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The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department's new $17,700 Honda St1300P motorcycles can speed up to 120 mph. The Albuquerque Police Department's BMW bikes, which cost about $22,000 each, are similarly equipped.

Photo by Erin FredrichsTrbune

Trbune

Officer Damon Hensley of the Albuquerque Police Department makes his way through a training course. "This is sort of like golf. It looks a lot easier than it actually is," said Lt. Todd Parkins. Parkins and his crew have been helping train the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department's new motorcycle unit.

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A small fleet of sleek motorcycles has hit Bernalillo County streets under the command of the Sheriff's Department's newest unit.

The unit, which consists of four officers, will investigate accidents and write tickets like any other traffic unit. But they'll be faster and fancier than the squad cars.

Being a motorcycle cop takes a special breed, experienced officers say.

"You have to be a little crazy," said Albuquerque Police Department Traffic Unit Lt. Todd Parkins. "Take the dangerous job of being a police officer and do it from the back of a motorcycle."

Parkins and his crew, who ride BMW bikes, are training the Sheriff's Department's new unit on their Honda ST1300P motorcycles.

Both models are monstrous - weighing between 600 and 850 pounds. They are heavier and better equipped than motorcycles available to the public, said APD Traffic Sgt. Ray Torres.

The Police Department's 24 motorcycles come from the dealer equipped with lights, sirens and storage bins that most of the officers use to hold a computer.

The Sheriff's Department bikes had to go into the shop to get outfitted with those extras, said Sgt. Angel Torres, in charge of the traffic unit, including the new motorcycle squad.

While in the shop, the cycles received gold decals and fresh paint.

The first of the four motorcycles, which cost $17,700 apiece, hits the street early this month.

Torres said the deputies riding them are thrilled.

"We're very excited," Deputy Tommy Lujan said earlier this month while standing with a group of deputies admiring one of the new bikes.

"It's got a windshield we can move up and down, new lights and a full ABS (anti-lock brake) system," Lujan said.

Albuquerque police motorcycles also have those details, and while the two departments like to one-up each other in many ways, both bikes make the grade, the departments say.

And so do the Police Department's motorcycle cops, one of whom placed first in the Southwest Police Motorcycle Training and Competition in April.

Officer Andy Drexler placed Best in Show for BMWs on the obstacle course. The five-member APD team took second in overall competing against departments from throughout the Southwest.

"Riding a motorcycle fast isn't real hard, but riding it slow and doing real tight turns and cone weaves - that's real hard to do," Ray Torres said. "We make it look easy but it's hard to do."

So hard, that in the Sheriff's Department training one deputy's bike fell over during a maneuver, breaking his foot.

"But overall, they did pretty good," Ray Torres said. "They are ready to go."