When Japanese manufacturers took over the American motorcycle market in the 1960’s a popular slogan was ‘you meet the nicest person on a Honda’.

According to the latest report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), that Honda rider may just be a motorcycle thief. The Japanese brand topped the list of the top five motorcycles stolen in 2009 which actually came with some caveats of good news for bikers of every type of ride.

The top five most stolen motorcycles were all the Japanese brands; 1) Honda, with a total of 13,688 bikes; 2) Yamaha, 11,148; 3) Suzuki, 9,154; 4) Kawasaki, 5,911. While companies usually prefer not to come in last, Harley-Davidson was probably proud to linger in at number five with only 3,529 bikes taken. When the top five are all combined, they accounted for 43,430 thefts, or 77.4 percent of the total.

Not surprisingly, the states with the most population and better weather (which leads to more motorcycles to steal from) topped the list with the most motorcycle theft activity. The Golden state of California was number one with 6,273 thefts; 2) Texas, 5,526; 3) Florida, 5,009; 4) North Carolina, 3,045; and 5) Georgia, 2,067. These five states accounted for 21,920 thefts, or 39 percent of the total.

But where is the good news?

Well, for a start the number of stolen motorcycles is down over prior years, continuing a falling trend every rider likes to see. The latest report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) shows a total of 56,093 motorcycles were reported stolen to law enforcement in 2009, down from 64,492 reported in 2008, a 13 percent drop.

However, some experts are speculating the trends in stolen bikes may simply be reflecting the overall sales of motorcycles, leaving fewer targets for thieves. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, motorcycle sales between 2008 and 2009 were down 40.8 percent. Likewise, the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association reported a 47.4 percent decrease in motorcycle production in 2009 from 2008 figures.

Finally, another report from the NICB notes the number of questionable claims jumped 14% in 2009, leaving the possibility of strapped motorcycle owners looking to lose the monthly motorcycle payment a possible party in a missing bike. With these unknown numbers added back into the mix, the numbers look even better for bikers to hang onto their loved and cherished motorcycles.

And for those motorcycle enthusiasts who would like to keep on the open road with their favorite ride, the months to pay the most attention to unwanted two-wheeled attention July came in as the month with most thefts, 6,319 to be precise followed by August and June with 6,079 and 5,672 taken respectively.

Not surprising, the fewest thefts were recorded during the winter months of December (2,927); February (3,100); and January (3,570).