I'm a Police Rider - must be the bikes fault!

dainesefreak · World Chat Champion Joined: 04 Apr 2003 Karma :

I wonder if they have tried putting the tyres to the correct pressures. I may email them. Rolling Eyes

doggone · World Chat Champion Joined: 20 May 2004 Karma :

It won't be the bike so much as the unwieldy kit they load them with (plus big fat-arsed rider).
It's probably more like a speed advisory anyway.

PeteFM · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 30 Jun 2006 Karma :

As a South Yorks Police Officer (not RPG tho Sad

) I'd have to suggest not going for a blast :p

We don't have many ST1300's anyway, we mainly use ST1100's and the BMW's. You'd also have the volvo's, mondeo ST220's and of course SY99 ( an MD 900 explorer) to deal with.

The problem with ST1300's and they way they are used for police business has been known for ages, a large number have been returned to Honda under the sale of goods act (or something similar) the trade in second hand ST1100's among forces has never been so good.

One Black Rat was telling me it's all to do with the panniers and the matrix display at the rear, combined with badly specced rear wheel/tyre combo.

Johnny GSX-R · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Karma :

Just to put you in the picture..

Civilian riders too are experiencing high speed wobbles and un-provoked tank slappers on the ST1300..

We lost one of our riders on a motorway some months back, the speed embargo was enforced until such time as the problem could be corrected.

Ninja · Caption Abuser Joined: 22 Apr 2004 Karma :

... and you thought it was all history once they'd stopped using the Bim 'K' bikes ...
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map · Mr Calendar Joined: 14 Jun 2004 Karma :

This is an old story, so it's about right that MCN get the 'scoop' now Rolling Eyes

. Apparently Honda issues a recall to redo the engine mounts in 2003 (July I think, so 3 years ago).
Affected bikes had the following numbers:
ST1300.2 Standard - JH29C51B*2M000914 -> 2M000539
ST1300A.2 ABS - JH2SC51B*2M000914 -> 2M001091

Although there is a story that the problem occured because Honda changed the frame/mounts for the 2003 model. Swapped back to the old style and wobbles went away.

However, in 2005 a police officer was killed on the M58 in Skelmersdale. Riding an 04 registered 1300. The Pan was in lane three, has wobbled, lost power and pitched the rider off into lane 2 where he was hit by a HGV. In November 2005 Merseyside took their Pans off the road - story here.

I've also come across this (but don't have a link).

robbie_dt · Derestricted Danger Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Karma :

they should try using honda blackbirds or something. seen the odd r1 police bike.
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aha-shake · Scooby Slapper Joined: 27 May 2006 Karma :

They seriously have R1 police bikes?!

I thought that was a joke..

Is it?

Oh my god!

shake

distortion · Nearly there... Joined: 08 Mar 2005 Karma :

map · Mr Calendar Joined: 14 Jun 2004 Karma :

veeeffarr · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

PeteFM · Two Stroke Sniffer Joined: 30 Jun 2006 Karma :

some forces have unmarked bikes that you wouldn't expect to be police bikes, Northumbria had a poster with a few on such as R1's etc...

palmer · Fiddled Kiddy Joined: 21 Jul 2004 Karma :

We cruised on our pan at speeds of about 80-110 and it felt fine.

Dad loves riding it because it rides so well Laughing

colin1 · Captain Safety Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Karma :

Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

I have seen a police R1 on the side of the road as part of a speed trap on the A3.

On the topic of high speed wobbles, my ex-police K75RT suffers from it when cornering above 95mph.

dodsi · Dirty Carny Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Karma :

I have ridden with a police R1 and honda VTR SP2

Shocked

Johnny GSX-R · World Chat Champion Joined: 14 Feb 2005 Karma :

Irezumi aka Reuben · Carrot Top Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Karma :

If it was the rider's fault why are there no reports, or at least nowhere near the amount, of accidents happening on the older pans and the BMW's they currently use?
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dodsi · Dirty Carny Joined: 06 Aug 2004 Karma :

nrml76 · Brolly Dolly Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Karma :

While I do understand that there might be some merit in the argument that the weight of the rider, tyre pressure etc are critical in producing the weave, I am more inclined to belive that these problems were due to rider error. The police like to project an image of their riders being experts; more than capable of handling any bike. Sometimes I wonder if some of them start believing in their own hype of invincible control over the machine, and push the machine beyond their abilities. The police never accept any blame for their actions ever, so blaming the bike is to be expected from them. I dont think Honda would release a bike specifically designed for high speed motorway riding with such a fatal flaw in this day and age, and for them not to pick up such problems after fully investigating reports from the police would beggar belief. If it was a civilian with the highest advanced riding qualifications involved in that accident, do you for one moment think the police would attribute it to anything other than human error? Because it was police riders involved, suddenly it becomes the fault of the machine. If you dont respect the machine and the conditions, they will hit back viciously whoever you are.

nrml76 · Brolly Dolly Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Karma :

Jebus · Brolly Dolly Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Karma :

they have a load of kit on them with the radios and so on, and if they dont get loaded evenly and tire pressures are kept up to pressure (no pun intended). One thing we have to remember this is a honda, they have a pretty good idea to screw a bike together, and if they say that the bike is ok i would belive them. Riders need to stop all the anal police riding and ride the bikes properly.
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McJamweasel · BCF Junkie Joined: 22 Mar 2002 Karma :

I was talking to one of the Triumph technical guys about this a couple of weeks ago. Their test riders are contractors and one of them was involved in this test at Bruntingthorpe. He found that he did get the weave at about 130mph, one of the other testers who was of a similar build to him did not. He also tried it on a Blackbird and did not get any similar weave.

They are putting it down to pannier loading and tyre pressures.
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sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

The Police have been crashing wobbleing bikes for years.

Every time they get a new model they fit a shed load of gear to the rear and wonder why it wobbles at speed. This happened on the R80's, the K100's, The new boxers, the ST1100.

The cure on the ST1100 was to lower your head to the top yoke Shocked

To get an idea of how badly many Police bikes are specced when the R80 went into service you couldn't run the blue lights and the sirens for more than about 5 minutes as it drained the battery dead.

It doesn't help that a lot of Police forces have farmed out the servicing on the bikes which is often completed to a very low standard due to cost.