The 120 Honda Rebel motorcycles that make up the Metropolitan Police Department’s fleet aren’t exactly beloved by their pilots. Used to supplement foot patrols and for crowd dispersal, the bikes are slow, maintenance intensive, easily banged up and uncomfortable for larger riders.
But soon enough, officers will be tackling their beats on a much improved ride: The Harley Davidson XL 883 Sportster, law enforcement edition. The MPD has a contract to buy 30 of the new Harleys from a Maryland retailer for $293,307, or $9,777 a piece – roughly $6,500 more than the base-priced Rebel.
“Quite frankly, they can’t really keep up with street traffic,” Edward Hamilton, executive director of MPD’s corporate support group, said of the Honda bikes. “We just came to a point where we needed to upgrade to a better unit.”
The 250cc engine Honda is small and lacks durability, an essential for a bike driven at all hours of the day and night, said Sgt. Michael Wear, citywide coordinator for mountain bikes, motorcycles and Segways. The 883cc Harley, however, will be more powerful and durable to handle the intensive use.
“The power, that’s not the big piece here,” Wear said. “The big piece is it’s going to be bigger and more visible.”
The Harley Sportsters are the same brand of bike used by the U.S. Capitol Police. They are, however, a step below the District’s 49 much larger, 1640cc engine Harleys used for motorcades and other special events.
The District in recent years has steadily increased its inventory of two- and three-wheeled motorized patrolling devices. The Segway fleet, for example, has jumped from 15 a couple years ago to 45 under MPD Chief Cathy Lanier.
“We’re finding that they’re like a horse mounted unit,” Hamilton said of the Segway. “Citizens like to approach the officer. It makes the officer more engaging on a personal level.”
