Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Motorcycles Score High!
Vehicle Testing Harley-Davidson®
T
he annual Los Angeles County (CA) Sheriff’s Department vehicle tests for 2014 police motorcycles were recently held, and all of the major manufacturers of 2014 police motorcycles were invited to participate. The motorcycle testing process is designed to address the motor officer and/or his agency’s performance and reliability requirement under severe conditions, which the typical
police motorcycle must undergo. Similar to vehicle testing, the motorcycles are evaluated by experienced motorcycle instructors from both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Many of the motorcycle tests are similar to those given
to the police vehicles, i.e., the Preliminary Handling Test, Pursuit Course, fuel efficiency, acceleration, ergonomics and heat evaluation, and there are some tests that are applicable only to motorcycles. These tests include Basic Motorcycle Pat- terns at various speeds, noise evaluation, brake performance through debris, transitional braking from dry surfaces to wet, and braking performance under hot conditions. There is also a 157-mile ride to evaluate ergonomics and fuel efficiency.
Basic Motorcycle Patterns Four circular patterns are used to determine the motor- cycle’s turning radius. The circles are 17, 18, 19 and 20 feet in diameter. The motorcycle enters the circular pattern at a very low speed (2 to 3 mph) and circles the pattern for three revolutions. The motorcycle exits the circle, makes a U-turn and re-enters the circle to make three revolutions in the opposite direction. This maneuver is done in first gear and is accomplished by using the handlebars and leaning the bike without using the brakes. The next phase is called the 30 mph Cone Weave. This is
where seven sets of three cones are placed with each cone offset from the centerline at 36-foot intervals. The rider accelerates to a speed of 30 mph and must weave the motorcycle through the seven sets of cones while maintaining the 30-mph speed, with only a 2-mph (+/-) variation in speed. This test simulates the ability of the motorcycle to maneuver around hazards in the roadway. The Short Cone Weave Pattern has eight cones placed in
a straight line at various intervals from 9½ to 11 feet apart (center to center). The rider will negotiate the cone weave at low speeds (1 to 2 mph) using steering and the rear brake as necessary to maneuver through this course. This course typifies low-speed maneuverability during enforcement situations. All of these tests are conducted by all four riders.
14 THE MOTOR OFFICER™ | SPRING 2014
SUBMITTED BY JOHN L. BELLAH
Brake Evaluation The motorcycle brake evaluation is conducted in three phases. The first phase involves transitional braking from a dry surface to a wet surface. The rider accelerates the motorcycle to a speed of 40 mph, and the brakes are applied at a predetermined location where the pavement is dry. The motorcycle decelerates for about 25 feet, where the pave- ment becomes wet. This will test the controllability of the motorcycle and test the ABS function. The second test involves accelerating to 40 mph and apply-
ing the brakes at a predetermined location where the pave- ment surface is strewn with sand, gravel and other debris. Both of these tests are conducted by all four test riders. Immediately after the 32-lap Preliminary Handling
Evaluation, the brakes are evaluated by what is called the Hot Brake Evaluation. This evaluates the brakes’ performance under hot conditions—such as after a pursuit or emergency run. The motorcycle is accelerated to 80 mph and brought to a controlled stop maintaining 22fps² rate of deceleration. This procedure is repeated three times. Then the motorcycle is accelerated to a speed of 60 mph and stopped as quickly as possible, simulating a panic stop. The stopping distance from this stop is measured and recorded. Any brake malfunctions encountered, such as severe
fade, are carefully investigated as to the cause. If the cause of the malfunction is an engineering issue, the bike is dis- qualified. If the problem can be easily corrected, the bike is then retested.
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