In Public Service?

Question

If Harley Davidson bikes are, as some of you rant, so inferior why is it that when the Police select a bike for patrol work they choose Harley Davidsons.

The Police in my area just reintroduced bike patrols and purchased three shiney new H-D's for this purpose. If Japanese bikes are so superior why didn't they purchase them instead? I know they all make Police bikes.

JUST ASKING.

Answer 1

It is because of History, look back over the years and you will see that H/D has provided motorcycles to most major cities.

We still have a lot of people who can only see the past and are afraid to venture forward, or take a chance with another brand.  I personally believe that the H/D are somewhat out dated and costly to maintain, where as some of the other models are much more efficient.  But sadly, no city council members have asked my opinion on patrol bikes for our city.

Answer 2

Good point.

EDIT: Magz & Little Kyle.....We don't have to keep up w/ ya (if you knew anything you would know that most states have a "no pursuit" policy anyway)....we will just get ur plate and get a Warrant for your arrest.

Answer 3

Some places use HD's because of the resale value and whether the local dealer bids on it.

The local police can buy the cycle with a government bid, outfit it with cop equipment, break it in, use the stink out of it, remove the cop equipment, then sell it 4-5 years later for the amount they paid for it.  A good business deal for the government for once...

In 1988 I saw some Suzuki 125's used for police work in a beach resort town which had 80,000 miles on them if you are looking for weird comparisons.

Answer 4

Many towns are converting to BMW's in my area.

NH State Police uses Kawasakis. They look similar to a Harley.

A Supersport Sportbike isn't going to be comfortable for a 8 hour shift, duh, but a sport touring bike like a BMW is.

If I was a cop I would use a R1 lol.

A Harley isn't going to keep up with a sportbike in the event of a pursuit, but a motorola sure will.

Answer 5

profit margins...

hd gives a h**l of a police discount...

i guarantee they won't be chasing speeders on sport bikes, theres no way they'd ever keep up...

edit: kyle, yes I know radio waves are faster than a bike, but you've got to be able to catch the bike somehow...i know a group of bikes that got chased for 60 miles (a good 1/2 hour) by police radio down 271 to 90, the police finally gave up after 5 call-aheads  because it wasn't worth their time or resources to continue the pursuit for 5 speeding tickets, and nobody got close enough to read license plates...

Answer 6

The State of California uses the BMW police bike.

*Many of the smaller law enforcement jurisdictions in the state also purchase the BMW's, because they can purchase them alongside the State. which gives all L.E. parties a HUGE lot discount.

*Additionally, the State did some fairly intensive testing on the various type of police bikes, and the Harley, unfortunately, didn't measure up:

*Handling issues

*Vibration at about 80 mph (in the "L.E. configured" mode)

*Etc.

This info is accessible by the public, (www.ca.gov.) so I guess everyone can see for themselves what the results of the testing were.

I guess we should all remember that when a bike's been configured for police work, it really does s***w with the handling characteristics (no, it's NOT a dresser ...), and it becomes less of a brand loyalty issue as it becomes more of an officer safety issue.

Answer 7

I think that most cities or states in the US use HDs because of country of origin. In europe they use mostly BMWs for the same reason