The City of Orlando's police department replaced 35 of its Harley-Davidson motorcycles earlier this year, after moving to a four-year replacement cycle implemented as a result of the economic downturn.

The agency put the 2013 model-year H-D Road King motorcycles into service in March. Each cycle cost $22,300. The city will continue to replace the bikes every four years rather than every two years, said Daryl Greenlee, the city's fleet manager.

Prior to the economic downturn, the motorcycles were on a two-year replacement cycle. "We reviewed it and we decided to keep them for four years, and this was our first cycle of four-year replacement," Greenlee said.

The city's fleet regularly maintained the motorcycles, including replacing typical wear items such as brakes and clutches. Adding two years of usage lowered the resale value of the vehicles, Greenlee said.

The two-year motorcycles once sold for $12,000 to $15,000, and because the fleet took good care of the vehicles, Harley Davidson offered an additional one-year manufacturer warranty to the purchaser.

The city sold the first four-year-old motorcycles, which had up to 40,000 miles on them, for between $8,300 and $11,600 each with no additional warranty. The dealership removed components that could be reused by the new fleet, such as lighting, radar systems, and computer trays.

The Orlando Police Motorcycle Unit uses the motorcycles for traffic enforcement and accident investigations, while OPD's Traffic Homicide Unit uses the motorcycles to investigate fatal and hit-and-run crashes. All motorcycle officers assist with the city's 400 annual special events and provide escort services for visiting dignitaries.

By Thi Dao