Posted on: Thursday, October 31, 2002

HPD dumps Harleys

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Honolulu Police Department yesterday banned use of Harley Davidson motorcycles after a solo bike officer was injured last week while escorting Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Traffic Division Maj. Robert Prasser said yesterday that the HPD vehicle maintenance section has reported handling problems with Harley Davidsons at high "pursuit-type" speeds.

Prasser said some bikes develop a wobble at 80 mph, causing officers to lose control of their vehicles.

Last Thursday, a 29-year-old solo bike officer riding in Arroyo's motorcade lost control of his Harley Davidson on H-1 Freeway near the Houghtailing exit. The officer was injured, but not seriously.

HPD has 22 Harley Davidsons in its solo bike fleet and will be left with 30 BMW and Kawasaki motorcycles for 37 officers. Prasser said if there aren't enough motorcycles to go around, officers will use police cars.

Prasser said he wasn't sure if the wobble is due to a mechanical defect, but the department wants to be cautious. He said the department is seeking an emergency purchase of 20 new motorcycles by February at a cost of about $25,000 each.

Chuck Rose, district manager for Pacific Harley Davidson, said the problem isn't with the motorcycles. He said HPD has complained about wobble before and the problem has been traced to improper maintenance. "The bikes that HPD have are old, and I would expect them to be having issues related to wear and tear," Rose said.

He said civilian Harley Davidsons can go "well over 100,000 miles" without any major problems. But he said the HPD motorcycles are put through "extremely hard use" and may rack up 100,000 miles in a year.