Issue 1

Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 1999
How to Ruin a Beautiful Day!
By Bill Weisiger, Squad-Fitters

The day dawned bright and beautiful, the first really nice day of early spring and the officer could hardly wait to get to work. He planned to get his Harley out of winter storage and patrol the districts highways on his motor. Once on duty, he walked into the garage and found his bike third in a row of ten, he removed its cover and saw it looked pretty clean after four months in the department garage. All it needed was quick clean up, a tank of gas and then he'd hit the highway. It took a little cranking to get the big FLHTP started after its long winter nap, but it finally started up and was soon purring with that familiar "Harley" sound he loved so much.

With a full tank of gas he hit the highway, cruising along at 55 and enjoying the sense of freedom that patrolling on a big Harley can bring. He had been on patrol for about ten minutes with the different smells of spring and the road bursting like odor grenades in his nostrils, and his day got even better when he saw the red Mercedes 580 SL coming up fast in his mirror. The officer switched his Decatur Patrolling Radar to the rear antenna and bingo: a lock at 87 MPH. A great day was just getting better. He fired up his Whelen Strobe system and had the scofflaw pulled to the side in less than a quarter mile, since the brakes on a Mercedes work as well as the accelerator. He turned off his bike and left his strobes running as is SOP for stops in his state. Ticket written and presented in less than five minutes and he's ready to start up and go. Again, his bike is a little slow to start, but it soon catches and roars back to life ready to hit the road one more time.

On this busy highway a speeder comes along every minute and he just has to decide which one to nab. In less than two minutes he has a red Dodge Ram extended cab pulled over for a 78 in a 55, it was going to be a great day, maybe an all "red" day, since all the type A drivers seemed to prefer red for their vehicles. As he walked back to his motor he noticed his strobes had quit firing even though he had left them on. Mounted up he pulled in the clutch and thumbed the starter button, half a turn of the big V-twin and then silence. His battery was dead! For the officer, the embarrassment of calling for help with a dead battery was too great to even contemplate. He could just imagine the derision he would take from his fellow officers, as well as passing motorists as he went through the process of being ump started by a cruiser. A beautiful day was getting uglier by the second, so he choose what he thought would be a face saving option; he decided to push start the big Harley. He pulled in on the clutch and shifted to second gear, he then proceeded to run alongside his motor till he was about five MPH and popped the clutch. The big twin caught with a suddenness that surprised the young officer and pulled him off his feet. In falling, his right hand tightened on the throttle and rolled the power on even further, out of control the trooper desperately hung on as his bike turned left and careened into oncoming traffic. Like the runaway baby carriage in the movies, the Harley crossed all five lanes of the highway without being hit by any oncoming traffic. The Harley came to an abrupt and sickening halt when it collided with the center concrete divider of the highway. Needless to say the officer's beautiful spring day was ruined as he rode to the hospital with multiple bone fractures and his handsome Harley was carted off to the scrap heap.

Every accident has a proximate cause and the cause of this accident started way back last fall. This department failed to properly store and maintain one of the most important components of a police motorcycle, the BATTERY! A Harley FLHTP built prior to 1997 comes equipped with a 19 amp hour battery. This bike when started requires at least 9.3 volts still in the battery to crank the engine to life, any less than this voltage and the bike won't start. Some of the reasons a battery loses power are that, in police use, there is usually a drain on the battery because of the extra equipment needed for the job. When a Harley is running at less than 2200 RPM it is drawing 11 amps of power just with the basic light package of headlight and running lights. Added to this a mobile police radio with a 2 amp draw, and basic strobes drawing anywhere from 4.5 to 9 amps plus the siren's 10 amps. As you can see, you can quickly spend more power than you can make up. Depending on the way you patrol and the number of stops you make, you can quickly drain a battery to the point that it is below the voltage necessary to start the bike. It is recommended anytime your bike is off duty or stored, the battery be hooked up to a "smart" trickle charger like the Deltran. This charger will maintain your battery at peak efficiency if used every day. As a matter of fact, it will extend the life of the battery by keeping it fully charged. Remember a full charge on your battery is as important as a full tank of gas when you start out on patrol. Take care of your battery and it will take care of you and keep you enjoying years of safe and accident free beautiful days.

