Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[CVOJOE]

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/local/chp-switching-harley-davidson-motorcycles/nZ53H/

Wonder if they'll get free HOG memberships as well? Also they get a 3 year/60k warranty.....hmmm 
..................................................................................
OAKLAND, Calif. —
The California Highway Patrol will have some of its Bay Area officers riding Harley Davidson motorcycles as soon as next week, thanks to a dealership in Oakland.
The CHP recently finalized a deal to purchase 121 Harley Davidson Electra Glide motorcycles from Oakland Harley-Davidson.  The Highway Patrol says it will pay $28,381 per motorcycle.

Hayward CHP Officer Tim Moore said Monday that he planned to go to Sacramento next Monday to trade out his BMW motorcycle and begin training on a new Harley. “I'm excited,” said Moore. “I've had this bike since 2009 and I've logged about 97-thousand miles on it.”

Wear and tear was one of the reasons the CHP it's making the switch, officials said Monday, adding that over 20 percent of its 450 motorcycles have more than 100,000 miles, making them expensive to maintain. The CHP most recently purchased 2009 BMW's for $23,887 each -- a much cheaper deal, but the higher price tag that comes with the new Harley Davidson motorcycles also comes with a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty.

Oakland Harley-Davidson owner Mike Genthner told KTVU that his business had to compete with Kawasaki, BMW, and other companies for the new contract with the state. In February, Genthner said the CHP asked his company to build a “test bike” and agreed to award the contract to Harley Davidson after testing the motorcycle. “To watch them put the bike through its paces was just breathtaking,” said Genthner.

 Harley Davidson will begin delivering the motorcycles to Sacramento next week. Genthner said Monday that Bay Area CHP officers could be among some of the first to take new motorcycles out on the road

[lilcoot]

I'm glad the CHP is going back to Harley-Davidson, just for good ol' Made in the USA pride reasons.   But I'd love to have seen Indian come out with a police bike.  Imagine the CHP pulling people over with those huge front fenders and leather tassels hanging from the floorboards and hand grips!  Very cool, IMO.   That would be a great marketing strategy for Polaris/Indian.

$4500 more for the purchase price?  You can pay for a lot of repairs for a $4500 difference in the price tag.  

I'd be very interested to hear the CHPers' impressions on handling, power, heat, and comfort of the HDs vs the BMWs.  

Good Luck to the CHP!  

Dan

[Ironhorse]

I believe this was discussed before on the forum, and I think the bottom line was that HD was the lone bidder.

BMW did not enter into the contract because there are dealerships that already have hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs outstanding. That did not sit well with BMW so they did not bid. It does not make sense to enter into a business contract with an entity that does not pay it's bills. Although Kawasaki has a ZX-14 Concours Police, it is NOT a factory bike. It is a civilian bike that is sent off and "Police Packaged". The same with the Honda ST1300. Victory,..I really don't know about.

Harley did not even meet the CHP specifications, but since they were the ONLY bidder in the game, the CHP changed their specifications to meet the HD. Thus HD won the contract.

But I could be wrong.

[ultrarider123]

I wonder what motor they are getting?  The new twin cooled 103 model or just the standard 103?  Article doesn't specify just that they are Electra Glides.  And yes, before I get the comments, I know the twin cooled only comes in the Limited, Trike and CVO.  My pondering is on the proposition will the MoCo take the chance and put the Twin Cooled motor to that kind of abuse right out of the box or did the CHP specify air cooled only?  Interesting debate topic.....

[Ironhorse]

I wonder what motor they are getting?  The new twin cooled 103 model or just the standard 103?  Article doesn't specify just that they are Electra Glides.  And yes, before I get the comments, I know the twin cooled only comes in the Limited, Trike and CVO.  My pondering is on the proposition will the MoCo take the chance and put the Twin Cooled motor to that kind of abuse right out of the box or did the CHP specify air cooled only?  Interesting debate topic.....

Well the CHP has used water cooled before, the K BMWs. So that should not be an issue.

[ultrarider123]

Well the CHP has used water cooled before, the K BMWs. So that should not be an issue.

True, would not be a new experience with the CHP and H2O cooling but just a'ponderin if Harley would be willing to subject their new motor to the rigors of the CHP?

Also, didn't the CHP move to BMW's in '09 because of the lower cost/unit AND the supposed idea of less maintenance with the BMW?  Sounds like that move didn't go as well as they expected.   
Don't get me wrong, glad to see Harleys under the street LEO's (Oak Ridge, TN PD now has three Street Glides...NOT twin cooled, BTW), just wondering out loud a bit on the new motor and how the MoCo will approach this.

[BigLew55]

I just looked through the online police model brochure.  The Sporty, Electra Glide, nor the Road King were twin cooled.  All were air cooled HO103(except the 883 sporty).

[ultrarider123]

Thanks for that, Lew....that answers my question.  Where did you get the online police model brochure (if you don't mind me asking)?

[Ironhorse]

Yes, BMW sold the RT as less expensive to service, but the cost of factory replacement parts was expensive. And although no one speaks much of this, there were issues with the shaft drives failing. And unlike HD or Kawasaki, per the contract the bikes had to be serviced at a BMW dealer. So when the state of CA. Stopped paying the CHP repair bills, BMW pulled out of the bidding. The HDs can be serviced by CHP shops.

[BigLew55]

Thanks for that, Lew....that answers my question.  Where did you get the online police model brochure (if you don't mind me asking)?

It's on that interweb thingy we keep hearing so much about.
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Media/images/Police-Fire-Rescue/Police-Brochure.pdf

[spada84]

Just to throw this in:

http://victorypolicemotorcycles.com/

[ultrarider123]

It's on that interweb thingy we keep hearing so much about.
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Media/images/Police-Fire-Rescue/Police-Brochure.pdf

I've heard tell of that new fangled deal....that's the thingy Al Gore invented I think.....

Guess I don't pay that much attention to the main HD website....right there in front of me.  Thanks for the Victory link, too.

Haird

[dayne66]

Just to throw this in:

http://victorypolicemotorcycles.com/

The circle had to be made bigger to accommodate the Victories

[RollinCode3]

The circle had to be widened for the Victories to fit three in the circle, yes. To do the circle in a tight radius, the Victory will out-turn the Harley. The Victory is a heck of a bike to ride for police work. In order of my preference (23 years on motors) for police work only:

(1) R1200RTP
(2) Kawasaki Concours
(3) KZ-1000P
(4) Victory Cross Country Police
(5) Road King

My R1200RTP has 137,000 miles (only failures have been headlamps and a windshield motor), so I will be one of the first to get a HD. It is going to change how I do my job. When running LIDAR, I do 0-110-0 all the time. The Road King just won't do it. There is no good way that I will safely be able to catch up to a violator doing 90+ MPH on the highway when I am stopped. I'll be doing a lot more cell phones, seatbelt, registration, etc violations. Even HOV violations will be a challenge to issue, unless traffic is slowed.

Love riding my Ultra on my off time, but a HD is the wrong bike for CHP use.

[Ironhorse]

In order of my preference

(1) R1200RTP
(2) Kawasaki Concours
(3) KZ-1000P
(4) Victory Cross Country Police
(5) Road King

HD is the wrong bike for CHP use.

That would be my order too. And I agree, HD is not suited for the grueling daily abuse of enforcement work, especially pursuit. The LAPD had to under go "remedial training" of sorts to understand that unlike a KZP they cannot just turn the key, fire it up, and go into pursuit on an HD. They have to wait for the fuels system to pressure up, the light to go off, and the engine to crank and settle. Then they can ride off. But they sure look nice in parades!