New ‘adventure motorcycles’ get tested by police for the next year

Don’t be surprised if you get pulled over by a police officer riding a motorcycle that you don’t recognize.

For the next year, the Ottawa Police Service will be testing two models of “adventure,” or sport touring, motorcycles as they evaluate whether a move away from their fleet of Harley Davidsons is warranted.

According to Const. Jon Hall, the OPS master motorcycle instructor in traffic services, the force began questioning whether newer alternatives to the Harley should be introduced to the fleet after Calgary police added eight Suzuki V- Strom bikes to it’s fleet of 15 Harley Davidson motorcycles.

“I guess Calgary Police Service switched half of their fleet to Suzukis and we’re just keeping our minds open on that stuff. See what they can offer,” Hall said. “We’re testing them out for a year and seeing if they serve our purpose or not. Comparing them to the Harley Davidsons.”

The force has secured four motorcycles from Ottawa dealerships, free of charge, for testing purposes. Police have two Suzuki V-Strom bikes, and two Honda Africa Twin motorcycles. The Suzuki’s have already hit the road, but the Honda’s are still being outfitted with emergency lights and sirens. They are expected to be released for police duty in the coming weeks.

Police are responsible for paying for maintenance and any damages that they may cause to the units.

The bikes are lighter and cheaper than the Harleys. However, Hall said, that unlike the Harleys the new models don’t come pre-wired for police lights and sirens, which adds additional cost that bring the final price of the bikes up to a level that’s comparable with their current machines. He also said, the new cycles’ higher centre of gravity is something that some officers may not like.

On the other hand, the new bikes have better acceleration, can be used in some off-road situations and consume less gas than the Harleys. Hall said the new bikes will not be used in police pursuits, they are exclusively for traffic control and escort duties.

Hall said one of the surprising early findings is how the new-look police bikes are catching people doing things they shouldn’t.

“I can tell you, because they’re a different look, we’ve been catching a lot more distracted drivers with them. But, we just started riding the Suzukis within the last couple weeks,” he said.

The vehicles also garnered a positive response on the unofficial, but important Twitter index. Hall’s first tweet showing off his new ride garnered almost 200 likes and dozens of retweets.

HONDA AFRICA TWIN CRF1000L

Displacement: 998cc

Engine: Parallel Twin with 270-degree crank, liquid cooled Transmission: Manual six speed with slipper clutch, or dual-clutch (twinclutch) transmission

Wheelbase: 62 inches (1574.8 millimetres)

Weight: 512 pounds (232.24 kilograms) with the manual transmission, or 534 pounds (242.22 kgs) for the dual-clutch version.

SUZUKI V-STROM 1000DL

Displacement: 969 cc

Engine: 4-stroke, dual overhead cam, 90-degree V-twin, liquid-cooled Transmission: Six-speed Automatic Wheelbase: 1,555mm

Weight: 232 kg (511.5 lbs)

HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE POLICE EDITION

Displacement: 1690cc

Engine: Overhead Valve Twin Cam 103 High Output Vibration Isolated VTwin, air-cooled Transmission: Manual/Clutch Wheelbase: 1625 mm

Weight: 617 kg (1360 lbs)