Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1476305
MMI Completes Move To Avondale U niversal Technical Institute (UTI), a leading provider of transportation technician training, announced the relocation of its Phoenix-based Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) to UTI's Avondale, Arizona location. The move consoli- dates all of UTI's Arizona training programs at one location, reducing costs and furthering the company's real estate optimization strategy. UTI purchased its Avondale campus and announced its intended consolidation of MMI-Phoenix at UTI-Avondale on December 29, 2020. "The relocation of MMI Phoenix to our UTI- Avondale location brings all our Arizona-based training programs and services to a single state-of-the-industry facility. That's better for students, better for instructors, and better for UTI's bottom line, by allowing us to decrease fixed expenses while giving UTI the increased flexibility to support new programs and meet the evolving needs of our students and 35 brand partners," said UTI Chief Executive Of- ficer Jerome Grant. "Advanced automotive manufacturing is helping power Arizona's red-hot economy, highlighting the importance of advanced transportation techni- cians. By bringing its industry-leading Motorcycle Mechanics Institute to the Avondale campus, UTI is ensuring our state's workforce can meet the needs of an industry that produces high-quality, well-paying jobs," said CEO of the Arizona Com- merce Authority, Sandra Watson. CN IN THE WIND P52 The Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) has a new home in Avondale, Arizona. Motorcycle Theft On The Rise M otorcycles have been increasingly targeted for theft, according to the newly released National Insurance Crime Bureau's (NICB) 2021 Vehicle Type Theft Report. Despite a 3% decrease from 2020 to 2021, motor- cycle thefts are still up 26% overall from 2019. Of the nearly 1 million total vehicles stolen last year, 51,291 of them were motorcycles. August was the hottest month with almost 6000 motorcycles swiped. "We've seen surges in thefts of all types of motor vehicles throughout 2021, and motorcycle thefts are no exception, especially in the summer months," said David Glawe, president and CEO of NICB. "The economy, supply chain issues, and the value of precious metals and vehicle parts has certainly played a consequential role with skyrocketing crime during the year. Motor- cycles are expensive and more difficult to secure than other vehicles, making them prime targets for thieves." The top 10 motorcycle manufactures most frequently stolen in 2021 accounted for 78% of all stolen motorcy- cles in 2021. Leading the pack was Honda (10,282), Ya- maha (8185), Kawasaki (5904), Harley-Davidson (5811) and Suzuki (4890). Of those almost 52,000 motorcycles stolen, less than half have been recovered with the NICB study indicating that only 42% were found. California leads the nation, once again, with 9345 stolen rides. Not too far behind is Texas (4263), Florida (3698), New York (2662), and Washington state (1947). CN Motorcycle thefts are on the rise. California leads the nation in stolen motorcycles.