01-15-2020, 03:06 AM
No machine is perfect. I have a 2001 Odyssey here at work that I stripped out to use as a cargo van. It's got 230k miles on it, and it still runs like a top. But, it's had three transmissions.
I like talking with motor police officers when I get the chance. These guys live on motorcycles every day, so it's interesting to get their perspective of the machines that someone, somewhere decided was the best motorcycle for them to ride for a living.
When I was interested in BMWs years ago, I spoke with several Highway Patrol officers who raved about them. All-day comfort, reliable as the day is long. They bragged about six-digit mileage with regular maintenance. I was sold, and went through a small fleet of them over the years to get a taste of different models.
The museum where I work on weekends hosts private parties frequently, sometimes being receptions for Los Angeles city officials. That's given me the opportunity to talk with some LAPD officers on motorcade duty when they can relax a little bit sitting outside the museum. They have recently swapped out their Beemers for Harleys, however older air-cooled BMWs are still used here and there, often for ceremonial work. The LAPD officers on BMWs give a much different story about their bikes. Due to the more frequent starts and stops, and a lot of low speed riding in the friction zone means more frequent parts replacement, which, on a BMW can be a lot more expensive and time consuming than for other brands. Replacing the thousand-dollar clutch requires splitting the bike in two with days of down-time. Made sense. The Highway Patrol guys are doing thousands of highway miles, with less city riding.
Some of these guys aren't happy to give up the BMWs for Harleys, but "What can we say, the Harleys are pigs to ride, but the BMWs were costing too much to maintain".
Meanwhile, Huntington Beach PD is still riding Honda ST1300s. Two officers were sitting outside of a shopping center last weekend, and as my wife and I strolled by, I said "Man, you guys are still riding those?" I got a shrug "Well, they just keep on going."
I like talking with motor police officers when I get the chance. These guys live on motorcycles every day, so it's interesting to get their perspective of the machines that someone, somewhere decided was the best motorcycle for them to ride for a living.
When I was interested in BMWs years ago, I spoke with several Highway Patrol officers who raved about them. All-day comfort, reliable as the day is long. They bragged about six-digit mileage with regular maintenance. I was sold, and went through a small fleet of them over the years to get a taste of different models.
The museum where I work on weekends hosts private parties frequently, sometimes being receptions for Los Angeles city officials. That's given me the opportunity to talk with some LAPD officers on motorcade duty when they can relax a little bit sitting outside the museum. They have recently swapped out their Beemers for Harleys, however older air-cooled BMWs are still used here and there, often for ceremonial work. The LAPD officers on BMWs give a much different story about their bikes. Due to the more frequent starts and stops, and a lot of low speed riding in the friction zone means more frequent parts replacement, which, on a BMW can be a lot more expensive and time consuming than for other brands. Replacing the thousand-dollar clutch requires splitting the bike in two with days of down-time. Made sense. The Highway Patrol guys are doing thousands of highway miles, with less city riding.
Some of these guys aren't happy to give up the BMWs for Harleys, but "What can we say, the Harleys are pigs to ride, but the BMWs were costing too much to maintain".
Meanwhile, Huntington Beach PD is still riding Honda ST1300s. Two officers were sitting outside of a shopping center last weekend, and as my wife and I strolled by, I said "Man, you guys are still riding those?" I got a shrug "Well, they just keep on going."