The Gujarat Police Department has purchased and customised six very capable Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycles, to be used primarily as police vehicles. Besides delivering quick-response action, the bikes also will be used to escort senior ministers and visiting dignitaries. They will also serve as emergency response vehicles that are part of a natural disaster response team.
The Harley-Davidson Street 750 is powered by a 749cc, V-twin, liquid-cooled, four-stroke engine that is good for about 55-60bhp of power. The Street 750 also makes 6.62kgm of torque at 4,000rpm. Indian police forces have used powerful motorcycles earlier as well, such as the Yamaha RD 350, which is a two-stroke motorcycle. The H-D Street 750 will surely be a more reliable motorcycle to use on official duty.
The specially customised motorcycles are painted white and carry the Gujarat Police Department logo. Equipment wise, the cruiser gets a large windscreen, an engine guard on either side, a police siren, Special Forces red-blue lights and pannier bags at either side.
It is heartening to see that many departments across India are open to adopting innovative methods to enforce law or save lives. Reference here is to the Bajaj Avenger 220 DTS-i motorcycles being used as ambulances in Karnataka.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
