| Author | Message | ||
     Haus |
Looking to buy a radar detector, dont know whats the latest and greatest. Suggestions anyone???? | ||
| Odie |
Escort X50. I run it on my 12Scg and it saves me everyday. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I thought this thread was going to be about sometHing else..... Never mind... | ||
| Geforce |
Valentine 1... spend once. Best purchase I ever made. https://store.valentine1.com/upgrades/ | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I had an Escort Passport for a couple years. Escort makes a cordless detector that'd be convenient for the bike, but they said themselves that it's no where near as powerful as the passport. The more I read, the more I find that the Valentine 1 is the best money can buy. Hands down, no questions asked. (Message edited by mikef5000 on November 17, 2009) | ||
| Odie |
Google "radar detector comparisons" and make your own, informed choice.......... | ||
| Ccryder |
I'm on my 4th Passport (since 1984). This model is an 8500 X50. 30,000 s'miles a year w/o any tickets, who could ask for anything more???? | ||
| Swordsman |
+1 on the V1. Pricey, but you buy once. Also comes in a durable magnesium csing instead of cheap plastic... might stand up better in a spill. ~SM (Message edited by Swordsman on November 17, 2009) | ||
| Fahren |
OK, so pic's of mounting ideas? Good way to conceal the unit? | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I used to put mine in the map pocked of my tank bag. That bag was level though, a lot of the other bags (buell bag included) are tilted forward. Wouldn't work as well. Googling "motorcycle detector mount" comes up with a bunch of options. Here's one:  Shows the 2 ball ram mount that bolts to the mirror base (works on Buells!), then the standard 4" arm, then the universal detector mounting plate. http://www.motorcycle-handlebar-mount.com/motorcyc le_radar_detector_mounts.htm | ||
| Ratbuell |
I used to run one all the time in my younger days. One thing I've noted here in MD, at least in the last five or ten years...get pulled without a radar detector, act human, and if you weren't doing something ungodly stupid...chances are you can get some leeway. Get pulled with a detector, all bets are off. Primary offense, look for secondary offenses (dead lightbulbs, "did you have that seatbelt on before you reached for your wallet sir?", "are you sure that hemlet is DOT?", etc), no leeway. YMMV. | ||
| Dcc46 |
you do realize that when the detector is picking up the radar , the radar is also picking you up | ||
| Whatever |
I got an 83 in a 55 MPH zone ticket using an Escort... they used "Instant On KA Radar" so they are not foolproof... | ||
| Ratbuell |
That's the other reason I stopped using a detector. Back in the day they didn't have things like "instant-on", so if a LEO was running a gun you could usually pick it up as he gunned the traffic in front of you. Once they went laser (focused, no scatter from other cars) and instant-on, among other new gadgets...it just wasn't worth the money to me for a detector anymore. I did CB radios for a while and listened in...but now I just pay as much attention as I can to brakelights ahead of me. Oh...I guess I should say I've slowed down, too. Smythe County VA begs to differ, though...78/65 in October. Whoops, heh-heh. | ||
| Odie |
You have to be an alert, smart driver to realize what a detector will do for you and understand it's limitations...... | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I'm with ratbuell. I used to use the escort in my car and on my bike. I found that I sped the most when I was the only one on the road, and it's those vary situations when the detectors are useless. Mine has been sitting in a box for a couple years now. I also slowed down some since then. | ||
| Odie |
Wanna sell it? | ||
| Sifo |
I stopped using them when instant on units came out. With them or the laser units the detector simply gives you more time to think about what you will say to the cop. Of course as Ratbuell pointed out, you will need some real fancy talking once he sees the detector. I just think they can give you a false sense of security, helping you dig a deeper hole for yourself. I have wondered though, are these loud enough to hear when riding? There is no way I would see it light up with my full face helmet unless it was mounted real high. I just can't imagine it being loud enough to alert you at 80 mph without being so loud that the cop will hear you coming as you go through town. | ||
| Odie |
you do realize that when the detector is picking up the radar , the radar is also picking you up uummm, yea, that's how the technology works. Again, you have to be smart when driving above the speed limit. It's not a Klingon Cloaking Device that makes you invisible....  | ||
| Just_ziptab |
