Michigan State Police not riding Harleys???

I can see how some folks would be unhappy that a U.S. company (or in this case a state) has stopped being loyal to another U.S. company. But I’m more a believer in ‘if you want my business, make a better product’. I try to keep my dollars local, but if the 0-100 and top speed numbers are true, that’s enough to sway me for sure.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120723/NEWS06/207230344/Michigan-State-Police-fleet-is-no-longer-all-American-as-BMWs-move-in-on-Harleys

For the first time, the Michigan State Police fleet of motorcycles isn't exclusively American-made Harley-Davidsons. In April, the State Police switched loyalties, purchasing nine German-made BMW R1200s. The BMW police motorcycle is faster, has superior handling and safety features, and even cost a little less, according to performance tests the agency conducted last fall. How much faster?

The BMW screamed from 0-100 m.p.h. in less than 11 seconds, while the Harley strolled in at slightly more than 31. The BMW tops out at 131 m.p.h. (never know when you'll have to run down a souped-up Chevy Volt). The Harley reaches 104. A State Police analysis tried to be kind to the Harleys, calling them a "capable vehicle for parade and ceremonial use."

Ouch!

State Police spokeswoman Shannon Banner said the decision wasn't taken lightly. "It was something we put a lot of consideration into," Banner said. "We are Americans, after all; we're in Michigan, home of the auto industry. It was all about safety and performance. That's what the whole vehicle-testing program is about." Annual tests conducted by the agency's vehicle evaluation team indicated, for successive years, that the BMW police motorcycle was outperforming rivals, including Harley-Davidson, Banner said. "We really could no longer ignore what we were seeing in the tests," she said.

State budget officials said BMW's bid prices this year, $23,549.23 and $24,022.06, were slightly below Harley-Davidson's $24,406.07 and $24,791.07. The department's overall fleet of 24 motorcycles, stationed in metro Detroit, Rockford and Lansing, remains majority Harley. Banner declined to speculate on whether the shift to BMW will continue. A re-evaluation is conducted each time a purchase decision is made, she said, and other manufacturers, including Harley, are continuously working to improve their products. Representatives of Wisconsin-based Harley-Davidson and its dealers in Michigan either couldn't be reached or declined to comment Friday. But Vince Consiglio, Harley owner and president of ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Towards Education), the influential motorcyclists organization that led the fight to repeal Michigan's helmet law, said he was surprised and "pretty disappointed" when he heard about the switch.

"I was surprised to hear that the people who brought us the Pure Michigan campaign would not buy bikes made by our neighbors in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania," he said. Harley-Davidson has a larger dealer network (23 vs. three) in Michigan, Consiglio said, and contributes heavily to the state economy by purchasing parts from suppliers such as Delphi. He also said he was skeptical about the reported performance test results. While acknowledging that BMW's police motorcycle has faster acceleration, he said he didn't believe the difference was as great as indicated. John Horner, principal in BMW Motorcycles of Southeast Michigan, which supplied the state's new bikes, defended the State Police decision. BMW is the largest supplier of authority motorcycles in the world, Horner said. The police bikes are used by state agencies in California, Arizona, Florida and elsewhere, along with a handful of other Michigan departments, he said. Both Banner and Horner, who attended the Michigan test session last September, said the department's evaluations are thorough and exacting, with multiple riders measuring acceleration, handling and braking power in different circumstances. Troopers who have stopped by for routine maintenance since the BMWs hit the road "are thrilled with the tools they've been given," Horner said.

Still, Harley-Davidson remains the dominant police motorcycle in Michigan. According to the company's website, the Detroit Police Department took delivery on the first Harley police motorcycle in 1908. Oakland County's current fleet of 24 is all Harleys. Consiglio rode his across the Mackinac Bridge on Friday, en route to Ontonagon. "I told (Gov. Rick) Snyder we'd spend our money in Michigan" if he signed the helmet bill, Consiglio said, "It's a great day to be up here on a Harley."

Discuss…

I've been seeing a lot of Vstrom 650's and the BMW GS as well.

I'll keep my Harley opinions to myself.

It's getting hard to recognize all the different headlights to watch out for.

Good. Blind faith is a bad path to follow.

I like supporting the local economy as much as a the next guy, but a better product has to win out for the police. Would you put officers out there with guns that don't shoot as far and jam more often, but are made close by?

Here in Evansville our cops have Harleys, BMWs, and even a few Hondas. I really have no idea how they came to that decision, and why we have so many different police bikes. I'm guessing they were all purchased at different times for different reasons, but who knows.

Would have liked to see them test the vrod....it's supposed to be pretty quick.

Also, I'm surprised the BMW doesn't have a higher top speed.

ain't nothin' new

My first thought too was Seven Mary 3 & 4 on their Kows.

Buell Ulysses XB12XT

OH WAIT

I've owned 3 Harleys, and I will not own a 4th.

Excellent.

I expect there are police packages for bikes like there are for cars. Not every bike may be a candidate.

