Police Interceptors

[OB_Cisco San Jose]

Back in the early 1989-1995 time frame I believe my friend said that the Fremont PD was using the ZX10/ZX11 bikes to catch speeders near Mission Blvd and areas around there since some of the Gsxr1100 and FZR1000 riders where doing wheelies in front of them and running off.Lets put it this way only the good riders will get away!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OB_GrumpyCop]

Thanks for your opinion, I'm still pushing for sportbikes in the unit. I have no problems sitting on it all day long and really motors officers spend most oof their time standing next to them instead of riding. Just little short burst to overtake. The cost of a sportbike doesn't even compare and believe me the Hayabusa is definitely bulky enough to hide a radio and remote laser in there. As far as the bean counters go, this is a super media hngry city (you probably know where I work now if your from Texas) they would just love the coverage. Personally I would think twice about going all out in a city if I knew the po-po might be round the corner on a Busa. Just a thought.

 

[OB_FalconCOP161]

Honda ST-1100 Would make a better/Best Cop bike,Fast, Roomy, and you'll be able to grab your Gun easier.

161 ®

 

[OB_Sarge]

Yes, it would be interesting to have a Busa package for service, but I think Mr. Street Legal has pretty much hit the nail on the head. With most places, the bean counters are what you have to get past. Like insurance, the type of deal you get may depend on precisely where you are located.
Harley offers a financially irresistable deal in a lease where they buy the bike back after a one-year lease, so you get a new bike every year; they handle the maintenance, all you do is supply the package equipment, which you move to the new bike the next year.
Kawasaki I've heard will not offer a package until next year.
NC SHP seems to be doing well with their BMWs, (which I like a little better than the Harleys, mainly due to the weight difference).
Whatever they got going in Oxfordshire, England must be an exception to the rule as far as getting something pushed through. I find the story suspect, because most jurisdictions have limits on how expediously you can get to a call; you ain't no good if you don't get there, and if someone gets hit at 175 MPH by a Busa medic on the way to whatever call, I would think they are going to be "running" into some problems. If they are required to get to every call in a certain amount of time, I wonder if the concern is congestion, or distances. If it is congestion, a KTM Duke could probably work as well.
I've read that CHP (CA) is getting more bikes, so they can get through congested traffic to accident scenes. This suggests to me that we don't need the Busa's top end speeds in the real world, (leave that to the helicopters), but a bike is useful in other day-to-day functions.
As a side note, I've heard that the Honda Valkyrie Interstate would make a good package.
Bottom line: bean counters, and a bike that meets a wide variety of needs, such a carry capacity, etc.

 

[AQUADIOSMED]

grumpy cop:

it would be hard to beat all the amenities of the zx-11-d, it has performance, great gas mileage, and good ergonomics, comes with a center stand etc....

 

[OB_GrumpyCop]

Morning all, haven't been arounf here much lately. wonder if I could get some help. My PD is starting up another motors unit and I'm trying to convince them to allow Hayabusa's or any sportbike for that matter in the unit. I need some real good ammo to convince them that the crap Harley's and BMW's aren't the only bikes capable of the job. I mean with the speed and stability of a sportbike it would just make more sense. Any ideas cause I've got alot of old timers to convince.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like you are asking the lambs how to best outfit the wolves... When a police agency is looking for a vehicle they have to come up with certain specifications and performance is but one of them. Carrying capacity, to handle all those goodies needed in emergencies; space for the Motorola radio/computer, etc.; resale value, when the service of the vehicle is no longer needed (or it has reached its mileage limit); and of course the initial cost, which is determined by a bid process, etc.
I don't see how a high performance machine like a 'Busa would be able to make any of the bean counters paying for such things real excited. You folks in blue just keep your Hardley-Abelsons, BMW's and/or Kawasaki 'Police Specials' and leave us poor lambs alone...

