Good question. I travelled south from Venezuela to Manaus, Belem, over to Recife, Salvador and Rio in April and May this year. I was travelling alone, stayed in cheap hotels ( all with reasonably secure parking)- no camping - no night riding and had no encounters of any kind. On the contrary, I felt strangers went out of their way to make me feel welcome and showed concern for my safety. And that's the rub - Brasilians here in Toronto and in Brazil were unaminous about the danger of violence and robbery. But they also agreed it was a very random crime that can happen anywhere at any time. The exception would be the favelas - just stay out. Salvador and Rio didn't feel safe in the touristy areas and probably no tourist area in Brasil is - just take your "mugger wallet" and don't carry a camera or other electronics.
My favourite theory is that motorcycle travel is the safest possible way to visit Latin America. All other modes of travel; buses, trains, etc attract thieves and take you to the areas where tourists and thieves congregate. Don't wash your bike and conceal the GPS. Be open and friendly but not too chatty and keep moving. Rather than go to bars I would take my well-earned evening brew in a local restaurant and be off the streets by 10:00PM. Finally, I thought truck drivers were my best friends - I would ask about road conditions and routes and they consistently gave good advice ( I know because sometimes I ignored it!). They also were the best drivers on the road - the worse were private cars and buses. Sorry for the long post.

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Ross Alan Davidson, 72, of Mississauga, Ontario died in the wee hours of July 9th 2018 surrounded by his loving family at home.