[ILTDrive]

Who in their right frame of mind buys an HD for Indian Police? I hope they are just used as escorts for visiting dignitaries and hence just for show off's and not to chase goons. The maintenance of these vehicles should be linked to their pay, else they will treat these like the Indian make unfortunate bikes that were used by them earlier.

Really sad, especially since this is coming from Gujarat.

[Graven5]

Originally Posted by girimajiananth

I agree , but is it not a CKD ? we all know that PM's favorite SUV is the Mahindra Scorpio. PM may not be directly involved in putting these HDs in the front, but whoever took that decision will face some music . It will send a wrong image about the whole "make in India" slogan or what ever it is.

The Street 500 and 750 are not CKD units.

You are right, the PM is all in for things Indian.
Mr. Modi's Make in India is a patriotic initiative for job creation, foreign investment, innovation and growth.

But for now, premium automotive manufacturing is more made in India and less make in India. The goal majorly, is to avoid local taxes, CBU/CKD duties, gain from low production costs and push sales.

[grplr02]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Calcutta Police had a fleet (17 if IIRC) of RD350s! Only one running now.

Regards
Sutripta

LOL! And I think I saw that lone RD350 last time I was in Kol, it was doing traffic duty on Theater Road, and looking pretty beat-up too.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by grplr02

LOL! And I think I saw that lone RD350 last time I was in Kol, it was doing traffic duty on Theater Road, and looking pretty beat-up too.

That is strange. The one remaining one is (cosmetically atleast) in pretty good nick.

Regards
Sutripta

[anand.shankar]

Some of the replies here look so hypocritical, that I had to recheck once if I was on T-Bhp or some other forum.

Every now and then we see pics comparing cops abroad with their swanky vehicles and a corresponding pic of a Indian cop in a moped or a bike and a load of guys poking fun at them. Here finally someone upgraded and we are criticizing it.

HD looks great, but personally I felt a well kitted TB500 would have served the purpose. Indirectly would have helped an Indian brand too. But nothing wrong in flaunting while escorting some guests.

Well, not everyone in the police force chase goons do they ? and its not like they disposed all their other vehicles and running the show with these 20!

[grplr02]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

That is strange. The one remaining one is (cosmetically atleast) in pretty good nick.

Regards
Sutripta

The one I saw had seen better days - sidecovers missing, dented silencer pipes, dents & peeling paint on primary cover & engine, oil leaks on the road below it, etc. The tank and seat looked decent enough though ... anyways, back to Gujarat Police HDs - impressive-looking, definitely a "wow" factor, but ultimately, yes, I agree, a bit of an overkill. The RE Classic or Bullet 500, KTM Duke 390 or something along the lines of a Pulsar would cover all grounds I think - VIP escorting, regular traffic cop duties, chasing bad guys, etc.

Sutripta, I should hit you up next time I travel to KOL, would be nice to connect with fellow bhpians.

[Sutripta]

^^^
Sure. Also Calcutta has a small but enthusiastic bunch of Bhpians, as evident from the meets.

Regards
Sutripta

[Ricci]

And we have our facepalm moment.

But all their lofty aspirations have been put on hold only because they realized they didn’t know how to ride ‘em & what’s funnier is the realization hit them after spending a big chunk of the tax payers, hard earned money. And this just gets weirder; they came to know about the weight and the high CC of these bikes only after purchasing them.

http://www.ridetillidie.com/article/...avidson-fiasco

[Sutripta]

^^^
I would think it is some power politics at work somewhere.
However what does really surprise me, if the article picture is to be believed, is that Gujarat police picked up a variety of models, rather than sticking to a single model. Like some rich spoiled kid went on a shopping spree!

Regards
Sutripta

[basuroy]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

^^^
I would think it is some power politics at work somewhere.
However what does really surprise me, if the article picture is to be believed, is that Gujarat police picked up a variety of models, rather than sticking to a single model. Like some rich spoiled kid went on a shopping spree!

Regards
Sutripta

An interesting thing to add to yours is both bikes have aftermarket parts like exhaust shrouds/ends , derby cover and backrest (likely 10-15k each). These parts don't cost less than 4/5K each .

My guess is either this is a brand positioning move by harley who offered these bikes to some decisive figure(and convinced him) at maybe a cut price and slapped on these parts as an afterthought OR someone from the police dept. knowingly made these purchases as well as the aftermarket tidbits for personal gain which can only be speculated at this point . Unlikely but possible nonetheless .

[Aditya]

The Gujarat Police Department has got six more customised Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycles.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[i74js]

Aachey Din for Gujarat Police at the very least, not just the fellow policemen even many of the bike enthusiasts would envy these guys on their mean machines.

I heard that the Government of Gujarat is also considering Air Vigilance through Helicopters for the proposed smart city GIFT. If this happens, people from Gujarat would be the first one to experience Manhattan in India.

Cheers

[sujithpnair]

Hope these machines will get periodic maintenance.

Usually there will be little allocation for spares and service of POLICE vehicles, only exception is VIP escorts.

[Anand3553]

Wonderful!

I can't help thinking, at one end, the mango man struggles with the repayment of vehicle loan he has taken for a 4 lakh car for family use and at the other end, the Government buys 6 Harleys with the tax money the same mango man somehow paid despite all the struggle. Incredible India

[theexperthand]

Good News! Definitely a boost to the image of police department, and will have a Halo Effect.

But I have a hunch that these might get used only for VIP escorts and not for regular patrols.

--Anoop