The engine remains a 45 degree, air cooled V-Twin, push-rod mill, however has over 400 new component parts to provide a more powerful, durable, and reliable 1450 cc. Exhaust and intake ports have been reworked to optimize emission and thermal characteristics. The new powertrain offers increased performance, quiet mechanics, better oil circulation, and increased durability. For the first time in Harley-Davidson's history, the engine is designed for performance upgrades, complemented by high perfomance kits and individual performance parts released in conjunction with the engines introduction. The new engine is utilized on the entire police line. The FLHP Road King features a carbed engine, while both the FLHPI Road King and FLHTPI Electra Glide are fuel injected.

Since 1908, Harley-Davidson police motorcycles have seen 90 years of duty along with millions of miles in service to law enforcement agencies around the world. From Toronto to Sao Paulo, from Seoul to New York City, our police motorcycles continue to build on their legendary reputation by providing superior performance and the reliability needed to withstand the rigors of everyday duty. There is something undeniably right about a cop on a Harley-Davidson.

Motor Officer 101

By Mick Olson, Motorcycle Officer

Reprinted with permission as seen in "law Enforcement Product News" January-February 1999

For many of us, the sight of a police motorcycle officer maneuvering through rush hour traffic, with emergency lights flashing and siren wailing, conjures up images of the television series "ChiPs". As a child, I remember being glued to the television as "Ponch" and "John" wove their way through traffic in hot pursuit of the bad guy of the week. I dreamed that someday. I too would wear a badge and helmet and ride off into the fight against evil. Remember, I was just a kid.

Then, almost eight years ago, my boyhood dream became reality. My department decided to start a motor unit. Of course I was one of the first to volunteer. The day I was informed that I was selected to attend Motor Officer training was one of the most exciting of my law enforcement career. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't thinking of "Ponch" and "John" and how "cool" this was going to be.

I couldn't wait for the training to begin. I figured it would be a snap. After all, I was a member of a motorcycle drill team, which had won several international competitions. I could handle this. I was confidant and thought I might even learn a thing or two.

The first day of training was spent getting familiar with my new friend, a Harley-Davidson FXRP police motorcycle. We rode around the parking lot to get the feel and then went to a narrow roadway and did some figure eights. This was going to be a cakewalk.

Then reality hit and shattered my delusions of grandeur. I tell people that I spent half of the next three days lying on the ground next to my motorcycle. In all honesty, it was probably more than half the time. Not exactly the perfect riding position my instructor was trying to teach. I went home at night and took off my boots. The insides of my legs were covered with bruises from my knees to my ankles. I was thinking cakewalk, now I could hardly walk. Time for a reality check.

Thanks to a grizzled old veteran instructor who took pity on me, things eventually clicked. I spent the rest of the training learning not only my limits, but the limits of the motorcycle as well. My motorcycle and I pushed each other to become better and to finally work as a unit, not just as motorcycle and rider. I felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment when I earned my Motor Officer Certification.

Like many people, I assumed that an officer is qualified for police motorcycle duty simply on the strength of prior experience operating civilian motorcycles. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"Police motorcycle operation is one of the most hazardous jobs in law enforcement today," s tates Nick Pierce, retired Wisconsin State Patrol Motor Unit Sergeant and Chief Motorcycle Instructor at Northwestern University Traffic Institute, Evanston Illinois. "To put an officer in harm's way without adequate training is strongly asking for trouble," states Pierce.

The very nature of police work routinely places motorcycle officers in high-risk situations that civilian riders rarely if ever encounter. "You're looking for suspects and traffic violations. You're checking businesses; you're looking for suspicious activity. These are things the civilian motorist isn't doing while riding a motorcycle" states Sgt. Michael Kulmann of the Milwaukee Police Department's Motorcycle Unit, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "Police officers are not using the motorcycle solely for transportation purposes. They're using it as a tool to do their jobs." Often that job places the motorcycle officer in extremely hazardous situations.

