Going to see a handful of 2019 Road King Police 114's. They range in price from $16,400-$19,500. Mileage from 1,781-18,000. I am not concerned with the mileage in general and plan to inspect them all for the typical damage spots, but curious if anyone was a motor cop or can speak to if they would steer towards one or the other. For instance, does a low mileage model mean it was exclusively a training model vs the other, and spent lots of time idling or vise versa.

I am looking for a long term bike, so want the best option. If it really won't matter, I will go with the lowest cost models.

 

Low mileage generally means training bike.
not alot of idle time, more like alot of time on the training course..
look at crash bars, more scrapes and gouging means more range time..
see if you can get any records. They are meticulously maintained by the traveling mechanics they have..
my last 2 have been low mileage ones and never had any major issues with them.

 

Years ago I talked to a friend who was the owner of a local HD shop about their maintenance contract with a local police dept. Bottom line is he told me the bikes got VERY regular maintenance, on a schedule, almost to a detriment. I.e. motor/tranny oil, tires, battery, plugs, brake pads, fork oil, etc changed whether they needed it or not. Their schedule was much more aggressive than the private owners manual's maintenance schedule. So, they were well maintained, but the bikes showed a lot of hangar rash from constantly being fiddled with and the lack of "care" about looks - they were a tool to the officer who didn't care about boot scratches or casual abrasion to finishes. They were also washed too much in my opinion, causing little corrosion norgs all over the place. But, mechanically, I don't think you can go wrong. I wouldn't worry about mileage at all.

 

You didn't say WHERE you were looking...at a dealer, auction, etc.? If at a dealer, don't let them take off the Police Seat, if you can stop it. It's the most comforable seat you can find...remember, they sit on that seat all day long. If it wasn't the best, they wouldn't have it on there.

 

Other than the 114, is there a point in paying more for a used very basic police model than a new shiny standard roadking?

 

A lot of variables but here's some info that may help you. Our agency had around 12-20 bikes depending on personnel. A lot will depend on how the contract request for proposal (RFP) stipulated. Ours kind of switched between 2 year leases to us out right purchasing them. We had a motor officer that was Harley certified and kept up with his training; therefore the maintenance was always up to date. In our case the higher mileage (usually more based on age) would be designated as training bikes as they were passed down based on seniority. Also, the training bikes were strictly used for new classes, regular weekly and/or monthly training was conducted on the officer's own bikes. Ours were also "take home" bikes so again higher mileage isn't always a main factor. If it were me, I wouldn't really worry too much about the maintenance since most do a pretty good job of keeping up with that and most officers are proud of their bikes. If you're buying from an auction ask one of the motor officers from the agency and if from the dealer ask for service records. One place to look for damage is under the primary cover, that's where the real damage could be. We covered our engine/saddle bag guards with cut fire house so they didn't really take a beating. Hope this info helped you some and good luck in your purchase.

 

used police bikes go for less then new road kings.
even some new police r.k. go for less then civilian models.
I personally like them better and that's why I tend to go towards the police bikes, and I'm on my 3rd one. but to each his own

 

Well of course personal preference plays a part, not bashing them at all was just curious if there were more extras I didn't know about. I came across a few used ones at a dealer a few weeks ago and all were priced around 18k-19.5k and a new road king MSRP is 19.5k. But at the same time I haven't bike shopped in a long time and I understand the used market is crazy right now.

 

Local dealer in FL. They are getting a batch from MS.

 

I love the birch white and black combo. Luggage rack is there to be ready for a tour pack. 114 is a bonus and the main reason they are priced like the new ones. Seat may be a plus too. I am sure it is for how they ride in city and if that works well for touring than that too. I prefer how they mount the speedo up and the bars, rather than down on the tank. Tachometer down on the tank. Also like the uniqueness of them.