I am getting on a bit now, and am eyeing Harleys in a lavicious manner. Should I sell the R1?
Oh the shame...
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Yes Thommo, PM and me and I'll spec out exactly the one you need.
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They've got it all wrong. First the helmet is way off. Must be open face half helmet in white, with black perspex peak. Raybans essential.
Bin that dumb yellow jacket. Need the proper CHiPs leather with belted waist, in black. Must be tight fitting. Leather trousers with the high boots look OK tho'.
The way they've got it in the pic sugests failure to grasp the purpose of a Harley-Davidson. They'll be laughed out of court by the HOG Riders, and that will do no good to the bad-ass image. Whosever idea this was needs taking aside by someone who knows what a Harley is for and given a bit of basic education.
As for slow it depends what they've got in there. That in the pic is a Road King FLHRI, which means its the fuel injected one and a tourer as opposed to a street bike, but that motor looks a lot like the old Evo 1340cc to me not the current Twin Cam 88 cu. in or 1450 cc. Which would make the bike pre-1999.
Mine was loaded much like that and weighed over 700 lb. The odds are they'd have the Stage II tune with the cams and ignition along with that, there's a lot you can do with aftermarket goodies which don't show. So she'd be pretty quick off the mark.
Or, and I can't pick it out from the photo, the engine might not be a Harley one but instead a RevTech or one of the aftermarket custom-built big inch jobs. If that's the case you'd be talking seriously big tax-payer money. But let's face it, on a Road King you have road presence with a capital P. You get attention, and maybe that's what they want. Those bland old BMW's are so-o-o-o forgettable.
But don't mock the bike, with all that weight the roadholding is rock solid and I've trailed sparks off those footboards on fast bends more than once much to the amazement of rice rocket riders who thought they were clever. Sometimes I used to go round UK roundabouts like that twice just for the hell of it. Any clown can go fast on the straight, it's how you handle the bendy bits that counts. So your cops with their training may be no slouch after all.
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Growler Said:
"Bin that dumb yellow jacket. Need the proper CHiPs leather with belted waist, in black. Must be tight fitting. Leather trousers with the high boots look OK tho'".
Yup, and of course the tooled leather belt with all manner of harware and pouches on it. The whole outfit needs to creak in a sinister way
Who's bin watching Electraglyde in Blue recently then Growler?
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Put them back on Velocettes!
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Ah yes - a copper on a noddy bike
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We don't just watch, we ride. HJ was kind enough to post our Philippines Bike Week as a link. I've been trying to get some good photos of our police contingent - they include the President's security outriders, and they are serious bad-ass, but I missed that.
Instead here are a few:
www.photos.ph/kengo/bikeweek
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" Stage II tune with the cams and ignition "
Those must help... :-)
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Its 1450cc - no Screaming Eagle etc stuff on it! Brand new. Have to wear a reflective/fluorescent jacket on a liveried police bike. We did consider doing one with custom 'fringeing' on the sleeves - but we thought better of it!
Its on loan for 6 months or so from Just Harleys with assistance from H-D UK - carries their logos as well as police ones.
It has blue lamps, red rear-facing flashing lamps and siren.
It gets talked about... and its riders get talked TO, when stopped - by H-D owners (the main rider of that bike also owns one himself, by the way!) and also by sportsbike owners. Yes, they take the mickey... but they're interested and it gets them talking to us...! Its not about to replace Pan Europeans as the fleet workhorse - but it is used on general patrol duties as well as specific motorcycle safety publicity stuff.
We've had loads of media coverage as a result of the Road King - even in the nationals and TV - for our very successful 'yellow card/red card' based bike safety campaign and our RoSPA/IaM/Police 'masterclasses' for new direct access riders.
Oh and by the way - for much the same reasons, although its a very different bike... we also have the only police Honda SP-1 in the country - which we own and use on patrol. New this year - and LOTS of people ask us why its not an SP-2. Answer... It gets them talking to us... and it was cheap!) Oh, and we've got a CBR 600RR on order... as a video bike!
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>>>>You get attention, and maybe that's what they want.
Well, I got that part right. Good posted response to my TIC one and very informative. Nice to see some creative thinking at work.
Incidentally, class, who can tell me the purpose of buckskin fringes on leather jackets? Oh, yes there is one, and it isn't just decoration.
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oooo oooo ooooo please sir oo please sir.........
Going back to my aeronautical engineering days, I would hazzard its to break up the windflow behind the rider. The disturbed and swirling air in the lee of the rider would be at a slightly higher pressure.
or
water beads off the fringes and does not whip round and hit growlette on pillion?
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I thought the fringes were there so they could be cut off to tie things up, back in the days before motorcycles, even offroaders!
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Not bad. The North American Indians used fringes to catch the rain and let it drain off rather than soak into their buckskin clothes. Ths was copied by the white man. The principle still works admirably well on motorcycle jackets.
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God, I hate it when I'm wrong.
I should be used to it by now.
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Got it from the Iron Butt Riders: those guys who do 1000-1200 miles in 24 hours in the US on Harleys. Serious riders they, none of your gnomes in multicolored leathers with plastic fantastic bikes to match.
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Average speed of 45/50mph? long straight roads? yup thats Harley riding ;)
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Average distance travelled by Rice Rocket? 15 miles or less if local hangout is closer, 130mph on straight, tiptoe round bends in shape of 50 pence piece before bike is traded in with 1500 dry miles on the clock ;)
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You haven't been to Colorado or Tennessee old buddy.
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Take a look at this:
www.ironbutt.com/
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You smooth talking good ole boy. yeee haw pass the banjo.
Nope only driven in (cars), Calafornia, Nevada (got knicked) Arizona, Utah, New York (city and state), New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virgina, West Virginia, Washington DC (got shot at),North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia (hurricane) and Florida.
Best Drive? Flagstaff on the Grand Canyon rim to Phoenix. 55f on departure, 105f on arrival. Driving dream realised? Followed the same route as Steve McQueen in bullet using hired mustang. (not at the same speed!!!)
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Rode a Harley from San Francisco to Yosemite. Beautiful day, warm and sunny, but noboby told me you have to go over a mountain to reach the valley floor the other side (although in hindsight its obvious).
Snow on top and me in my T shirt. Got a big lecture from the US Ranger Service who eventually helped me out (after they stopped laughing).
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That's motorcycling. The world's finest motorcycle icon on (some of -- we mustn't leave out the Gold Coast H'way in OZ) the world's greatest roads. Nothing like it.
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