Uneasy are the riders of America

Owners of Honda motorbikes who live in California are statistically more likely than anyone else in the US to lose them to thieves - especially during summer - according to data compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

The good news for America's riders is that while motorcycle sales rose slightly last year, thefts actually dropped by six per cent, totalling 46,667 reported stolen. But that still amounts to one bike pilfered in the US every 11 minutes.

Motorcycle thieves were most active in summer, with the most bikes stolen during July (5544) and August (5397); the fewest were stolen during February (2147) and December (2475), when they're typically garaged for the winter in roughly half the country.

The top five motorcycle brands reported stolen, which account for 75.6 per cent of all bike thefts in 2011 were:

1. Honda (11,014)

2. Yamaha (8880)

3. Suzuki (7281)

4. Kawasaki (5009)

5. Harley-Davidson (3120)

Unfortunately, the study did not cite exactly which models within these lines were most theft-worthy.

The states reporting the most motorcycle thefts have mostly warm-weather climates and account for 39.3 per cent of all units stolen:

The states reporting the fewest stolen motorcycles experience much harsher, longer winters, including Alaska, Vermont, South Dakota, Wyoming and North Dakota, the latter with just 21 bikes pilfered during 2011.