i have yet to se a motorcycle cop with a fullface helmet on. they all wear the half helmets around here. visiblity reason i would expect to be the reason. I know when on the sport bike with the FF, my field of vision is crapola!

 

Believe it or not a lot of these maneuvers can be learned in a few weekends with a little practice. You won't be ready for motor cop training but you would be surprised how quickly slow maneuvers come with the right practice and how good you can get with just a little of the right training. Most people never practice it though, I've seen riders with 20 years experience who still can't pull of a u-turn in a two lane road, it's like the guys who strength train properly and the guys who sit in the gym doing curls all day.

 

Respect! Motocops are some of the best trained riders out there. I'm surprised the "real bikers" on the forum haven't referred to the Motocops as posers yet.

 

They have to make some concessions so as to be able to perform their job functions. You ever try talking to a motorist that you have pulled over in your full face helmet? I've seen some jurisdictions use the full face flip up helmets, but most see to stick with the 3/4 helmet.

 

Those slow tight turns require slipping the clutch while riding the brake at the same time. It's a delicate balance and takes some practice to be proficient at.

 

Damn that cop could ride. Thanks for posting that. I am gonna practice. Those were some amazing tight turns

 

It also takes good crash bars and the ability to lay the bike on em. You can see the sparks in many parts of the video. On youtube there is a video of a guy on a BMW police bike, no metal parts to put down. Puts the harley and victory guys to shame.

 

The cost and commitment is the key factor. I know there is a place in the San Francisco Bay area and also one in the Pacific Northwest (names and addresses not recalled). To become that good you need time and lots of it. I'm not too sure how many civillians would be willing to pay for two weeks of class 8 hours a day. The RLAP course is 4-5 hours and it only scratches the surface. It gives you the basic skills and techniques, the rest is up to you. How often you practice is crucial.

I don't run my Motor Officer Prep Course too often, maybe once or twice a year. I am VERY selective and discriminating about the attendees.They are usually guys who have already washed out of motor school, and riders who have demonstrated superb command and control of their bike. The exercises are very frustating and at times very risky. I don't like riders to become frustrated as that can lead to loss of confidence. I also don't want anyone to get injured. All riders MUST use a Kawasaki Police Bike (mine or theirs) as the exercises come rght out of the LAPD and are configured to making that bike do slow riding full lock turns with a good board dragging lean.

 

Regarding the sparks, in most cases with Harleys it's the footboards that are scraping. The engine/bag guards don't normally touch until the bike is going down. When I can scrape the boards in full-lock slow turns, I know I'm exactly where I want to be. Getting there is the battle, and it's a perishable skill. You absolutely must practice regularly or bye-bye.

The BMW police bikes do have guards added. See Here

 

The bike course I took last spring had us on kiddy bikes for a day and a half. First day we weren't past 2nd gear doing maneuvers and obstacle course. It felt like a bear on a trycycle....feet always flopping out to save it from dropping. As soon as we got back on the big bikes....I was amazed how much an improvement to my slow riding.

Company that ran the course is involved with the city cops training also.