SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego City Council agreed Monday to purchase BMW motorcycles to replace the San Diego Police Department's aging fleet.

The issue passed unanimously, with no comment from council members.

The department will initially buy 55 motorcycles at a cost of about $1.1 million -- funded by an unlicensed-driver vehicle impound fee. Each BMW motorcycle has a $19,531 price tag.

The average life of a police motorcycle is six years or 60,000 miles, according to a city manager's report. The department's fleet of 72 Kawasaki motorcycles now averages 56,346 miles, with 38 motorcycles topping 60,000 miles.

Police motorcycles from Germany's BMW were selected over models by Honda, a Japanese company, and Harley Davidson, a U.S. company, according to the report. Kawasaki, another Japanese company, is eliminating its production of police motorcycles.