Bike brands top theft league

Motorcycle and scooter brands are top in a league of vehicle makes most likely to be stolen. 

Researchers compared the number of vehicles on the road from car and motorcycle manufacturers to the number recorded as stolen on the Police National Computer.

They found the 12 brands with the highest theft rates were all makes of motorcycle. The first non-bike maker, Mercedes, was at 13.

The top five places went to makes of budget commuters or scooters, with Chinese-made Lexmotos at number one. KTM was the first big-bike make, at six.

Justin Powell, consumer business manager at MyMotorCycleCheck.com, which did the research, said: “Taking into account the vehicle populations, the vast majority of motorbikes and scooters are far more likely to be stolen than any car.”

Buyers should check a bike’s history with a vehicle provenance firm, he added.

THE VEHICLE MAKE THEFT LEAGUE
1 Lexmoto
2 Gilera
3 Piaggio
4 Kymco
5 Sym
6 KTM
7 Aprilia
8 Yamaha
9 Kawasaki
10 Suzuki
11 Honda
12 BMW
13 Mercedes