Photo courtesy of the HD Archives.Īlthough WWII and its aftermath dominated much of the 1940's, there were some interesting developments in police motorcycles during this time. Police officers marking tires using a Servi-car, circa 1934. It even came in a color very similar to Indian Red. This motorcycle was purpose built to compete with Indian and did so by reversing the controls to match that of Indian motorcycles. Perhaps the rarest model from that decade was the UMG. Optional equipment like front fender mounted sirens, special lighting and even the first one way radios all made their debut in the 30's. In 1935, the California Highway Patrol performed road tests with the new 80" VLH model and were able to reach sustained speeds of just over 100 mph. READ MORE: The Birth of the Harley-Davidson V-Twin This allowed "meter maids" to control the speed of the Servi-car with their left hands, while holding a chalk stick in their right for marking car tires. At the request of police departments, the Servi-car was fitted with reversed controls, meaning the throttle was on the left and the hand shift was on the right. In 1931, Harley released the three-wheeled Servi-car which was so popular with police departments that it was produced into the early 1970's. The 1930's marked a decade of new innovation for Harley-Davidson and their police models. Glendale, California police officers on V-series Harley-Davidsons, circa 1930.
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