Just curious if you guys with cop bikes could chime in on any reliability issues you've had.
You always hear that they have the crap run out them, sitting there waiting for the speeder then jump and go through the gears.

On the other hand, I figure they are decently maintained, probably not that many miles when retired and were broken in like they were stolen. Soooooo anyone have any comments?

Clutch?
Gear wear?
Cylinder wear?
Electric gremlins?

 

I've voiced my opinion on this before. Cops bikes are ridden pretty hard. The break-in periods aren't typically observed. They are ridden to red line quite often going after speeders. They aren't warmed up before being ridden hard. They are dumped in training. And if other departments are anything like OURS, the vehicle maintenance shops are city-run and SUCK. So I say AVOID ex-police bikes. You can't use the little red switches anyways.

Ben

 

How a police bike was used and/or abused and how it was maintained depends on the department, so no one can give you a universal answer to your question.

Speaking for the NJSP, I can tell you that all our vehicles were strictly maintained, the bikes are used exclusively for highway patrol, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Also, keep in mind that most police bikes today are leased for two years and generally have less than 20,000 miles on them when they hit the used market. My guess is that, generally speaking, they're in good shape though I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule. I do know that there are many satisfied owners of used police bikes around.

 

Many HD police bikes are not used in law enforcement. HD dealers lease the police models to motorcycle escort businesses (often for a year) and can be found with low miles and service records from the leasing dealer. That's how I bought my '04 in Feb. '05 and it's been a great bike for me.

Dealers will often install passenger floorboards, new tires to replace the runflat OEM tires (that are not certified for two-up riding), and two-up passenger seats to help move them. And if they don't, those are useful bargaining chips to consider when negotiating.

 

I ride a bike at work. I wouldn't want a retire police motor, not even the one I am assigned.....well, particlularly not even the one I am assigned.

 

I just bought an '06 Road King Police (Sheriff) bike for my boy. It has 6,800 miles on it and quite honestly it hardly looks or feels likes it been ridden. Obviously it has, but at $11,500.00 out the door, I can't complain. It was serviced at the leasing dealership and has all records etc. I'll report back if we come across any issues.

 

My work bike is in pretty rough shape. The city didn't lease our bikes. They BOUGHT our bikes, and they do their own maintenance. They don't do a very good job. If a dealer did most of the work, I might say "MAYBE." But my engine pings like crazy (high test only) and I don't have the trust in our shop to have them fix it. Mine's an 06, but we have 2004's through 2008's still in service. I wouldn't ride ANY of the 04's and very few of the 06's.

Like X said, each department is different. If it was leased or owned by an individual who had a financial STAKE in the bike, it was probably maintained a little better. Nobody wants to neglect their own bike.

Ben

 

I think it all depends on the bike, and of course, with any used bike, how well it had been maintained. I got mine with less than 600 miles on it, and i have not really had any mechanical or electical issues with it.

 

I bought mine in 06 with 3000 miles on it. Asked for and got all the service records. It was serviced by a dealership. Since then I have put close to 20,000 miles on it. 2 road trips out to North Dakota, plus many day runs without any problems . KNOCK ON WOOD!
I do all the normal maintenance myself, and take it to a Indy shop to give it a good once over before the spring summer riding starts. Taking it to the Indy just gives me piece of mind since they look at more bikes than I do and might see something I miss.

 

+1 I believe this to be the rule rather than the exception. Down here they are used primarily at radar checkpoints. From cold start to red line in pursuit.