Have any LEO's here been involved in any testing? What are your thoughts? The part about maintenance is pretty eye opening, Harley = .30 cents/mile vs Honda = .08 cents/mile.
http://www.news14.com/content/local_...s/Default.aspx

 

I looked at the ST1300 by Honda and they are nice bikes....although not with the soul of a Harley. I talked with the service department about the scheduled maint. and both the 1000 and 5K service.....$85. Compare that to the Harley and there is a big difference. Local shop had a new 07 he was selling with 16 miles for $12,300.

 

Salinas bought a few Hondas from out of town and have to take them to Hollister (25 miles away) to have them serviced and all for a $200 savings (total savings)...these cities need to keep in mind that for such a small savings not only are they taking the business and giving it to another city, they are losing tax income in the long run by doing so...some of these short minded civil servants need a reality slap...this year is an election year so they ordered a few harleys...go freakin figure... on and the LEO's I know who ride for Salinas and have seniority are waiting on the new bikes as they won't ride Honders...The city could have done some serious P.R. by saying they were doing their part to help the economy...

 

The local PD here (Tempe) went to the BMW bikes about 2 years ago. I don't think I've seen a Honda police bike yet in the Phoenix area.

 

I didn't ride when I was working. However form the link presented it doesn't sounds like a fair comparision.

First off, Honda's entry into the police market is very short. This news piece doesn't talk about "long term" costs. That would also include trade in value.

For the longest time Harley and BMW were the strongest in the market with Harley having the longest tradition.

Police riders that I knew were excited about BMW as they were the first police bike with ABS. Now that Harley has ABS and addressed some of the heat issues and handling. I think the studies will have to include the new 2009 touring line to really be fair.

The Honda didn't appear to have much extra room for items such as First Aid and other first response items and other gear.

I think that on a day to day basis the Honda might be cheaper. But then again I sure wouldn't have enjoyed a Honda Prius for a squad car either!

 

So...how do you like them?

 

I would tend to think that Arlen would be pushing for Victory police bikes as at least they are American bikes...

 

We switched back to Harleys about 8-9yrs ago. We did have Hondas and BMWs, but I don't think we will switch anytime soon. The Harleys meet the requirements we need...patrol, escorts, parades. The handling and design is good for what we do in my dept. Plus, these things take a major beating and still keeps on rolling. We are looking to trade up the current models (2000) for new ones. (pending bean counter approval)

 

I personally don’t think HD's make good police bikes. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the tradition, love the look and sound. But for parade duty, and hot weather water cooled bikes are just better. From a performance stand point, there are allot of bikes that are big enough to handle the duties of a police bike, handle better, accelerate quicker, and are way faster on the top end. Not to mention maintenance cost, and initial cost of the bike. The main reason for departments sticking with HD is tradition. I cant think of one reason why a modified Gold wing wouldn’t make a better police bike than a HD. JMHO There’s one state (Oklahoma I think) using Hayabusa's for their state trooper bikes. They look and handle great, are comfortable, and are nearly impossible to outrun.

 

The ST1300 has a reputation for exhibiting a dangerous high speed wobble.

http://www.ridethatbike.com/ST1300/ST%20wobble.htm