Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125814
What's Black and White and Red All Over? N i Q. M .... - '" " ,' e: .. .., ~ w Z W ..J o >o a bit awkward at first. They are all stable at very low ·speeds and have good low end power. There is another thing that characterizes the police machines: they are reliable. In fact, the machines are chosen because they are the most reliable machines that police departments can fmd for their demanding type of use. They have to be or they wouldn't use them. They also have to be economical on a dollar per mile per man basis. The Honda is the newest machine to - find its way to th'e police forces of the United States. Our 750 came from Triple A, a finn that will be familiar to Honda owners who have customized their machines. l'riple A uses all its own accessories to make the police package conversion. Most of them are. also available to the private owner. They install a windshield, front and rear crash bars, saddlebags, their floor boards and matching shift and brake set-up, the solo seat, and tack on red lights and a siren. The latter two items aren't available to the private owner. .. ,\~i;I;.1 - The Honda, as we stated before, was the fastp.st of our trio and had the best braking. Its low speed handling was the lightest, but it wasn't as willing to remain slable at very low speeds as the other two. I t was equipped with a modified four-into·two exhaust system, necessary to clear the saddlebags, which proved as quiet as the stock system. Controls were positive feeling and responded well. The mechanical siren control was very crisp and the siren very loud. Triple A also offers a conversion kit • ." ..,!' ~ for the Honda speedome ter. This has a new face that is more accurately calibrated. The sealed speedo is cut open and the new face is welded into place. The police departments check their speedometers regularly and they are recalibrated, as necessary, usually once per quarter. One officer told us that they aren't followed religiously anyway. He said that he always allowed between five and len MPH for error. The 850 Guzzi came from the ZDS motors in Glendale. It was the machine that we became most familiar with because we couldn't get two of the big machines in the CN van. Since the Honda was the lightest, it was always the one that we chose to load. The' Harley that we evaluatea came from the Torrance, Calif. Police Dept. so Officers Karl Young rode it home. This situation left us with the Guzzi to transport. So we rode it.. Admittedly, we had our doubts. How do you explain to a police officer that the police machine lhal you are riding is really in your possession. We had to cover the red ligh ts and consciously use the cIu tch lever rather than the adjacent mechanical siren lever. We had our doubts about the Moto -. Karl Young of the Torrance PO prefers his Sportster. Omni-directional antenna doesn't get broken off.