Motorman will totally back me up on this....(he better!)
The Harley and Kawi are actually muched better balance motorcycles than any sport bike on the market. They v-twin chugs out torque that is always useable at low speed....that R1 wont.
Any trained motor officer can do things on a Harley, Kawi, or a BMW that you could NEVER possibly do on a sport bike. I have yet to see any rider take an R1, drop it over on its pegs and ride circles for up to 10 minutes without moving out of the size of the circle, or just flat out dumping it....that goes for all sport bikes.
Because of the low center of gravity on the Harley and Kawi, the bikes can drop over on their foot boards, at speeds less than 4 mph, and literally turn circles all day, as long as the rider keeps proper clutch and throttle control. The BMW has a higher turn radius than either bike and the linked brake system makes a rear brake drag very hard for tight manuevering.
All 3 bikes are great for duty use, but I still feel that the Kawi and Harley are the best for the job.
What you will see soon, is the BMW's being replaced by Honda ST's...alot of southern cal agencies are going that route.
brash
PS, I forgot...you can take those 2 bikes lots of places that a sport bike will never go...see how much control you have in the gravel on a sport bike..then see how much control you have on one of the 2 bikes I like, try going up a dirt hill on a sport bike, then try the Harley or the Kawi...You will be amazed at what those 2 "mules" will do.