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[Richard230]

According to a report by Ultimate Motorcycling, Zero has just announced the availability of a Zero DS model specifically designed for police use. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/2012/zero-launches-2012-ds-police-motorcycle

What caught my attention was the mention of 21 liter hard side cases with mounts.   

[protomech]

These are Givi E21 hardcases.

http://www.giviusa.com/Side-hardbags/Monokey-Lateral/E21-CRUISER

Note: suspiciously similar to the hardcases another motorcycle company uses..

http://www.brammo.com/brammogallery_enertia_plus/

[CliC]

I'll take the crash bars and bark busters

[Richard230]

As I see it, the cases are easy, it is the mounts that you really need. Looking at the Zero, fastening locations for bag mounts are not all that easy to figure out. The bag mounts are what I really want to see and purchase.

[firepower]

more info here

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/fleet/police/

and pdf brouchure

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/fleet/police/police-brochure.pdf

[Richard230]

Zero's marketing department remains the most aggressive such motorcycle organization that I have ever seen.  They managed to get a several-minute report on their new Police model on the local CBS TV news station last night. When it comes to promoting their products cheaply, those guys are really good.  Maybe no Hollywood starlet million-dollar show, but they get lots of press by sending out emails, news articles, press releases and free TV news reports.  A lot of bang for very little money.  I'll bet they don't even pay for the reporters' lunches.   

[CliC]

Hmm, they tout "instant torque" and "instant off-the-line acceleration". Wonder if the controllers on the police bikes are programmed differently?

I'm not sure your average Harley- or GoldWing-riding m/c officer would take to a Zero (aside from the stealth aspect).  It might be a dream upgrade for a bicycle patrolman, though.

[protomech]

Well, there is instant torque and instant acceleration .. just not a lot of it.

[ColoPaul]

I was at a EV show on the CU campus here in Boulder about a week ago.  I parked my Zero in a close-in spot (that I wasn't supposed to be in), and before I knew it two campus cops on BMW R-series showed up.  I thought "a ticket for sure".  But no, they were enamored with my "stealth bike" and wanted to know all about it.  They seemed to think that the quietness was a must-have advantage.   Wish I had known about the "police version" then.  Nonetheless, I didn't get a ticket!

[Richard230]

While hiking around a redwood forest county park today I was thinking that the Police model Zero should also be marketed to the Forest Service, Park Departments, Open Space Districts and the like for trail maintenance and patrol.  It would be the perfect vehicle for clearing pedestrian and horse trails of falling trees and limbs, searching for lost hikers, light maintenance and similar work. It would sure beat hauling stuff in on your back and hiking around on narrow trails where a 4-wheel ATV won't work.

[rotoiti]

Heh ... stealth aspect of the Zero DS goes both ways, as I learned today

I was riding on California 82 today. As I approach one of the turns I see a policeman on foot with a handheld radar (his cruiser was hidden nearby, invisible from the road). He did not see me until I was very close. He looked and up and started to scramble to test my speed but he was too late -- at that point I was already passing him (below the speed limit). I am pretty sure he would be able to grab my speed way earlier if I was riding an ICE bike.