MOTORCYCLE theft is, unfortunately, part of life on two wheels. Sure, you can mitigate the chances by being careful and loading your motorcycle with security devices, but at the end of the day a motorcycle is something expensive and just about small enough to be portable that you will have to leave unattended at some stage. If somebody really, really wants to steal it, they probably will.
So, where are thieves most likely to strike? As it turns out, Swinton Bikes insurance worked out the figures just last year and came up with a top ten list of the places where the greatest percentage of people asking for quotes had suffered from a theft in the past. That should mean that these aren’t just places where there are a lot of bikes, so a lot of stolen bikes, but actually narrow it down to the percentage of riders who have suffered a theft.
The research also showed that Scotland had less bike theft than the rest of the UK.
10: Warrington (3%)
Warrington chalks one up for the North West, coming in at number 10. This is an area where there’s a relatively high proportion of bikes, so happy hunting ground for the scum that like to steal them…
9: Uxbridge (3%)
Our first within the bounds of the M25 sees Uxbridge as number nine on the list. Those south-eastern bike thieves are busy, busy guys as you're about to find out.
8: Chelmsford (3%)
CHELMSFORD in Essex is the next spot on the list, although there are several other places around the 3% mark, suggesting it’s getting nearer the national average.
7: Edinburgh (4%)
WHILE Edinburgh shows that while Scotland might be the safest place as a whole when it comes to bike theft, there are still areas to be careful in. It also shows that motorcycle thieves aren’t a purely southern problem.
6: St. Albans (4%)
Only just outside of the M25, St. Albans ranks here at number six. It might be a historic market town but it's not a great place to own a motorcycle.
5: London (4%)
THE capital itself is just fifth on a list that’s so far been dominated by its suburbs. Four percent of applications for quotes mentioned previous thefts.
4: Croydon (5%)
WHO’D have guessed? Croydon is one of the country’s top areas for bike ownership, but it seems a big percentage are getting stolen there too. Yep, we’re still inside the M25.
Click here for the three worst towns in the UK for motorcycle theft.
3: Bromley (6%)
CLOSELY followed by Bromley, also on 6%, and still within the bounds of the M25. There’s a pattern emerging here…
2: Romford (6%)
ROMFORD in Essex is located North East of central London and is the second place inside the M25 to suffer badly at the hands of thieves.
1: Sutton (7%)
SUTTON comes out top - or bottom depending on how you look at it - with 7% of people asking for quotes having suffered a motorcycle theft recently enough to have to state in on their quote forms. Get a big lock. Or two. Or move out of Sutton.
