Beemer winner: Stuart Jones and Ian Stenton inspect the sample 850cc BMW

The contract for 113 replacement motorcycles was recently awarded to BMW for their R850RT model.

A sample, already in Hong Kong, was recently displayed by BMW Concessionaires (HK), the local agent for the famous German firm. Representatives from the departments involved in putting the new bikes on the road attended and discussed the work to be done in the next few months. Senior Inspector Fan Man-fai of Transport Division would lead the co-ordination team.

SIP Fan said: "The Honda 750 presently in service is a great motorcycle, tough and reliable, and many officers will be sad to see it go, but we have got to move forward. We are getting 113 BMWs in the first order, which is only 20 per cent of the Traffic fleet. It will take several years before all the Hondas are phased out."

He said the BMW represented the future of police motorcycles worldwide, as thousands were produced every year for many forces. Even the California Highway Patrol replaced their Harley Davidsons with BMWs.

"Although BMW put as much as possible onto the motorcycle, they cannot produce one which exactly meets the requirements of every single police force. The local variations can take a long time to sort out and in the next few months I will be talking to Traffic, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Government Land Transport Agency, Comms Branch, Police Driving School, the local agent, BMW and to others," he said.

"It will be about eight months before we see the first bikes on patrol. We still have to customise radios, panniers, lights, sirens, training, distribution and markings. We are very safety conscious and even the smallest change must comply with local laws and be agreed by BMW. We can't cut corners on this."

The new bike had several safety features, such as an anti-lock braking system (ABS), and officers would require training to use it properly. The windshield could be adjusted to suit different conditions while the officer was riding, and the seat was easily adjustable within a four centimetre range, so officers could tailor the bike to their own needs.

SIP Fan added: "Officers can also have the satisfaction of knowing that this large motorcycle will be very fuel efficient and that it meets the latest emission standards in Hong Kong and Europe."



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