A few years ago when visiting the Zongshen plant in Chongqing, I spotted an RX3 set up as a police bike. It caught my eye for several reasons. First and foremost, it was a snappy looking motorcycle. I had written the police motorcycle book a few years ago and I was naturally interested in any police motorcycle. I thought (mistakenly, as it turned out) that there might be a market for such a machine in the US. And finally, I was interested in the bike because of something I had discovered while researching police motorcycles: Police motorcycles generally had beefed-up electrical systems (particularly with regard to alternator output) because of the added demands of sirens, emergency lights, radios, and more.
I asked my good buddy Fan about the electrical issues on the 250cc RX3 police bike, and he told me that the police version had a 300-watt alternator (the standard bike had a 220-watt alternator). The standard 220 watts wasn’t bad, and that was actually more than the ’06 KLR I owned at the time provided. ADV riders like big alternators, because we add stuff like driving lights, heated vests, heated grips, cell phone chargers, and more. At the time, I was coordinating the first CSC RX3 order, and I asked if the police alternator could be had on the CSC civilian bikes. “Sure, no problem,” Fan answered. That was a big deal, and it cinched the sale for more than a few riders when CSC brought the RX3 to America.
I was still pumped about the police bike, though, and I convinced CSC to bring the RX3-P to the US for a trial marketing period. You can see my enthusiasm in the video we put together on the bike…
I thought the idea of a 250cc, urban-oriented police motorcycle made a lot of sense for the United States, but it wasn’t to be. We shipped a bike to the NYPD (I knew they used Vespa scooters, and the RX3-P cost a hell of a lot less than a Vespa), we loaned a bike to a California police agency up north, and I called and visited a bunch of police departments. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed riding the RX3-P to visit agencies in So Cal. Traffic just opened up on the freeway. Nobody tailgated me. I put my blinkers on and people slowed to make room for me to change lanes. Traffic generally dropped to the speed limit wherever I went. At one of the agencies, a police captain told me I wasn’t supposed to be riding around with police emergency lights and such on the bike. “It’s okay,” I told him. “I only put that stuff on if somebody won’t move over or if they’re really being an asshole.” We had a good laugh about that.
My enthusiasm notwithstanding, I couldn’t close the deal with any of the police departments. There were a variety of reasons, mostly centered around the RX3-P’s newness and the fact that US motor officers like big bikes (Beemers, Harleys, Honda’s ST1300, and the like). Or maybe I was just a lousy salesman. Who knows?
There are a lot of good reasons for a smaller police motorcycle with offroad capabilities and Zongshen wanted to make it happen, but it just wasn’t meant to be here in the US. That’s unfortunate. A Zongshen police bike is about the same price as a civilian RX3 (roughly $4K); a new Harley or BMW police motor is five to seven times that amount. And the maintenance costs on a police motorcycle are very high. The needs brakes, clutches, and tires about every three months, and most agencies have that work done at a Harley or BMW dealer (places not known for their low service fees). One of the police execs I spoke with told me it actually costs a department more to keep a police motorcycle on the road than a police car. Do the math.
We publicized the bike big time on the CSC blog, and I think that got noticed around the world. The RX3-P found a home with several large police departments in Asia and South America. That’s a good thing, because it’s a great bike. I’d still like to see it happen here in America. I imagine Zongshen will introduce a police version of their RX4, and maybe that larger bike will have a better chance at breaking into the US police motorcycle market. Someday. Maybe. We’ll see.
I remember when you got them in and you sold the last one out from underneath me. You can make it up to me though, if you can find another one for sale. Just keep your hands off of the lights and siren buttons. Actually find one and you can ride it out to New Jersey. What a story that would be!!!
That would make for a good story, Mike.
I can’t help but wonder if the fact that the bikes were made in China had something to do with the cool reception.
There’s no question that was a factor. There’s still, unfortunately, a lot of anti-China sentiment.
As we discussed, most Police Departments would have a hard sell to buy outside the USA, especially from China. BMW of North America was headquartered in North New Jersey to get past the stigma. Of course nothing beats seeing a Harley Davidson Police Motor on patrol, as long as it is not in your rear view mirror.