Police pick new motorbikes as hunt continues for next patrol car

Tuesday, 10 November 2020

The 2021 Yamaha MT-09, a civilian variant of a motorcycle selected as a new patrol bike for the police.

Police have selected their new motorcycles but still have a way to go on the road to finding their next patrol vehicles.

A spokeswoman from their Wellington headquarters said police had wrapped up the tender process for new patrol bikes.

Yamaha Motor New Zealand won the contract.

The main bike it will supply is the Yamaha MT09TRAP patrol motorcycle, with two to be deployed within six months.

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Police will also purchase at least one of the larger Yamaha FJR1300AP patrol motorcycles for use on motorways, the spokeswoman said.

The MT09TRAP patrol motorcycle, specifically designed for police, is based on the Yamaha 900 Tracer, described by the manufacturer as a lightweight tourer powered by a triple-cylinder engine.

It is lighter than the current police bikes, at 215kg vs 321kg, and features traction control, three riding modes, adjustable handlebars and hand guards.

The larger and more powerful Yamaha FJR1300AP is widely used overseas as an escort vehicle for dignitaries and is marketed by Yamaha as the flagship model of its police bike fleet.

The new police Yamaha MT09TRAPs will feature a digital control panel, pictured here on the civilian MT-09.

Its four-cylinder engine has a max power rating of 107.5 kW and the hulking bike weighs in at 289kg.

Neither the police spokeswoman nor publicly available tender information gave an indication of the cost of the new bikes.

But civilian variants of the MT09TRAP can go for upwards of $15,000 each.

New Zealand police run a fleet of just over two dozen motorcycles with the majority based in Auckland, mainly used for road policing and VIP escorts. In 2015, police acquired 10 Honda police bikes based on the ST1300 consumer model.

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In February, General Motors announced the Holden brand would be driving off into the sunset by 2021.

That means police will need to find a replacement patrol vehicle as the Holden Commodore rolls into the history books.

They went to industry with a request for proposals in July and the tender closed on August 21.

There has been no word on whether a new patrol car has been chosen, with a spokeswoman telling Stuff in November the tender was not finished and no further information was available.

Police were forced to remove their new Holden Commodore ZB liftbacks from frontline duties in 2019 due to health and safety issues caused by a lack of headroom in their back seats.

National headquarters would not be drawn on which companies had submitted proposals for the new patrol car tender.

There has been speculation German manufacturer BMW could be a strong contender given it manufactures a range of purpose-built vehicles for law enforcement and has a presence with police in Australia.

Czech car brand Skoda also offers a range of vehicles for emergency services.

NZ Autocar magazine speculated earlier in 2020 that the Kia Stinger could be a contender, or a Toyota Rav 4 hybrid.