timmythecop Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 So, if some of you do not know, Timmythecop is not just a moniker, I am actually a policeman. I am a Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington DC. One of the jobs of my department is the movement of dignitaries and especially the protection of the President. This job is done by policemen on motorbikes and the department takes it very seriously. We are not like most departments in that almost all of our cops on bikes are used only for this, so you dont see much traffic enforcement or patrol bikes. After nearly 25 years of asking, I was finally sent to the "FLH Motor School" I heard it was hard, but I figured it was just a bunch of cones and a Harley. I was wrong. It was 40 hours of rules and administrative stuff and 80 hours on motorcycle mastery. It isnt just cones. It isnt just slow speed maneuvers. I was taught how to totally and completely know what the bike was doing, and how to confidently make it do more. A lot of the time I was at full lock, floorboard on the ground, back brake on, throttle on, clutch feathered. I learned how to pick a line. This was important because usually, the cones were just inches wider than the turning circle of the bike. The dance between balance, throttle, clutch, brake. lean and look. Oh, the look. I thought I was good at looking into the turns. I was wrong again. I learned that you cannot glance, you must LOOK, concentrate, see!. I learned that there are no shortcuts, there is no cheating when the cones go up. I learned that the back brake has a use. I learned that steering inputs need to be quick and decisive. I learned to know where the bike is and trust in what I do to correct its attitude. I learned that Harley Davidson FLHTPI motorbikes do what they are designed for rather well, and they are really comfy. I went into the the training with an open mind, I knew it was going to be hard. I had NO IDEA it was going to be THAT hard. One of the toughest things I have done in my life. The mental aspect is profound. The emotional roller coaster was killing me. I went from "I am the man" to "I truly suck at this" a hundred times. I am proud I made it through (the attrition rate is over 63%, 3 out of 8 of us made it), and I learned so much, I know I am a much better motorcyclist for it. Keep your mind open, joy and learning is out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 oh. I almost forgot to mention.. .....when I got on my VFR after 80 hours on the 1000 pound Harley, it felt like a CBR 250's little cousin. The VFR felt so dainty, refined and small. The bars felt sooooo close together and the brakes seemed impossibly good. it's all perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mikey Posted October 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 29, 2016 That's awesome, thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted October 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 29, 2016 Great post - very informative and inspirational. I was taught to make U-turns by loooooking, using rear brake and feathering clutch and throttle by . . . .drum roll please: a motorpatrolman who rides a BMW for work! He logs a ton of miles each year for work and rides a 2014 Concours for fun. He gave the same coaching. Anyone can whack the throttle but slow speed work's where it's at. Even though I practice, he can easily out U-turn me on his Connie even with a passenger! It was very humbling. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer LangoPTC Posted October 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 29, 2016 Congrats on making it through and thanks for protecting and serving! Back brake huh? I'll give it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweeper Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Very cool!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duccmann Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Thanks for the insight, oh yaYOU ARE THE MAN!CONGRATS Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted October 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 29, 2016 Congrats TTC! Being one of three has to feel good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted October 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 29, 2016 Getting your shit together, good!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormShadow2 Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 good isnt it, probably different to the course here in australia, its 6 weeks off it on a st1300 one day i hope they say yes i can do it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Renevator Posted October 29, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 29, 2016 It never stops surprising me how talented the members of this forum are. Huge respect TTC, that's an achievement to be rightly proud of, and congratulations on making the grade. Makes us 'average' guys seem even more average :-) Many thanks for sharing your terrific achievement, the photos, and reminding us of the enormous benefits possible when we.... "Never stop learning" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEGEND Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Great words to LIVE by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Here is the best representation of what it looks like. Our course is similar, but not exactly the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RDMcD Posted October 31, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2016 That's very impressive, but it makes one ask... why don't they use a bike better suited to the purpose? Is it just because that's the only American made option? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted October 31, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2016 7 minutes ago, RDMcD said: That's very impressive, but it makes one ask... why don't they use a bike better suited to the purpose? Is it just because that's the only American made option? I'd say tradition because there are other "American" made bikes, or at least bikes "Made in America". Hey look! is that a Motus Police Bike? No, but I wish it was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Great work Timmy, congrats on getting through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 31, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2016 Many congratulations there m8. Some excellent skills you can use at work and away from work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhenley17 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I never knew there was a special group with special training just for escorting dignitaries. I figured it was just guys with tenure who got a cool assignment. That's pretty awesome, congrats. That's very impressive, but it makes one ask... why don't they use a bike better suited to the purpose? Is it just because that's the only American made option? My dad's department almost switched to ST1300s a few years ago, but Hardley dropped their prices and kept their customer. Money is a huge factor for any police equipment. They're not sport bikes, but they're probably better suited for highway patrol than most of us give them credit for. Stable, comfortable, very low center of gravity, lots of low-end torque. As far as American options, it would have been cool to see some fleets of Buells back when they were around and affordable. Motus would be cool, but I'd like to know what the costs are for police model HDs compared to (hypothetically speaking, I doubt they have the production capacity and definitely don't have the service capacity) a Motus police package. Those Hardley baggers can cost about as much as a Motus, so they could possibly price competitively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 HD informed my department that they would no longer be producing sidecars. (we put them on in November and take them off in March, so snow and ice are not a problem). So, in comes the Victory salesman. He gives us 10 bikes to test for a week. All the motormen love them. The inauguration is coming up, and that is when we buy new bikes............ Then Victory hit us with the price: 68,000 bones for each bike+sidecar. They thought they had us over a barrel. The Vice President of HD then personally came to DC to apologize and inform us that they will sub-contract a company to make us our sidecars. We just bought 40 bikes from HD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Every time he wants a Slurpee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 Now, over in England, same thing, but on the mighty VFR: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 aw, hell, while we are at it................................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 4 hours ago, jhenley17 said: As far as American options, it would have been cool to see some fleets of Buells back when they were around and affordable. we tested the Buells when they came out, but gave them a pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marriedman Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I've heard that the training is extremely difficult, but knowing that an accomplished rider such as yourself confirm that is a bit surprising. Just curious, since you found it hard and you specifically mentioned the tight turning at slow speed, did you ever drop the bike? And if so, how did the instructors use that as a teaching moment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted October 31, 2016 Member Contributer Share Posted October 31, 2016 Did you pay attention in class when the topic "how to ride towards riders in front of you" got covered???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.