Motorcycle thefts up in Arizona
Associated Press

VALLEY – Thefts of motorcycles, scooters, mo‑peds and off‑road cycles rose 18 percent across Arizona  from 2004 to 2005, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

There were 2,464 bikes stolen in 2005 compared to 2,082 bike thefts in 2004, the bureau reported.

The most popular targets were Japanese‑made, high‑performance sports bikes over the big Harley‑Davidson‑type cruisers that are most popular among middle‑age riders, according to the bureau.

Unlike automobiles and trucks, few stolen  motorcycles are recovered, said Frank Scafidi, spokesman for the crime bureau.

Most of the stolen motorcycles are disassembled for parts or get mixed and matched into untraceable, “rebuilt” motorcycles, he said.

“The recovery rate for bikes is so poor,” Scafidi said. “What happens to them? They get dissected and become ‘new’ machines.

It’s almost like an organ‑donor system for motorcycles.”