The ZG1400 Enforcer adds "drop bars" to protect the bike during cone-pattern training and cuts back to one battery to power its electronic police gear. The bike arrives with a radio kill switch so an officer can preserve battery life when booking a subject or processing a DUI.
A new police-specific variant of Kawasaki's Concours 1400 from an Arizona dealer brings additional features designed to enhance safety for motor officers.
The motorcycle has already made a splash among law enforcement test drivers as the
Concours 14P
, a police version of the civilian 1400 introduced by an Idaho police dealer.
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Now, Mesa, Ariz., dealer
Kelly's Kawasaki
takes its crack at a police version of the bike that it's calling the Kawasaki ZG1400 Enforcer. Kelly's and up-fitter Probity Cycle have made a few modifications that differentiates their bike from the Idaho version. And they've done it with input from a 15-year motor officer.
Cory Calkins, a medically retired motor and vehicle crimes sergeant with the Mesa PD, provided input to the Kawasaki dealer about features benefitting motor officers. He coordinated the Mesa PD's purchase of 21 of the bikes, before retiring, and taking the position of government sales representative with the dealer.
"Kawasaki is known for its low maintenance and bottom-line pricing and the ZG1400 is no different," Calkins tells POLICE Magazine. "In today's tight budget restraints, municipalities around the country are looking for an affordable police package motorcycle that can better protect the rider and the motorcycle during everyday police functions and training."
The Enforcer starts with the same stock bike sent to Idaho by Kawasaki. This powerhouse arrives with a 1352cc, four-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that (in the Concours 14P configuration) topped out at 131 mph at the
Michigan State Police vehicle tests
, and reached 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.
Unlike sleepier cruiser bikes, the stock Concours 1400 is build on a racing platform — a monocoque aluminum frame that's designed for stability and sport-touring riding. Traction control and ABS braking are standard.
Photos: Kelly's Kawasaki
Building on these impressive raw materials, Kelly's Kawasaki and Probity added "drop bars" designed to cushion a fall of the bike during training. Mounted to each side of the bike, the drop bars protect the fairing if an officer drops the bike during cone-pattern training.
The Enforcer also uses only one battery to power its electronic police gear. Calkins recommended higher-quality LED emergency lighting, he said, to reduce the power draw from the battery. The bike arrives with a radio kill switch so an officer can preserve battery life when booking a subject or processing a DUI.
The decision to use high-quality LEDs also allowed for 15 emergency lights, as well a white takedown light for nighttime traffic stops and DUIs. The later rotates with the handle bars, and can be pointed toward the driver to allow an officer to approach a vehicle's passenger side and draw less attention.
Kelly's Kawasaki becomes the second dealer to offer a police version of the Concours 1400. The first was Beaudry Motorsports of Post Falls, Idaho. That group offered the Concours 14P, and has since reorganized as
Kawasaki Authority Sales
.
Kelly's Kawasaki is offering the Kawasaki ZG1400 Enforcer for $23,000.
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