Ian Kerr tells the story of a growing group that was set up for the owners of former police and other service motorcycles after a six-bike ride organised by a Royal Parks police officer in 1993.
Nobody, whether riding a motorcycle or driving a car, wants to see a police motorcycle appear in the mirror – yet park up a police bike at a show, be it a two or fourwheeled event, and a crowd will quickly gather to inspect it and ask questions of the rider, because it is popularly assumed that the bikes differ from their civilian equivalents.
In fact there is still a belief that all police vehicles are ‘souped-up’ to enable officers to do their job and catch any speeding offender, but nothing is further from the truth, and the best you’ll find is a lower first gear for convoy work to enable the clutch to go home without the need for it to be constantly slipped.
Although a trawl of YouTube on the world-wide web will show many superb precision police riding displays from around the world, it was the British police who started precision escorts of royalty and dignitaries, and the Metropolitan Police escort of the Japanese Emperor after the war started a longstanding arrangement for Japanese police motorcyclists to be trained each year at the Metropolitan Police Driving School at Hendon.
That is now somewhat ironic when the best police motorcycle is now a Yamaha hailing from Japan!
But, when you look back in time, the list of manufacturers who have supplied marked bikes for the forces of law and order reads like a who’s who of manufacturers, from the humble mount right up to a Brough Superior.
この記事は Old Bike Mart の January 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Old Bike Mart の January 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The Missing Link?
Given the asymmetrical nature of motorcycle sidecar combinations, handling is always going to be a little interesting, and Mick Payne takes a closer look at how it can be improved.
Telford Gets More Classic Dirt!
The extrovert Bernie Schreiber, the American World Trials champion of 1979, and Bryan ‘Badger’ Goss, the 1970 British 500ccmotocross champion, are the exciting guests for the TelfordClassic Dirt Bike Show of 2020.
Suzuki TS400
Last month, Steve Cooper showed us that Suzuki’s TM400 dirt bike was something of a loose cannon and, ultimately, doomed to ignominy in the archives of motocross history. Now he tells us what happened next...
Royal Enfield Continental GT
There’s been no cover-up operation regarding the new twin-cylinder Royal Enfield machines, although a significant wait was forthcoming for those of us desperately eager to get our hands on one of the new 650cc models. Nigh on 18 months after the new offerings were due to hit the roads of the UK, Dave Manning finally gets to grips with a Continental GT.
Nine Years That Rocked The World
This year marks the diamond jubilee of Honda’s first appearance at the Isle of Man TT in 1959, and there hasn’t been a single year since without the successful participation of racing machines built by the Japanese factory. Pete Kelly continues his look back over the first nine eventful years, fromHonda’s first 125cc foray on to the Clypse course in 1959 until Mike Hailwood’s record-shattering TT victories in 1967.
Elegance out of the Bloc – the two stroke boxer that Zschopau built
Pete Kelly travels to Wales to view Andrew Powell’s outstanding MZ collection.
Empire of the Sun
Sun motorcycles were manufactured from 1911 until 1961, but their roots go back to the Victorian Birmingham brass foundry of James Parkes & Son. We delved into our archive to show some of the motorcycles, autocycles and scooters that proudly carried the Sun name.
Suzuki's Little Firecracker – The GT185
Following Suzuki’s sometimes puzzling marketing philosophy of the 1970s, Steve Cooper traces the birth and development of the GT185 two-stroke twin.
Salt of the Earth, These Motorcyclists!
Harry Stanistreet recalls a nightmare trip to the Elephant Rally with his young wife Lesley and a group of friends in 1970, when just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong – but the kindness of people they met along the way ensured that everything turned out all right in the end.
Silver Jubilee Year For Historic Police Motorcycle Group
Ian Kerr tells the story of a growing group that was set up for the owners of former police and other service motorcycles after a six-bike ride organised by a Royal Parks police officer in 1993.
