Re: EL MONTE CA Area police departments opting for Harley-Davidson over BMW etc..
Good deal, Harleys always did make good police bikes because of the way they're laid out, low and slow. The vast majority of police M/C work is no where near high speed so the hi performance deficit doesn't really come into play, and the platform is well balanced to tack on all their crap.
Even if they were paying for maintainance the Harley would still be miles cheaper because they're so easy to work on, for example police work is hard on clutch's, a harley clutch can be changed in a hour if you take your time, a BMW clutch is a 3 or 4 hour pain in the butt and a known weak point, plus R1150RT wiring harness issues, drive shaft failures and crappy EFI maps.
I've ridden my bro's Dyna Defender a few times and I owned an FLHP for 5 or 6 years and I can tell you, you won't find a more comfortable set-up than the older spring post seats and floorboards. From a marketing point of veiw, it's a slam-dunk for Harley. Tons of free advertising, and after a year of leasing them to the fuzz, they have a very desirable "police special" that they can sell for new prices.
Them boyz got a nose for money that just won't quit. LOL