We had a similar fuss here about a decade back. The cops decided to go BMW instead of Harley - even though the BMWs were more expensive to purchase. The local Harley dealer wrapped themselves in the flag and yelled MERICA! The police stood by their decision, saying that the BMWs were more reliable and saved money in the long run. I'm okay with that - they should get the best tool for the job.

The Harley dealership now sells BMW as well.

A full-dress Harley will run a 1/4 mile in the mid-13s at nearly 100; the 31 second figure is complete bullE36 M3.

pinchvalve wrote: Would you put officers out there with guns that don't shoot as far and jam more often, but are made close by?

Most of the time, American companies got that right.

Most law enforcement agencies use Glock firearms due to being simple, safe, large capacity, and lightweight. Plus, the fact departments get theirs new for half of what the civilian population pays.

To the original post, I have no arguement against the bmw motorcycles. Honestly, this should have happened years ago. Harley is far overpriced for what you get(You're buying the name, and appearance of toughness if you're 40, 5'1", and 110lbs) I mean, a Suzuki Boulevard has more innovation in it than harley does, and pending the model, up to 1/4 the price.

A similar argument arose when the University of Michigan Hospital ordered three new SurvivalFlight helicopters from a company from France instead of a US built chopper. The French built one was faster, more reliable, had a longer range, etc. People were upset that they didn't buy US made; but when it comes to getting my ass to the hospital, I want the faster, most reliable chopper you can get!

Article and comments: http://www.annarbor.com/news/new-survival-flight-helicopter-fleet-on-the-way-to-the-university-of-michigan-health-system/

yamaha wrote: I mean, a Suzuki Boulevard has more innovation in it than harley does, and pending the model, up to 1/4 the price.

Define "innovation". As for price:

2012 Yamaha Royal Star Venture $20190

2012 Kawasaki Voyager $18999

2012 Suzuki "Dresser"--Oh wait--they don't make one.

2012 H-D Electra Glide Classic $19499

2012 H-D Electra Glide Ultra Classic $21499

Now lets see what they are worth when they are 3 years old; Harley cruiser and touring bikes are priced very much in line with the rest of the market--please don't spew forth any more ignorance.

When did the Michigan State Police get motorcycles? In the all the years I lived there, I never saw one. Seems like a big expenditure for a vehicle you can patrol with maybe five months per year.

They've had them for years.

Can't blame them. They waited much too long to do this. And a bike that does 0-100 in 31 seconds trying to catch sportbikes that do it in more like 3.1 seconds? Wow.

I will keep my Harley opinions to myself.

I am not surprised. Michigan State Police do thorough testing on their emergency equipment. They also do a cost evaluation. If the BMW is faster and cheaper, they are probably going to lean towards them.

If some overseas car company made a hellacious reliable car that was great for police duty and was cheaper than our offerings from the Big 3, then I would imagine it would be taken into consideration. I guarantee some police force would buy it.

ST_ZX2 wrote: Now lets see what they are worth when they are 3 years old; please don't spew forth any more ignorance.

Next to nothing if it was these past 3 years.

I've had 2 I've tried to sell, but not only are not many people buying, but also the banks made the loans tough because they didn't need any more repos. Luxury vehicles, and that includes boats & jet skis have been very difficult to get loans for when compared to previous years.

1 I sold for thousands less than the Harley guys told me they were worth and 1 I still have.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: If some overseas car company made a hellacious reliable car that was great for police duty and was cheaper than our offerings from the Big 3, then I would imagine it would be taken into consideration. I guarantee some police force would buy it.

Will rebadged Holden's fall into this "overseas" category?

When BMW opened their plant here in SC, the SC Highway Patrol got two 750il's and 2 BMW bikes as part of the deal, alll painted up in Highway Patrol silver/stripes. Nobody bitched about it. Now just about every HP bike is a BMW.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: owning a Harley is a 'lifestyle' choice. It damn sure isn't bleeding edge engineering or particularly quick (those are much more important to me than 'potato potato' exhaust sound or leather fringes) so they have obviously made their marketing choice and need to not squeal like pigs when they lose sales to someone else who builds something better.

If H-D ever decides to join the second half of the 20th century instead of relying on a design from 1903 which was a bad compromise even by the standards of the time, I'll consider owning one. Till then, nope.

Keith wrote: I expect there are police packages for bikes like there are for cars. Not every bike may be a candidate.

I've helped light up many things. Although you probably know, anything is a candidate. Wire in reds or blues and a siren depending on your states regulations and you've got a police gsxr, or tempo, or pirate ship. Thats at least how it goes in Missouri. Other states may be more complex.

carguy123 wrote:

ST_ZX2 wrote: Now lets see what they are worth when they are 3 years old; please don't spew forth any more ignorance.

Next to nothing if it was these past 3 years. I've had 2 I've tried to sell, but not only are not many people buying, but also the banks made the loans tough because they didn't need any more repos. Luxury vehicles, and that includes boats & jet skis have been very difficult to get loans for when compared to previous years. 1 I sold for thousands less than the Harley guys told me they were worth and 1 I still have.

If you think its bad trying to sell a 3-year old, H-D, try selling a 3 year old metric. In Milwaukee, H-D dealers are buying used bikes (Harleys) to keep the showrooms full.