# Buying a retired police motorcycle?



## Guest

Hey everyone,

I know this is sort of a random question, but I've wanted to purchase a used Harley Davidson for awhile, its just been somewhat cost prohibitive. However I was wondering, how hard is it to purchase one that is surplus from a police department? I would assume the departments that go through them the most would be Boston and State right? And are they cycled out every so often, or are they only replaced after they have been run into the ground?

I just figured buying a used department one might be somewhat cheaper than buying from a private party, but I assume there would be other considerations to keep in mind.

I'm not sure if this was the right place to ask but I figured it was worth a shot. I would appreciate any input you may have. 

Thanks in advance and stay safe out there.


----------



## Harley387

You're probably wasting your time. Even IF a department had a Harley to get rid of, and it wasn't traded in, I'm sure it would be auctioned off. It's not like you can just stroll in and pick out the one you like, and drive it home. Besides, Police bikes are quite sought after. You would have better luck finding a used yuppie bike somewhere.


----------



## jettsixx

For what it is worth I know that Sheldons had several used police bikes a few months ago. Also Portsmouth Harley had a few last time I was there. They are available. Just got to keep looking until you find a good deal. This economy everyone is willing to deal.


----------



## sdb29

Seacoast Harley Davidson in New Hampshire. They lease bikes to cities and towns all over New England then get them back after a year and sell them as used. 
The lease program has a strict maintainance program so most everything they sell is in pretty good shape. A couple of years ago my place returned four bikes that went off lease and they had under 1000 miles on them. 
They always have a bunch of bikes available. I got mine from them back in 2005. It was a retired Swampscott PD bike with about 2500 miles on it.
Stay away from big city bikes because they tend to be rode hard and put away wet.
Seacoast will tell you where it came from if you ask.
Take a look at their web page.


----------



## pahapoika

saw a used police road king at seacoast a couple years back for almost full sticker !

why the high price i say ?

because it's a cop bike says Mr. salesman 

oooohh

there is nothing special about a used cop bike other than the speedo is calibrated. same motor , same trannie, same tires , etc

Bike Story

two cops from a small town head down to precision Harley in RI to pick up their 2 lease bikes.

one officer rides off duty and takes the backroads to properly break in the bike, the other officer hits the highway and does 90 back to the station.

when the other officer gets back the young kid says , hey, what took you so long ? and why is my bike making this loud knocking sound ? :shades_smile:

i've seen bikes used to push cars off the road, idling in the summer heat for hours and even repeatedly crashed on the local cable access channel for the BPD

you would be best to avoid any police bike, unless you know the bikes history first hand


----------



## Kilvinsky

When buying a Retired Police Motorcycle, make sure you have the paperwork transferring it's full pension to YOU, the new owner. It'll help pay for the gas.


yeah, I know, I should be ashamed of that one.


----------



## jettsixx

Thanks Sdb that is the dealership I was thinking of not Portsmouth.


----------



## Eagle13

They definitely have what you are looking for at Seacoast, and here it is:


----------



## Tango_Sierra

If you buy one please for the love of god dont keep the police colors,faded lettering, or any kind of blue/red lighting......make it your own Harley!


----------



## Johnny Law

The only retired police equipment I would buy is my own pistol, if and when we upgrade to newer models. Why? Because I know how well I treat my piece. Now used police motor vehicles, no way. Beaten in ways never intended for machinery.


----------



## pahapoika

_If you buy one please for the love of god dont keep the police colors,faded lettering, or any kind of blue/red lighting*......make it your own Harley!*_

have seen guys do some nice things with old bikes ,but the hockey pucks give it away it's an old cop bike :shades_smile:


----------



## MetrowestPD

Johnny Law said:


> The only retired police equipment I would buy is my own pistol, if and when we upgrade to newer models. Why? Because I know how well I treat my piece. Now used police motor vehicles, no way. Beaten in ways never intended for machinery.


Absolutely would not buy any vehicle. cars/mortorcycles get beat to shit by several different drivers.


----------



## kwflatbed

Most of the bilkes are assigned to one person,and with the lease program they are
well maintained with the exception of the larger departments that do not lease.
I don't deal in any bikes but do deal in cruisers mostly bought from government auctions all low miliage and bought for refiting and resale to small departments,
I am an agent for a company out of AK that has been doing this for years.


----------



## 263FPD

My Dept. used to rotate the bikes out every two years. The older bikes would get stripped of all the lightingand decals and be placed at Adesa Auction in Framingham. We would fetch around $15,000 for each, and that would be a dealer price. That should tell you that it then would get marked up another few grand. If you have a friend with a dealers license, that might be a way to go. To my knowledge, in this economy we have been hanging on to the bikes a little longer.

It used to be that our motors wouldbe babied to the point that they would only go out on absolutely perfect days. The guys that ride now, will stay out on the bikes even if the weather is a little less then perfect. I have seen out bike fleet go from two to three and the four. I know that the boss would love to add at least one more in the future. These machines are impecably maintained and not abused in any way.


----------



## Eagle13

There should be a couple coming up for sale real soon out of Boston:
WHDH-TV - 2 Boston officers hurt in motorcycle crashes

Speedy recovery for the officers involved.


----------



## pahapoika

driving a bike in the city is no joke.

they will try to kill you and after they run you off the road flip you the finger and keep going.

be safe out their guys and gals. lots of out of state plates that have no clue where their going out there.


----------



## RJ145

Hey everyone, I figured I'd register so I could thank you all for your information. Looks like if I do find a retired PD motorcycle I'll have to go over it carefully for wear/tear, but I'll probably mainly check the local dealers for "non-police service" motorcycles.


----------



## rscalzo

> is nothing special about a used cop bike other than the speedo is calibrated. same motor , same trannie, same tires , etc


No, it is not. The P models have 103 motors, different gearing and a standard oil cooler. The wiring is also totally differnt as far as the controls are concerned. The tires are not the standard HD Dunlop tires. they feature a different sidewall not suitable for two up riding. Most times they are swapped out.


----------



## pahapoika

_*No, it is not. The P models have 103 motors, different gearing and a standard oil cooler. The wiring is also totally differnt as far as the controls are concerned. The tires are not the standard HD Dunlop tires. they feature a different sidewall not suitable for two up riding. Most times they are swapped out.*_

sounds like the Blues Mobile :shades_smile:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yil9wlfa0yo"]YouTube- The Blues Brothers - the bluesmobile[/nomedia]


----------



## rscalzo

By the way, the saddlebags on the P models are much easier to open than the normal bikes. It's just that some dislike the hockey puck.

I've looked at the off lease bikes at Seacoast HD. They are mint. I could barely even find a scuff. 

Some of the Special Unit Motor cops were up in NH a few weeks ago for the police bike competition. Great guys and they can ride. The second accident sounded worse on the driver than the bike. The crash bars protect the bike well. Hope they both come through it OK.


----------

