Ex highway patrol bikes?

[ironmark]

I was considering a police bike once until I talked to some people about it . When the police make a traffic stop the bike will sit there @ a idle untill the traffic stop is over or the officer is relieved by a officer in a police car . The bike needs to idle to keep the batteries charged because all the lights & equipment require more juice . I dont know if it is true but it makes sense to me so I stayed away from them .

 

[fiveoh455]

The department I work for has approx. 260 officers. We have HD Road King Police Bikes (4 of them) used mainly for parades/funerals.
In 2003 I bought one of our bikes from the local dealer after the 2 year lease was up. It's a 2001, and when I got it it had 940 miles on it.
I replaced the solo air saddle with a HD 2-up touring seat, added a chrome luggage rack, a back rest, highway pegs, passenger floorboards, and a whole bunch more chrome. I also replaced the "hockey-puck" saddlebag knobs with chrome pop-up latches. The nice thing about the Police bike bags is they open from the top (like a regular lid.)
The dealer showed me the maintenance records when I bought the bike, and knowing the guy that rode the bike while it was "in-service" I had no qualms about buying/owning/riding etc.
The only thing I've had to do (other than regular maintenance) was have the stator replaced last summer.
I would absolutely buy another Police Bike (at least from my department.)

 

[Caper]

fiveo455, how do you like the pop-up latches?? do they work well?? I really like the way the police bags open easy access when I want something outta the bag at a stop lightand my passenger has access to them when we're on the fly. Wouldn't change em for anything.

 

[fiveoh455]

I like the pop-ups. I put on the chrome, but they also come in black. They are a flush mount, so there's nothing sticking up on the bag lid. To operate, you simply push the button and release. The button stays up, you turn it 1/4 turn either direction and lift. To close, you simply push the button back down and it latches. Install took about 40 minutes ( I used a grinder to grind off the backside of the OEM rivets.) You'll also need to make the hole in the lid bigger to accomodate the pop-up latch assembly. I used a step bit (cheapo from Harbor Freight) and it worked great. The pop-up kit comes with small buttons that fill in the holes left by the "puck" mount. You can get plain, or there are some with the HD Bar and Shield Logo. I siliconed mine from the backside just to ensure a watertight seal. I really like the "clean" look.

 

[Caper]

Thanks fiveoh455, I wanted to get some feedback on them from someone that has them. My right bag started leaking around the puck, so it's either fix that or get the pop-ups, I like the clean look of the pop-ups but I didn't know if they were durable or if they were just cheap plastic. I sometimes forget latch the hockey pucks sometimes too

 

[fiveoh455]

Caper, I should probably clarify. The pop-ups I put on are chromed plastic, not an actual chromed metal. The internal latch mechanism itself is metal, but the flange/button is a chromed plastic. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. As far as durability, I don't see anything that would cause me to be concerned. I've had mine on for approx. 1 year, and I've had no issues whatsoever.
Also, I forgot to mention that the bracket on the inside of your saddlebag (the one your hockey puck grabbed) will need to be raised. Very simple to do...instructions were very clear and easy to follow.

 

[Caper]

Good to know, thanks again... I knew they were plastic....but if you had them on for a year, I wouldn't say they were "cheap" plactic. Good stuff can be made with plastic and then there's the cheap plastic that'll break easily if you do anything but look at it.

 

[usa68]

I own a 2000 Road King FLHPI, I havent had any problems, rides great, run's great, replaced the cop bags, and seat among otherthings, I think that it is faster than your normal road king, but that is just my opinion.

 

[PeteINny]

I have a 2008 FLHTP. You can get a great deal when buying from a PD if you are careful. Bikes that go thru basic officer motor school are usually beat on. The bikes are usually dropped and sometimes crashed during the course. These bikes are easy to spot as the crash bars are scraped and the floor boards have wear marks. I would stay clear of one of these bikes. The best bikes are the ones that are assigned to a specific officer. They tend to care for the bikes as if they are their own. If you know the dealer that does the service check with them and I'm sure they will tell you the service history.
The 2008 that I own came with the factory 103, ABS, heavy duty cooling system as well as a heavy duty electrical system. It is the perfect bike if you want to customize it.

 

[toad451]

I have a friend who just purchased one of the police bikes leo13 is talking about. He paid around $9k for it at the auction. He isn't sure what he's going to do with it yet as he has an UC. He said the bike was in great condition, he was having the dealership do the once over, oil change and rear brake replacement.