I need "something" for my Buell other than luck,but so far.....I have not been pinched. On the other hand,my truck hardly never goes past the speed limit and it is very relaxing work drive........I just leave 5 minutes earlier. If traffic is not behind me,I cruise at 50(!)mph and coast to the stops.....HUGE increase in mileage. | ||
| Baybueller |
I am with Odie on this one. It helps in situational awareness. | ||
| Odie |
you do realize that when the detector is picking up the radar , the radar is also picking you up And that is not actually true either. If your detector is receiving a radar signal it doesn't mean it is clocking you. I know well in advance when a cop is coming over a hill or around a corner if he is blasting, even instant on. He doesn't see me so he isn't clocking me. My detector is receiving his radar signal though. When I am alone on a road I do not exceed the limit but by 5 or so mph. When there is traffic ahead of me that will get blasted first then it is easier to exceed the limit comfortably. | ||
| Ccryder |
Check here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/473276.html?1247922097 Any device has a learning curve and nothing is foolproof except the "fool". I have received one ticket in many, many years while running a radar detector and I had no "bear bait" when it happened, and I got bit. Neil S. | ||
| Aesquire |
In a car, tissue box camo is the way to go. I'm still thinking about a bike one, I'd need to get a proper mixer box so I could listen to tunes, hear the phone ring, & have detector override to give me warning. I know I'd probably miss a light. On ranges. Instant on, well, you are nailed. unless you get an over splash from a car ahead ( he's nailed ) same with laser, but far less chance of stray beam pick up. Ka & X band, a good detector will get the signal in plenty of time to chop the throttle. Hitting the brakes may be needed to slow down fast enough, but is a big flag for parked police watching for detector users. Some states it's a crime. What you have to realize is that the antenna on the DETECTOR is energized with a small radar signal to boost it's sensitivity. Some radiate that signal strong enough that the cops have a detector detector, and will pick up your detector, and depending on state & local, you're nailed. ( if they have a detector detector, they probably have a law to ticket you with, otherwise, why spend the money? ) In the old days, most detectors radiated enough to be picked up, newer ones are much better, but instant on & lasers are nigh invincible. You could always not speed.  | ||
| Spike240sx |
Laser detectors are legal in all 50 states! | ||
| Chowder |
+1 on the valentine one. Also google laser jammer they are legal in some states,how well they work I don't know.Or how hard it would be yo use on a bike. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Laser detectors are legal in all 50 states! Any good radar detector is also a laser detector. You sure you're not thinking of laser jammers? | ||
| Iamike |
Two trooper friends call them "ATDs" =automatic ticket devices. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
When I used to use the detector, if I saw a cop making a U-turn or pulling out behind me, my detector was off the windshield and under the seat in about .0156 of a second. | ||
| Geforce |
A detector is no sure fire solution to avoid a ticket. The best way to avoid a ticket is to drive legally. There are however; ways you can travel quickly and reasonably and use that detector aide you in your journey. There are also state laws that you should read about concerning issuing tickets with radar detectors. EG: Distance for clocking a suspected speeder can be no further than 1/4 mile. In the above case, a detector is very likely to help out. If the LEO checks your speed as soon as you come into view at 1/2 a mile out and determines that you are in fact speeding, he must take another speed reading inside of the 1/4 distance when you enter the "kill zone" in order to issue a ticket. He can still give you a warning... even if you slow your speed in time. This is an instance where a detector could be to your advantage. I actually had to prove this in court for one of my tickets. I did in fact do so, and the judge let it go. The officer took my speed at 12 MPH over the limit out in West Texas and immediately jumped in the car and gave me a ticket. His reading was taken at 3/4 a mile away which was not within the kill zone. This may have changed since I haven't been in TX for a long long time, but it was nice to know when I went in to defend myself. I speed LESS with a radar detector actually. It makes me paranoid and I just cruise and turn up the sound. It is nice to know where the LEO's are at, and especially where speed traps are. I absolutley hate entrapment. |
