Pleasant Grove police will get new Harley-Davidson motorcycles this year -- for free.

Five years ago the department added motorcycle cops to its crime-fighting arsenal, purchasing two Harley-Davidsons for about $15,000 apiece -- $10,000 less than the public pays, thanks to a special offer from the company to police departments, said Capt. Cody Cullimore of the Pleasant Grove police.

"We get an unbelievable deal on them," he said. "It's a tradition in America that Harley-Davidson is a police motorcycle."

About two years later the police auctioned those motorcycles off for about what the city paid, allowing the city to buy two new motorcycles, which keeps the machines under warranty and ensures the city is using the best equipment, he said.

Now the city has purchased two new motorcycles and will auction off its existing motorcycles, and expects to come out even from the deal again, even after paying extra to have flashing lights, radio and radar systems installed, he said.

The city is now accepting sealed bids on the motorcycles, one of which has 4,000 miles on it, with 6,000 on the second, he said. The sealed-bid auction could end as early as Monday.

"They've been well taken care of and that is why people like to get them," he said. "We keep maintenance records on them and we take care of them and people know that."

The city purchased its new motorcycles a month ago and has just finished outfitting them with lights, radios, etc., and the city's new logo, which adds two green trees and a hill to the right of the words "Pleasant Grove Police," above which is an eagle. The motorcycles went into use this week for the first time.

"We use them mostly for traffic enforcement," he said. "Obviously they are less visible and I guess people get caught speeding more."

The motorcycles are also small enough to allow police faster access through backed-up traffic when they arrive at accidents, he said.

About eight officers are certified to use the motorcycles, and they rotate motorcycle shifts.

The city also has 10 officers certified to use bicycles, which will especially be out in force during Strawberry Days today, and also are used for patrols around the city, he said.

The city also gets an excellent deal on the bikes, paying about $450 plus $150 for flashing lights powered by batteries in the shape of water bottles, for bikes that retail for $1,400, he said.

Caleb Warnock can be reached at 443-3263 or cwarnock@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.