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Michigan State Police objectively prove Harleys suck


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Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Motorcycle Test, October 2010 (PDF link).

The models they tested:

2009 BMW R 1200 RT-P

2009 BMW G650 GS-P

2009 Honda ST 1300-PA9

2010 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide

2010 Harley-Davidson Road King

The results may or may not surprise you.

Edited by jblosser
argh
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i think eric buell should make a police model based on the 1125R/CR. It would be a no brainer for departments looking to buy american. He should make an effort to make it look not so horrendous from almost all angles.

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In my opinion a BMW would probibly make the best all around police bike. I see a police bike being used as patrol and not so much being used in a high speed chase or anything like that. WTF is any motorcycle going to do in a 100 MPH chase?

Lets face it, there are only a handfull of bikes you can ride day in and day out and still be comfortable.

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Anything with highway pegs, where a rider can stretch out and pretend they are on a gynocological examination table has to be comfortable on the long haul. Ma'am, please put your heals in here....

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So what’s the takeaway from all this? Well, we all probably already knew that Harleys were slow, but objective, Government testing like this is the first step to putting motorcycle police officers nationwide on safer, better-suited bikes for their dangerous jobs.

:lol:

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Go as fast as you want on that police bike, it still won't fit between the trees on the trails I run.:p I watched the police Harley bike in London fumble at the Cobra event a couple years ago when he hit a bit of gravel when turning. In my mind we could save millions in Ohio if we made all secondary streets gravel roads.:D

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I did a track day at Grattan two years back. I met a Michigan cycle cop. He was running the Big BMW 1200 really well. This old guy was doing his first track day and could have kept up a mid pack pace in the I group easily. I think he could have run down or at least keep up with a lot of sport bikes out there.

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I got pulled over in Flint, MI by a state bull over a year ago. I was cruising around 90-ish. I passed him on the right...and never even saw him. He caught up to me because...I was cruising..and never saw him until he got right behind me with his lights on. He told me, verbatim, that the only reason he bothered to stop me was because he got close enough to read my plates. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered trying to keep up. I got a slap on the wrist and a 'Keep it under 80 and you'll be OK' endorsement and was sent on my way.

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I have a hard time justifying a motorcycle for police duties in the northern states when they can't be used all year long. From limited yearly duty to officer safety I can't see how they are needed. A cruiser can be used as a weapon, not so much with a bike. A lot of stops require a cruiser on scene for transport of drivers who are illegal and most departments won't chase over 100 MPH. A skilled driver in a cruiser with lights on should be able to keep up with any motorcycle if the chase stays inside pursuit speeds, outside of pursuit speeds who cares if your vehicle can keep up, you’re not chasing anyway.

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really those things top out at 106? thats good to know....

I'm not sure how they got that number.(it does say there was short track though)

I've had my Softail(which has the same motor the Electra Glide and Road King) up to 115 easily with room to go if I had a pair, and I've gone 100 with the girlfriend on the back so the weight difference between the bikes can't that big of a deal.

I think there is a Screaming Eagle motor that performs better too, I would imagine police bikes would get this as well.

I would bet the other bikes would get to 120 or so a whole lot faster either way though. :)

That being said, I really am surprised BMW doesn't supply more police bikes.

I'm sure that is what is used in Europe.

I guess it doesn't matter though.

Unless the police have a performance sport bike to match a bike they are chasing, someone doing 160 is either going to get away or wind up mushed on the pavement anyway. :rolleyes:

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