 

[OB_BullDog]

Here's a good one you can show them from:

http://www.motorcycleworld.co.uk/bikes/bikes.asp?page=Latest+Bike+News&id=41


26 October 1999 14:46:00GMT
Hayabusa will be a life-saver
By MCN Reporter

PARAMEDICS in Oxfordshire plan to reach casualties faster than ever - on a 194mph Suzuki
Hayabusa. The ambulance service is taking delivery of the world's fastest production bike, complete
with blue flashing lights and packed with life-saving equipment.

Two people will be specially trained by police riders to make the most of the 175bhp Suzuki.

The bike is being brought in to beat new guidelines which say ambulances must reach 95 per cent
of calls within 19 minutes. From 2001 that limit will be cut to just eight minutes for the most urgent
calls - such as heart attack patients - and the service fears that would be impossible with a
conventional ambulance.

John Nichols, chief executive of the Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust, said: "The bike will help us
get to the really sick people much quicker." He added that the Hayabusa will come into its own
during the morning and evening rush hours when it is even harder for four-wheelers to get around.

But patients aren't going to be whisked to hospital on the back of a bike! Instead, paramedics will
give emergency treatment until the ambulance arrives. Now the race is on to raise the £15,000
needed to keep the superbike on the road and stocked with drugs.

 

[OB_SlowHand]

Grumpy, I think the ideal cop bike would be the old Honda 90 Trail. Big rack on the back to carry all of the gear; easy step through design, and a very quiet exhaust so it doesn't wake up the guys sleeping in the units outside of the donut shop.

With extensive training, most of the officers should be able to handle the blistering 55mph top speed.

Seriously, I wouldn't want to be cramped up on a Busa while on duty. I think it's a little too hard core for that kind of work. A Blackbird would be better, but that's probably still too radical.

If you are really young and in really good shape it might work for you, but for most people, I think it would be a poor fit.

 

[DaveO]

Grumpy,

1st bike that comes to mind is the ZRX1100 Kawasaki. The standard style bike with the ZX11 motor. Kind of a modern KZ1000.

Having ridden the Harley and Kaw police bikes of past, I agree that the Busa might be too focused for all around duty. Just mounting all the hardware would be a project. Not to mention the additional training required BEYOND the normal motor course stuff.

Dave

 

[Guest]

See an old CHIPs rerun. Kaws?

 

[OB_JokerJ]

Personally, I'm with Street Legal. Why tell the law how to catch us if we decide to open up the throttle. If you want a recommendation, how about the Suzuki GZ250?

It's a comfortable bike, or so my niece says so. Not a whole lot of mods and economical to repair.

 

[OB_grandvitesse]

I think the Hayabusa would make a great police bike, but only in a lot of people's dreams. Just the look of the bike (sport oriented) and its radical capabilities would throw off too many police executives, mayors, city managers in this country.

I, for one, would like to see it happen. The cops riding the busa would be co-opted (even subconsciously) and would likely give favorable treatment to anyone they stop riding a busa.

But, as our new member "street legal" says, we don't want the ticket passers to have any fair (or unfair) advantage. And he should know.........

 

[OB_pooh]

GC:

You should be a cop here in the UK, they have unmarked XX's and marked FireBlades....just not fair!!

 

[OB_RAGARUFNEK]

Grumpy I can't believe you're really asking a bunch of guys who regularly push the FASTEST high performance bike to it's limit to help find ways to convince police to have Hayabusa squads. That is kinda funny. Then to add comments about places to put your laser and such, my sides are hurting from laughter. Like one reply stated it is like asking lambs ways to improve a wolf or coyote, or shark or any other predator.

I say keep the goldwings and such. ;-)

 

[OB_Mr Bear]

Over at www.LABusas.org Bug-Stomper did a computer-drawing of a Busa, white-on-black color scheme. It looked like the meanest cop bike you could imagine. He didn't mean for it to be a cop bike. But with a circle and slash logo on the lower fairing, like the Washington State Patrol logo for example, it would make those police Trans Am's look like a joke.