Did you know that the police actually ride dirt bikes offroad? It’s time to have a look at why they ride and what bikes they choose.
We’ll break this up into country-specific riders. It’s not a common sight to see the police venturing offroad with their dirt bikes, but they’re certainly out there!
Dirt Bike Police Offroad
Now, why do police actually venture offroad? Are they getting paid to blast through the forests and trails instead of doing paperwork and catching bad guys? Actually, there is a good reason why they’re on 2 wheels.
Police use dirt bikes for a variety of reasons including search and rescue, law enforcement (catching illegal dirt bike riders) as well as investigational work. You may find them deep in the forests or deserts uncovering illegal activities where their 4x4s simply can’t access and it would be too far to walk, or too challenging to use a helicopter.
You generally won’t see them doing tricks or out there trying to have fun. They in their line of work and simply are getting on with the job of police enforcement.
Types of Police Dirt Bikes
We always have a laugh as to the interesting bikes that the police force like to use. Generally speaking, police have budget constraints and cannot afford to spend a fortune on a fleet of dirt bikes.
The Suzuki DRZ-400 is the preferred dirt bike of choice for Australian police though the Husqvarna 510 is in use in some states. In the United Kingdom, the Yamaha WR250F and TTR250 are typically used by law enforcement officers. In the United States, there are various bikes in use which have more power and typically 450cc or higher.
It’s often the case that the police actually use underpowered dirt bikes and the riders themselves aren’t performance riders. For that reason, it’s actually have for them to intercept illegal dirt bike riders while out on the trails.
There are also limited powers that the police offers have. They cannot ram dirt bike riders though they have been caught using pepper spray which could have disasterous consequences.
Also, both male and female police offers do ride dirt bikes, but predominantly it’s men who ride.
Intercepting illegal riders
The most common reason why the police choose to use dirt bikes is to intercept illegal riding on crown land. Unregistered dirt bikes pose a common problem which leads to noise complaints, track destruction as well as dangers to walkers, cyclists and hikers.
They will also use 4×4 cars to target dirt bikes and block certain tracks or even create an ambush. Do look out for these traps or better yet – consider just getting your dirt bike registered.
You may be deep in the woods and suddenly encounter the police. They are simply doing their jobs and will ask for your registration, licence and possibly your insurance details. This is quite typical in the Victorian High Country and in other areas where there is a high volume of weekend enduro and adventure riders.
It’s very uncommon for the police to bring dirt bikes on to private property, though this does happen sometimes in regional Australia.
Keep in mind that it is illegal to ride off if you are being intercepted by a police officer on your dirt bike. However, their dirt bikes are very underpowered (the DRZ-400 is woefully inadequate as a performance dirt bike, especially for hot pursuits) and while the police do have the training, it’s often their workplace safety policies which prevent them from chasing down offenders.
Going Forward
It’s very evident that the police do like to ride motorcycles offroad. It’s not something you’ll often see unless you do head off the beaten track. Pay them respect and we can keep these riding areas open for years to come.