That was not the sole reason for the CHP changing motors. But yes, under some conditions - most common under deceleration - the wobble is still there to some degree.

The motor officers like the H-Ds for around town. They actually handle pretty well for being as big as they are, and in the hands of a skilled rider are amazing. At the same time, the lighter Honda ST1300 seems to be very well received by departments that are primarily surface street environments. On the freeway, however, they take a while to get up to speed. This is the big draw of the BMW and Kawasaki, and to some extent the Honda ST1300s. Some officers have said the Kawasaki has too much power and they would be happy to go back to the BMW or H-D, or switch to the ST1300. The Harley has always done very well at carrying all the equipment the officers need to carry without overloading the bike.

The extra lean burning required to meet Euro and EPA requirements makes the H-D run hot in stop and go traffic. Some models shut down the rear cylinder to keep the heat under control. This is not an issue the water cooled bikes or the BMW which has the heads out in the breeze.

The maintenance costs on the Harleys is a pretty well known commodity where the BMWs in particular are handled differently - different cost model. Also the dry clutch in the BMW is more difficult to use in low speed conditions - they don't slip like the wet clutch does. It takes a slightly different approach to riding.

Harley hasn't lost the LEO market. It's that there are additional reasonable options available.

jdg