moto guzzi police bikes

[b48gordo]

has a list been made of major cities that used these bikes---most know that LAPD and CHP bought them---Denver police ran them----i talked to a retired dayton ohio officer? that said they ran them and everyone hated them (this statement in sturgis by a drooling harley guy......)   i have made some google requests and keep getting the same answers----when you look at the pages of pictures i noted havana cuba on board.....

[Gliderjohn]

Emporia, KS used police T-3s though the mid-70s-80s. Previously had used H-Ds and from one retired officer that I knew loved them.
GliderJohn

[Tkelly]

I read that the California cops loved them and were glad to get rid of the Harleys.

[azccj]

I believe Phoenix PD had some MG police bikes. Some years ago I bought an Eldorado police bike dash off eBay. It still had the original City of Phoenix inventory sticker.

[matt franklin]

I recall the Des Moines, IA police had some loop frame bikes back in the day.  Don't know if they were Ambassadors or Eldorados; As a kid I wouldn't have known the difference.

[chuck peterson]

I bumped into a generator/alternator shop nearby in Hamden CT…they handled such repairs for Guzzi being ridden by Hamden police…he knew what my Marelli V700 starter was from across the room ….”ah, Moto Guzzi…”

[bigbikerrick]

Arizona state Police DPS, used Guzzi Ambassadors and Eldorados, and loved them. Tucson PD also used Guzzis in the 70s
Rick.

[Ncdan]

For some unknown reason MG didn’t get much use in LE in the southern states. I can’t think of any municipality in NC that used them.
However in the early 80’s we did abandon HD and went to the Honda CB900c dressed in Vetter and they made great police use bikes for that era.

[faffi]

Probably, cost and local support will have played a role in what was bought by the various PDs, but just about anything would have been better than a Harley, especially before 1984 and the introduction of the Evo engine. I know the Kawasaki KZ1000 was widely used as a police bike along with Harley Davidson back when.

[Cam3512]

The thing to remember about Guzzi cop bikes is not all were actually in police service.  When their contracts dried up, Guzzi sold “police” bikes to the civilian population.  They just cut off the siren mount and sold them to every Tom, Dick and Harry.  I can track my Ambo to a small SOCAL department, but that’s it.  There’s pretty much zero documentation otherwise. 

[Ncdan]

The thing to remember about Guzzi cop bikes is not all were actually in police service.  When their contracts dried up, Guzzi sold “police” bikes to the civilian population.  They just cut off the siren mount and sold them to every Tom, Dick and Harry.  I can track my Ambo to a small SOCAL department, but that’s it.  There’s pretty much zero documentation otherwise.

The main reason was there were no MG dealerships anywhere close to the city I was located, that I could remember. Same reason as now, only one in NC and there are no MG police motorcycles offered by the company at this time.

[bigbikerrick]

This is an interesting site. If you click on Arizona, you can see old  photos of Guzzi police bikes from the 70s .
Rick

https://policemotorunits.com/arizona-highway-patrol/

[testa_di_formaggio]

Come on people.....Remember Dirty Harry? San Francisco ran Ambassadors for sure. Somebody ask Mark, I think Long Beach PD ran the Guzzis too.

TdF

[nc43bsa]

Come on people.....Remember Dirty Harry? San Francisco ran Ambassadors for sure.
TdF

Magnum Force, wasn't it?  Including one Guzzi that magically changed into a Triumph and back during a chase?

[testa_di_formaggio]

Guzzi made Police models available after the Eldorados. Converts and T3s starting in '75. No siren mounts. Prior, there are Eldos out there that never saw department or fleet use, that still have them. And T3s and 'Verts that never saw service as well. I know some folks say G5s as well, but I've never seen one that was verifiable. All in all, this is still small number stuff, in the grand scheme of things. Imagine the numbers of X department KZs out there running around. No doubt tons, as they were the cat's ass for PDs in the later 70s and the 80s. There are things that you can look for to help verify if in fact a Guzzi was actually used in service. But one thing for sure is, everybody that has a Guzzi, has a Police bike when they're selling it or any parts off it..... It's become comical after all these years.

