Motor Traffic Branch.

Monday 19^th of September. 1949.

Inspector Allen.

Motor Traffic Branch.

1. Re report H.R.D. Vincent motorcycle outfit on loan to police department from Sven Kallin Motors.

This report: On 5 July, 1949, I was issued with an H.R.D. motorcycle outfit Reg. No.20841 which was loaned to the police Department from Kallin motors, for the purpose of testing, and for general use in police duties.

2. In company with M.R.C. Garrett I have travelled 3500 miles during which distance the machine has been ridden very hard with the idea of testing the wheels, frame and motor of the machine. It was ridden considerably harder than it would have been ridden under normal police duties.

3. The machine is a comfortable outfit to ride and easy to control at high speed as well as low speeds and like most other makes of English machines has all the controls at finger tip. It has automatic spark control and is equipped with very efficient brakes, there being double brakes both front and rear wheels which gives the machine much better braking power than any other outfit I have ridden. The lighting equipment is good and the front high beam very powerful. The motor is equipped with a heavy generator and charges the battery very quickly. The rear portion of the frame is sprung.

4. The machine has been tested for acceleration and it was found that the outfit has remarkable acceleration, it being equal to many late model solo machines that are ridden generally by the public. The machine in first gear is capable of 45 mph in second gear 70 mph and in third gear 83 mph and fourth gear over a distance of about a mile 85 mph. It is capable of 60 mph over a distance of 220 yards from a stationary position; it reached over 80 mph in 400 yards thus giving a great opportunity of overtaking and timing speeding motorists in a much shorter distance than other outfits. The majority of speeding offenders in the vicinity of the metropolitan area can be overtaken and timed whilst travelling in second gear, especially in heavy traffic, which also gives greater control over the outfit thereby lessening any risks of danger that do occur to the rider and passenger when speeding offenders are chased.

5. The machine appears to be mechanically sound and I have not encountered any default except for a screw dropping out of the selector plate in the gearbox, locking the gears between t second and third gear. The cause was rectified by the screw being locked. There was no damage to the gearbox. Five spokes have been replaced in the rear wheel and two in the front wheel .During the time I was riding the outfit I have reported 29 offenders for various speeding offences, several at fairly high speeds. One offender in particular was chased for a distance of 6 miles and in places reached 80 mph. If it had not been for the acceleration of the outfit after negotiating eight left-hand corners it would have been impossible to overtake the offender. The Ariel or Harley Davidson motorcycle outfits would not have gone over that distance and still retained their power.

6. During the months of July and August, 2567 miles were travelled and the average petrol consumption was 40 miles per gallon. The rear tyre was changed at 3150 miles but ridden under normal police duties the mileage of the rear tyre would be in the vicinity of 5000 mile.

7. I would suggest that if these machines were purchased by the police Department two alterations would be necessary. (1). A smaller rear wheel (2). That the gear lever be direct from the gearbox and not a linkage system as  is now operating. I understand from Kallin motors that these alterations would be made by them if desired.

8. In taking into consideration the braking power, acceleration, staying power of the motor and maneuverability of the outfit in general, these outfits would make ideal police machines.

9. H.R.D. Outfit compares most favourably against the Ariel and Harley Davidson outfits. The acceleration, staying power, braking power is by far superior to either of these outfits.

*This is a copy of a factory, works report I happened to find, re typed word for word.*

Burger.