May the force be with you
Although I had been on the motorcycle scene since about 1963 with a few years racing under my belt when I joined the NSW Police force in 1969, I had no desire to ride motorcycles or undertake traffic duties. I did however, have a brief stint on a Triumph 650 when stationed at Glebe in the second part of 1970 but that was to undertake Clearways duties on Parramatta Road. My main concern with police using motorcycles, except for civil escorts, is that their use in high-speed pursuits has too many unforeseen situations causing serious injury or death. Incidents such as cars coming out from sidestreets or other vehicles coming to a sudden stop cause an unpreventable collision with serious or fatal injuries. Having said that I acknowledge that the use of motorcycles in various police forces has a long and established background.
From what I know NSW Police used HarleyDavidson machines in the late 1940s and early 1950s followed by BMW, Triumphs, briefly Kawasaki 500 and then Honda CB750 and later 1100 Hondas. I was recently able to obtain photos and some background material relating to the use by Victorian Police of motorcycles. It appears that their use was far earlier and had a wider variety of machines.
In 1918, the Motor Police Branch was formed under Senior Constable William Peverell, to perform traffic and patrol duties on bicycles. It was not until 1921 that the first motorcycles were used for patrol duties, when Indian Powerplus outfits were purchased. This resulted in nightly patrols on the Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo roads in various weather conditions. In 1927 the ‘Motor Cycle Patrol’ was named before being later expanded to twentytwo outfits, the majority of which were Coventry Eagles. Cars gradually took a more active role in traffic duties up until the outbreak of World War II.
However after the war a number of ex U.S. Army Harley-Davidson WLA were purchased. These units remained in service until the early 1950s when they were replaced by Ariel Square Fours. Their main problem was the seizing of the rear cylinders at high speed. In the 1950s Triumph outfits were introduced but not for traffic duties. They were for regular duties such as conveying correspondence, warrants and summonses. In the late 1960s BMW, Yamaha and Kawasaki were used. The CB750
Hondas were purchased but there were complaints from riders that the front forks were faulty. It was claimed that they tendered to shudder. Discussions with Honda Australia did not resolve the situation and the machines were returned.
In summary, the following motorcycles have been used by the Victorian Police. Indian Powerplus, 1913 Douglas Ladies Model, 1914 Triumph, 1924
AJS V Twin, Coventry Eagle, Brough Superior, O.E.C., Harley-Davidson WLA Solo and Sidecar, 1950 Ariel Square Four, 1956 Triumph Solo and Sidecar,
Triumph Thunderbird 650, 1958 BSA A10, BMW R69S and R60, Triumph Saint, Honda 750FZ, Kawasaki W650, Moto Guzzi, Honda 750, Honda CB900F,
BMW 1000 and BMW ST1100.
I am grateful for the assistance of Ian Meates providing photos and John Parker supplying the “Official Journal of The Victorian Police Historical Society Inc”.