Motorcycle officers are on the job in all kinds of weather. Civilian cyclists often stop when it begins to rain. Motorcycle officers don their "rain suits" and head out on patrol. Changing weather means changing road conditions. Civilian riders shy away from gravel roads where officers often must ride. And if a suspect flees on foot through the woods the motorcycle officer becomes an off-road rider. Cold, hot, wind and rain, the motorcycle officer is on the job. In some areas, officers even ride in the snow.

The vehicle dynamics of police motorcycles is another concern. While all police motorcycles share their ancestry with civilian models, police motorcycles are designed with police work in mind. Heavy-duty components, special tire designs and strengthened suspensions change the handling characteristics of the police motorcycle.

Except when touring, civilian riders rarely carry much more than a rain suit on their motorcycle. Police officers must carry many pounds of additional equipment, from citation books to first aid kits. Light and siren packages add to the weight load and distribution, resulting in unique handling problems. This, in addition to the high speeds often necessary in police work, creates the need for higher-level skills than civilian riders are equipped to master with out specialized training.

Intensive training teaches the operator skills, which become second nature. In many instances the officer's reaction must be instinctive and immediate. The slightest hesitation to think of how to react can mean the difference between successfully evading the hazard or crashing. Motorcycle officers often find themselves in emergency braking situations, operating at high speeds and maneuvering in confined areas. They must possess a thorough knowledge of how the motorcycle can and will respond, as well as how to manipulate the motorcycle to gain the desired response.

Repetitive training enables the officer to perform the tasks expected of him. "We've reduced the number of accidents in our department since we began requiring advanced motorcycle training," states Sgt. Kulmann. Officers of the Milwaukee Police Department are required to pass Northwestern's police Motorcycle Operator Training before assignment to the Motorcycle Unit.

It is commonly agreed that a motorcycle officer should take a basic riding skills course at least once, preferably at the beginning of their assignment to a motor unit. Officers should then attend periodic refresher training. "Some folks say it should be every year, some say it should be every quarter," says Pierce. "These are what we call perishable skills. If you don't keep up on them, you lose them."

For over a decade, northwestern University Traffic Institute and Harley-Davidson Motor Company have teamed to make "Police Motorcycle Operator Training and Certification" available. This course focuses on basic motorcycle skills including slow maneuvering, curve negotiation, and defensive driving techniques. Effective braking strategies are emphasized. Basic nomenclature and maintenance are also covered.

A "Police Motorcycle Certified Training officer (Instructor)" course is also offered for those departments wishing to train their officers in-house. With over thirty weeks of training available during the year at training sites cross the nation, this training is an affordable option to all departments.

It is important for officers to have a basic knowledge of how their motorcycle functions. Officers must have a basic understanding of general preventive maintenance to assure the motorcycle is in peak operating condition. It is recommended that officers receive basic mechanical training to allow them to identify and diagnose mechanical problems, which could result in equipment failure. Harley-Davidson currently offers several different programs to fill this need. From basic and advanced maintenance to complete engine rebuilding, there is a course available to meet your officers' needs.

Additionally, advanced training for the experienced motorcycle officer is offered through Heckler & Koch and Harley-Davidson. "Survival Skills for the Motorcycle Officer" combines firearm skills with advanced riding skills and survival tactics. Traffic stops, high risk calls for service, felony stops and weapons skills are among the topics covered. One week in this course and the officer feels prepared to meet most challenges he or she may encounter.

A wise man once said, "You play the way you practice." While watching film is an important part in an athlete's preparation, the athlete must practice. Training is practice. For any officer to be prepared to meet the hazards of law enforcement duty they must receive periodic and pertinent training. This is especially true for the motorcycle officer. No matter how many episodes of "ChiPs" they have seen.