[sobmstr]

The wife and I are considering moving up from the '01 FXDXT to an Electra Glide Standard, something a little more comfortable on longer trips we've started to take.
I have a chance to buy a used 2001 FLHPI police bike for a relative good price. 5,000+ miles & appears to be in good condition. It was supposedly just used for escort service, funerals, etc and not for pursuit. The plain white paint job doesn't do much for me, but gives a good platform for custom paint and other future changes.
Question is, I'm not sure what differences there are between this and a standard FLHT other than it has fuel injection and chrome/black engine.
The rest of the bike looks the same, but can anyone out there tell me if standard FLH accessories such as back rests, king-pak , etc. will bolt on? Are there any other differences I should be aware of?
Any info at all would be appreciated.

 

[HIPPO]

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but here it goes.

They have the air ride solo seat, they have the big ass radio mounting platform in back, they generally have the police tires that are "run flat" but not suitable for riding two up, the saddlebags are funky and open different (they have the release on top), they have no radio or radio switches on the bars and only two gauges other then the speedo and tach, they have the ugly ass police handlebar switches with red buttons and unnecessary functions and another pursuit add on on the dash. They have no rear floorboards and supports, etc.

Don't get me wrong, if you intend to ride it as is or just remove stuff to make sort of a rat touring bike, they are an OK deal as they usually go for about 15K. Once you remove all the police specific stuff the accessories will fit like on any other FLHTC, but if you intend to ride two up and want the amenities you usually get with the bike you can buy a new one and have plenty left over.

Up to you, but there are a lot of hidden expenses if you want to fully convert it to a civilian model, and that's not counting the paint.

 

[sobmstr]

Thanks Hippo
That's just the kind of info I was looking for. The seat had been changed back to a standard seat, but I had not considered the tires or switches. I originaly gave it a quick once over with no consideration but later played with the idea.
I'll keep looking!

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[HIPPO]

If the seat has been changed, maybe something else has been changed.

Just have to go over the thing with a fine tooth comb, they could be an OK deal if someone else has taken most of the financial hit.

 

[Straydog]

Sobmstr, I looked at a couple of police specials before buying my FLHT. I can say now that I'm glad of the decision I made. If you are thinking of converting a police bike to something like a Classic, check out the cost first. IT IS EXPENSIVE! The money you save by buying the police bike will quickly disappear!

I will assume that this was a dealer telling you that "It was supposedly just used for escort service, funerals, etc and not for pursuit. ". It sounds similar to the used car dealer's line that "It was only driven on Sunday's by a little ole lady"!!!

 

[DaveT]

Sobmstr,

As a former motor officer, I can tell ya first hand that funeral escorts are very hard on a motorcycle. Having done hundreds of them over the years, I can honestly say that I would not want to purchase a used Harley used for that purpose.

Escort riding is constant high speed acceleration, shifting at redline, quick braking and often long periods of running at idle. Stopping to block an intersection, then accelerating like hell to the next one, stopping suddenly, then doing it all over again. The longer the funeral procession, the worse the wear and tear on the motorcycle. 5,000 miles is a lot of escorts and a lot of abuse. I'd go with the other opinions here and stay away from this motorcycle.

The resale value on this would also never be as good as a standard model civilian Harley. No matter what you did - or spent - to convert it over, the VIN will always identify if as a former 'police' motorcycle.

Just my .02 though.

DaveT

 

[gdemarco]

Sobmstr,

A friend of mine bought an escort bike not too long ago thinking he scored and saved a lot of money. He then started to change parts after parts to make his bike look like a civilian one...well thanks God he had some tools and knew how to mess around with bikes because he spent a fortune just in parts. We estimated that if he had taken his bike to a bike shop to do all the work he would have spent more that buying a new one. There are a lot of hidden costs that people don't know about or don't consider.
He said that he worked out for him because he was able to buy the parts when he had the money to do that.....well i told him: wouldn't have been easier to save your money and buy a civilian one after all? No response.

I hope this helps,

G
Crazy Italian

 

[sobmstr]

Thanks everyone for all the info and advice.
I've decided against the FLHP & ordered an '02 FLHT. The local dealer has one coming in May and it's mine!

Thanks again

 

[Vagabond2000]

The FLHT is a great bike , my first Harley, bought it in July last year. That made me a two bike owner but not for long, sold the GoldWIng and the FLHT and bought a new Ultra Glide in November.
Gary