AUCN Data: Motorcycles Top the Stolen List by a Wide Margin

Stolen records are the rarest of the four main risk flags in AUCN checks — but they are not evenly distributed. Split the data by vehicle type and one group stands far above the rest: motorcycles.

The most-stolen brands in AUCN's data carry stolen rates several times higher than the typical mainstream car.

The stolen list

A KTM in the data is nearly ten times more likely to carry a stolen record than a typical mainstream car.

The national picture backs this up

Vehicle theft is not a legacy problem in Australia — it is getting worse. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 66,625 motor vehicle theft victims in 2025, an increase of 2% on the previous year and the highest number in 17 years.

Why motorcycles lead the list

• Bikes are easy to move — two people and a trailer can take one in minutes.
• They are easy to part out — engines, wheels and panels are valuable and hard to trace.
• Premium off-road and adventure models hold strong resale value.
• Identity details on older bikes are easier to misrepresent than a car's full identity record.

None of this means a used KTM or Yamaha is automatically suspicious — it means the stolen check matters far more for a bike than for most cars.

Stolen risk by vehicle category

Two things stand out. First, the gap is structural rather than model-specific: it holds across every motorcycle brand with enough volume to measure. Second, utes and light commercial vehicles — the vehicles most often bought at auction and resold quickly — have the lowest stolen rate of the major categories, which cuts against the common assumption that work vehicles are the risky ones.

If you are buying a motorcycle

1. Run a PPSR stolen check first — it covers the whole country and costs $2.
2. Match the engine number and VIN against the paperwork in person, not from photos.
3. Ask for the original keys, logbook and service records — their absence is a red flag.
4. Be sceptical of a below-market price on a late-model, low-kilometre bike.
5. Confirm the seller's identity matches the registration records.

If you are selling a motorcycle

• Provide the check yourself. A $2 PPSR search showing no stolen or finance record answers the buyer's biggest question before they ask it.
• Photograph the VIN and engine number as part of the listing to pre-empt doubts.
• Keep the service file — a documented bike sells faster and for more.

The bottom line

For most used cars, a stolen record is a low-probability risk. For motorcycles — especially premium enduro and adventure models — it is common enough to be a required check, not an optional one.

Related AUCN data

• Nearly 1 in 4 used cars carry a risk flag
• Which brands still have finance owing
• Written-off rates vary by state

Sources

• ABS — Recorded Crime: Victims, 2025
• PPSR — About the PPSR (Australian Financial Security Authority)

About this data: AUCN Data, percentage basis, based on AUCN PPSR checks through September 2026. Aggregated percentages only; no individual vehicles or personal information are published. Motorcycle brands have smaller check volumes than major car brands and are noted as approximate. See the AUCN Data methodology and definitions for how these figures are produced.