Winding back time a bit to 1949 was when Honda released their first motorcycle.

A 49cc two-stroke motor named the Dream type D.

2. Yamaha - 1,667 in 2019 VS 1,407 in 2020:

Yamaha is one of the oldest motorcycle companies in the world, created in 1887. However, when they first started out they produced a range of products including pianos and organs, not just motorcycles.

Eventually, Yamaha split off their motorcycle division into Yamaha Motor Company.

Funnily enough, Yamaha still makes guitars, pianos, drums, etc and is an instrumental leader in that industry today.

3. Suzuki - 868 in 2019 VS 760 in 2020:

Suzuki’s GSX-R series of motorcycles has reached a total of 1 million units produced by 2012.

When the Suzuki Hayabusa was launched it could reach a top speed of 312km/h, unfortunately, Suzuki was forced to install a limiter so the bike couldn’t push past 300km/h.

Speaking of going fast, winning the Isle of Man race is considered by most to be the pinnacle of motorcycle achievement. Suzuki is one of the most successful participants at the Isle with a total of 93 victories.

4. Kawasaki - 929 in 2019 VS 725 in 2020:

Kawasaki motorcycles are built tough. With parts being able to withstand cracking and breaking whenever the bike is dropped or crashed. Which is more you can say about most other motorcycle brands.

Contrasting this ruggedness, you would assume that Kawasaki makes heavier motorcycles, but the plastics they manufacture are also lightweight. Creating the best of both worlds through a light-weight but drop-resistant motorbike.

5. KTM - 638 in 2019 VS 570 in 2020:

KTM was founded in the 1930s but they didn’t start out as a motorcycle manufacturer, instead cutting their teeth as a locksmith & metalworking shop.

About 20 years later in 1953, they designed their first motorcycle and a year later their first motorcycle won a championship title.

Pretty impressive for creating your first motorcycle a year ago.

6. SYM - 352 in 2019 VS 306 in 2020:

SYM is headquartered in Taiwan and produces around 600,000 motorcycles a year.

They’re lesser known than their Japanese counterparts, although SYM was founded around the same time in 1954 like Honda’s motorcycle division.

Now would also be a good time to inform you that scooters are included in this list. My sincerest apologies for all the motorcycle purists out there.

7. Kymco - 244 in 2019 VS 233 in 2020:

Kymco, like SYM, is another Taiwanese company that manufactures both motorcycles and scooters.

They were founded after splitting with Honda in 1963, Kymco is now the largest scooter manufacturer in Taiwan and fifth largest in the world.

8. Piaggio - 202 in 2019 VS 200 in 2020:

The Piaggio brand is not as well known as their signature scooter, the Vespa.

Piaggio started off as a timberyard and transitioned into building locomotives and railway carriages. Towards the end of World War One, Piaggio, the owner, turned his eyes to the military sector.

Piaggio manufactured various planes and anti-submarine boats until their factory was bombed and destroyed in the 1940s by the allied powers. After the bombing the Piaggio company diversified into scooters and other commercial ventures, eventually creating the Vespa.

9. Harley Davidson 213 in 2019 VS 163 in 2020:

The iconic Harley Davidson.

We’ve found that these bikes aren’t stolen as much due to how difficult they are to ride compared to a normal motorcycle.

And the second method of theft, lifting a motorbike into a van, is made harder because Harley’s are built heavier than most other motorcycle models.

That’s why not many of them are stolen compared to other, lighter, easier to ride bikes.

10. Triumph - 197 in 2019 VS 137 in 2020:

Many people compare Triumph to their counterpart across the sea, Harley Davidson.

But unlike Harley Davidson, Triumph has experimented a bit with what they manufacture. Such as sewing machines.

If you ask me, I don’t think there’s much of an overlap between people who ride motorbikes and people who sew.

But feel free to prove me wrong.

Conclusion

As you can see, most of these motorcycle brands aren’t just popular with consumers but also with the thieves.

Here are a couple of things you can do to protect your pride and joy.

Get into the mind of a motorcycle thief and understand how they operate by taking a look at this.

Learn the four simple steps to recover your motorbike from theft here.

And most importantly, beef up your motorcycle security and recover your bike if it’s ever stolen with a Solid GPS tracker