UK Motorcycle Theft and Recovery Statistics 2026

Figures from Datatool’s monthly recovery posts, January to September 2026. Last updated 28 October 2026.

The 2026 figures at a glance

• In the four months with a confirmed exact total (March 2026, April 2026, May 2026 and July 2026), Datatool recovered stolen bikes worth £1,362,741.
• July 2026 was the biggest month on this page, with £396,750 of stolen motorcycles, scooters and quad bikes recovered.
• March 2026 came second at £384,241, while January 2026 passed £250,000 and February 2026 came in just under £200,000.
• The fastest recovery on this page took 3 minutes, and it happened twice: in January 2026 and again in February 2026.
• Honda and Yamaha models made the monthly most-stolen lists in every month covered, and BMW R1250 GS models appeared in five of them.
• The Metropolitan Police area dealt with the most theft incidents on Datatool-tracked bikes in every month covered, so London is the clear hotspot.
• March 2026 had the highest daytime share of thefts at 68%, and September 2026 was the most evenly split, at 52% night and 48% day.

The monthly posts give a value recovered, not a count of bikes, so we do not state a total number of bikes here. The only brand-level count is in May 2026, where 18 recoveries were Hondas.

Month-by-month recovery statistics 2026

Values are for bikes carrying Datatool devices. August 2026 is not included in this table.

Most stolen motorcycles in 2026

Scooters and commuter bikes dominate, with big adventure bikes close behind. Here is what each month’s list named first.

• January 2026: Yamaha Rayzr, then N-Max 125 and Kodiak 700, with the Honda WW125 leading the Honda list and the Kawasaki Z500 leading the Kawasaki list.
• February 2026: Yamaha N-Max 125, Honda SH125A and BMW R1250.
• March 2026: Yamaha NMAX125, Honda PCX125 and BMW S1000 R.
• April 2026: Yamaha RayZR, Honda NSS125 and PCX, and the BMW R1250 GS Adventure.
• May 2026: Honda led the brands, followed by Yamaha and BMW. The R1250 GS Adventure and S1000 XR were the BMWs named.
• June 2026: Honda WW125 scooters, Yamaha N-Max and MT125, and BMW models including the M1000 R and F850 GS.
• July 2026: Honda NSC110 on top, with the Yamaha Rayzr and Honda Vision each recovered twice.
• September 2026: Yamaha YZF-R125, Honda CB650R and BMW R1250 GSA.

Models that kept coming back: the Yamaha N-Max (five months), the BMW R1250 GS family (five months), the Yamaha Rayzr (four months) and the Honda WW125 (three months).

Where bikes are stolen

London leads. The Metropolitan Police area responded to the most theft incidents in every month covered, and May 2026 named Richmond, Acton, Clapham, Harrow and Wandsworth.

• North and Midlands: Leeds, Gateshead and Manchester (March 2026); Doncaster, Sheffield, Leicester and Coventry (April 2026); Preston, Newcastle and Doncaster (May 2026); Leicestershire around Leicester (June 2026); Bradford, Leicester and Nottingham (July 2026); Bradford, Newcastle and Merseyside (September 2026).
• South and East: Reading, Cambridge, Colchester and Suffolk (April 2026); Hampshire and East Sussex (May 2026); Essex, Sussex, Kent and Avon and Somerset (June 2026); Kent, Norwich and Birmingham (July 2026); Croydon and Milton Keynes (September 2026).
• Other forces named: West Midlands, Kent, Thames Valley and Northumbria in January 2026; Durham, Northumberland, Swansea and Milton Keynes in February 2026.

Time of day matters too. Daytime thefts (06:00 to 17:59) made up 60% in January 2026, 68% in March 2026, 57% in April 2026, 61% in June 2026 and 56.5% in July 2026. Night-time led in February 2026 (57%), May 2026 (56%) and September 2026 (52%).

How quickly bikes come back

The fastest recovery each month, for the months we can confirm:

• January 2026: 3 minutes
• February 2026: 3 minutes
• March 2026: 4 minutes
• April 2026: 14 minutes
• May 2026: 15 minutes, a Kawasaki KLE 650
• June 2026: 10 minutes, a Ducati Streetfighter V4S fitted with a Datatool Stealth
• July 2026: 6 minutes, a Honda WW. The next four were 11, 18, 23 and 27 minutes.

These are the single quickest results in each month, not averages. The recovery clock starts once the owner has reported the theft and passed on a police Crime Reference Number.

What this means for your bike

Most thefts on our books are scooters and commuter bikes, and more than half of the months show daylight thefts, so a bike left at work or outside a shop is not safer than one on the drive. A tracker gives our recovery team a live location to pass to the police. If you are choosing one, start with our best motorbike tracker guide, browse the full motorcycle tracker range, read about RF and VHF tracking, or check what your insurer will accept in our Thatcham tracker and motorbike insurance guide.

How we collect these figures

Datatool’s Vehicle Recovery Specialists monitor around the clock, every day of the year. When a bike is stolen, the owner reports it to the police and gives us the Crime Reference Number, and we work with the relevant force using live tracking data. Each month’s post records the recoveries made for Datatool-tracked bikes, including the value, the fastest recovery, the models involved, the police area and when the theft happened. In our posts, daytime means 06:00 to 17:59 and night-time means 18:00 to 05:59. The figures describe bikes fitted with Datatool devices, not every theft in the UK.

Cite these figures

Frequently asked questions

How many motorcycles are stolen and recovered in the UK in 2026?

Datatool does not publish a national theft count, because our figures only cover bikes carrying a Datatool device. For those bikes, our monthly posts give the value recovered rather than a bike count. Across March, April, May and July 2026, the four months with a confirmed exact total, the value recovered adds up to £1,362,741. January was over £250,000 and February was nearly £200,000.

What is the most stolen motorcycle in the UK in 2026?

Among Datatool-tracked bikes, no single model leads every month. Honda and Yamaha models appeared in the monthly top lists in every 2026 month covered on this page. The Yamaha N-Max and the BMW R1250 GS family each turned up in five of those months, and the Honda NSC110 topped July 2026.

Where are most motorcycles stolen in the UK?

London. In every 2026 month covered here, the Metropolitan Police area responded to the highest number of theft incidents on Datatool-tracked bikes. Outside the capital, the monthly posts name Leeds, Gateshead, Manchester, Leicester, Bradford, Nottingham, Newcastle, Croydon and Milton Keynes among the recovery areas.

How fast are stolen bikes recovered with a tracker?

Datatool’s fastest recovery each month ranged from 3 minutes to 15 minutes in the months we can confirm. The quickest were 3 minutes in January and February 2026, then 4 minutes in March and 6 minutes in July. These are the single fastest recoveries in each month, not averages.

Are motorcycles stolen more often by day or at night?

It varies by month. In 2026 the share of thefts happening by day was 60% in January, 68% in March, 57% in April, 61% in June and 56.5% in July. February, May and September were mostly night-time, at 57%, 56% and 52%. Daytime in our posts means 06:00 to 17:59.

Where do these figures come from?

They come from Datatool’s own monthly recovery posts. Our Vehicle Recovery Specialists monitor around the clock and work with police forces once the owner supplies a Crime Reference Number. Each month’s post records the recoveries made for Datatool-tracked bikes in that month.