I am looking at a 2011 FLHP Road King with only 1 mile on it, I can buy this bike for only $15,756 plus tax. Why do they price the police bikes less? Do they just not hold their value over time?

I have looked at the FLHRs and there is not that much difference in the bikes.

Am I making a mistake buying a police RK?

I like the hard bags, 103 engine, and plain rims.

 

the value will be somewhat retained if you keep the paperwork showing that it was not in service ( where they get hammered).

options may be reduced, paint may be plain on cop bikes.

some guys want flash right off the showroom floor, and will pay a premium

wiring may be unique and a couple of other bikes here and there.

You'd want the police supplemental service and parts manuals along with the regular model books.

there are push buttons that will replace the "hockey pucks" on the saddlebags


Mike

 

Because they are valued by the model # when used. It doesn't matter if they're put in service or not. BTW thats what I paid for my 2007 with 2 miles on it and still loving it 4 years later.

 

I just want to make sure that I am not missing anything. I know whats important is whether I like it or not, and I do.

It has ABS and the 103 which is what I wanted most. The hockey pucks dont bother me and they can be easily replaced. I will also have to change the seat no matter what I buy. Also has the heritage bars.

Thanks for the replys.

 

I changed the bars, exhaust, seat, tires, and cow bells. Removed the bag guards, front bumper, and strut covers. I thought the hockey pucks would be the first thing I'd change when I bought the bike. Heck they aren't even on the radar to bee changed now.

 

They are missing little bits and pieces, like a radio, tour pack, some gauges, the bags are different (many people say better) and a few other things I'll remember later.

The paint is usually plane jane vivid black, birch white, nothing special.


NOW.... if you want a blank canvas to start a build they are not a bad starting point.

There are companies that make radio install kits to put marine grade radios into the space...
The air temp gauge is useless anyway, get a oil gauge and volt meter for the holes

It probably does not have passenger foot boards.

The push buttons for the bags are a nice touch, and filler strips for the empty space on the side of them

If you are going to do flames or something with the paint, going over factory HD paint is a good start.

I have an 03 FLHTPI that you could not differentiate from a civilian bike except I left the left bar controls alone as I think the horn setup on a cop bike is far superior to the civilian version.

Just a heads up, make sure they replace the run flats as part of the deal, you are not supposed to ride 2 up on them, although I have.

 

When I looked at a police bike here, one of the first things I noticed that had to be changed out were the red and blue lenses. It also had a solo seat and although it looked comfortable, right behind it was a large mounting bracket with nothing mounted. Then one of the salesladies climbed on top.

 

I thought about getting one too before getting the RKC, but as others have said, they don't hold their value as well, even if they never saw service. Of course you may not be worried about resale value so up to you.

Depending on how the bike was set up (service or training) you will have to do some de-copping. Here's what I saw on the police bike I almost got:

1) air-ride seat - looks comfortable, but it's a single and I was buying a RK so I can take my wife with me...so no go. Also the air ride seat is higher than the stock seat....and I'm short.

2) passing lamps are red/blue - it's illegal to ride with red/blue lenses in most states, even if the lights are off.

3) handlebar switches are different - they have switches for siren and flashing lights - again - these are illegal and have to be disabled or replaced

4) siren

5) Twist-locks on the bags. Convenient (made so you can open and reach in while on your bike I think) but ugly.

6) bags hinge on the outside rather than inside - the bag opens backwards from civilian bags. I'm not sure if the bags can be civilianized without leaving ugly remnants or if it can be done at all - you may have to replace the bags if you want civilian bags.

7) Tourpack will not fit on rear bracket without modification. That bracket was designed for a police pod which includes an extra battery, radio, computer and whatever other goodies the police department wants to put in there, there is also a wiring harness for this pack that's part of the main harness. The police department will install these pods when the bike is in service, and remove them when the bike is retired and reuse the gear so you won't have the cool gadgets, just the stupid bracket and wiring you can't use.

8) no passenger pegs or any passenger provisions of any kind.

The 2011 police version came with the 103 power pack (103" motor and ABS) which is nice. The paint looked like a lower quality job than the civilian bikes. They also have a goofy-looking tach bolted in the middle of the handlebars that sticks up - I didn't like how it looked, especially if I removed the windshield.

The rule is if the dealer buys a police bike, it must be made available to police departments for 4 or 6 months (don't remember) before it can be sold to civilians so if you're seeing it, it was probably ordered by some police department that cancelled the sale. Since the bike has to sit in inventory for a long time before it can be sold, dealers are very eager to get dump them once they can. The sales guy was pretty much begging me to buy it and was willing to go pretty deep in the discount department to get me on it (like $14k....maybe even less for a 2011 FLHP, and this was 6 months ago). This is partly why their value is usually lower - even brand new, the dealer is motivated to sell it.

It rides exactly like any other Road King, just needs a little tinkering before you can enjoy it.

 

RE: Hockey Pucks. MY experience is, the push-button type leak water. The button doesn't seal, and water gets past it. The (plastic) barrels also have a tendency to break (from the stress exerted by the latch) after a relatively short period of time. You have to reinforce the barrels (I bought a kit). The pucks could be a better choice, unless you want to spend the time and effort to address these things. As for leaking, I never did figure out a way around it. Just don't point the hose directly at the button when washing...

Alan

 

When I bought my '03 FLHTPI I wanted an Electra glide standard with a painted engine. The dealer had swapped or changed everything on it except the controls. I thought the police bikes and regular standards were basically the same minus some things here and there. NOT!
When I tried to add cruise control I found out the wiring in these bikes were way different. All in all I ended up buying a main wire harness because there were other things I wanted to add.
As others have stated, there are other differences, I'm not sure about the road kings.