TdF

[Frenchfrog]

Some of the British police forces used G5's for a while...I don't think the numbers were substantial though as the favored bikes were BMW's.

[bad Chad]

They are used around the world, doesn't appear to be huge numbers, Berlin has a or had a fleet of Norges as do some other LEOs in other cites .   The link sited is the best for that I'm aware of.

[Kiwi_Roy]

The police in New Westminster British Columbia canada had them back in the 70s for a while.

[brider]

After seeing the documentation for Guzzi police bikes actually in-service, I'm really surprised there aren't more semi-complete examples still in existence. But I guess that WAS 45 or so years ago. Still...

[snobear]

This 87 Cali II was a police bike in either Italy or Germany but I can't track it back to find out which one.  Still had the siren and radio controls when I got it.

[normzone]

Circa 1982, I was northbound on the 15 to Los Angeles with a friend who was on his brand new CB 750, and I on my Eldo. My friend was running the blue turn signal covers that are legal only for cops in CA, and as we passed a CHP cruiser sitting beside the road, my friend got pulled over.

While one officer chewed out my friend on his new bike, the other officer and I traded Guzzi stories, and he told me of his years riding them on the force and how much he loved them.

[OldMojo]

i talked to a retired dayton ohio officer? that said they ran them and everyone hated them (this statement in sturgis by a drooling harley guy......)

Take that for what it's worth. I'm not an authority on the matter, but I've never heard of Dayton PD using Guzzis, or any PD remotely close. I would have thought it would have come up in conversation at some point in my 20 years of riding Guzzis in these parts.

[Alfetta]

I saw plenty of Police Guzzi's growing up in SoCal...  I'm not sure what drives the interest in these machines, did the Police bike have something more than a siren mount and a radio ?  like a higher output engine, stronger or longer life components, better handling geometry?

I all ways had a hankerin' to own one, but I was never drawn to the police models.  back then I always drooled over the sport models...

So what's the draw ?

[blu guzz]

I think it is availability.  Since such a large percentage of production was allocated to service bikes, there are still more around and available all these years later.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I saw plenty of Police Guzzi's growing up in SoCal...  I'm not sure what drives the interest in these machines, did the Police bike have something more than a siren mount and a radio ?  like a higher output engine, stronger or longer life components, better handling geometry?

I all ways had a hankerin' to own one, but I was never drawn to the police models.  back then I always drooled over the sport models...

So what's the draw ?

The LAPD/SFPD Eldorado police dept. spec. had quite a few changes from civilian models. Siren and radio mounts, footboards vs. pegs, solo seat vs. dual, dash with speedometer (marked in one mph increments) only and more warning lights, switches for pursuit lights and kill switch. Wider, higher 'bars. Rear crashbars, metal saddlebags on a tubular mounting bracket. Windscreen and pursuit lights mounts. Ignition switch on the left under the seat (so only a right-side toolbox).

No "stronger or longer life components" were necessary since the V700 was conceived as a police/military motorcycle from the very beginning. There was a change to steering geometry starting with the late V700s, but civilian models got this at the same time. There were high speed stability issues (especially on police bikes with lots of rearward weight bias due to police equipment), so the last police Eldos had solid (not hollow) front crashbars, forks like an 850-T and a steering damper and of course a disc front brake.

There was no difference in engine performance from civilian models, though some police depts. installed "enhancements" (big bore kits).

Guzzi did sell "police specials" that had most of the same equipment (minus siren and radio of course), but usually with chrome fenders. 

While police Loopframes are interesting and sell for more, I've always preferred "civilian" ones. Lighter, more simple, cleaner looking.

I would recommend reading "Moto Guzzi Big Twins" by Greg Field.

[Bulldog9]

I can't speak to what bikes were used when where or by who, but I did visit the Guzzi Museum and took a few pics of their Police Bike Collection which included a Breva 750 model. The Convert only had 9 miles!

[Alfetta]

Enjoying this thread...   that last Mondello photo looks just like my 77 Convert...  for whatever thats worth...