I am thinking of adding a radar detector to the bike and have a couple questions for those in the know.

Do the detectors have to be in an area where light can reach it, for example, on a windshield, or can they be enclosed in the nose of a bike behind the fairing?

Apparently, they are now being made to connect and be controlled by smart phones, obviating the need for them to be visible, but I don't want to compromise its use by hiding it in the nose if that will take away its ability to detect (say, for lasers).

Has anyone done the research on the most effective detectors that can be monitored via smartphone? My phone is always visibly mounted on my bikes, as it serves as a source for music and GPS.

Looks like the iRad 100 - which is around $50 at Amazon - is inferior in detection abilities, even though it seems to fit the bill otherwise.  Are there comparable detectors operation wise that work as well as the more expensive units?

I figure if it saves me one ticket, it's worth it.

Any assistance appreciated.

 -Dan

If you bury it in the nose it won't be very good at detecting signals behind you.


The laser portion only tells you you're about to get pulled over.   



I say spend the money on training days to outrun the popo.

If you bury it in the nose it won't be very good at detecting signals behind you.


The laser portion only tells you you're about to get pulled over.   



I say spend the money on training days to outrun the popo.

Apparently, if there is other traffic, the unit will pick up the laser that is being used to check the speed of vehicles in front of you, so laser detection is useful.

Maybe will research it out tonight at home.

- Dan

Quote from: Dan K on April 07, 2014, 06:52:22 PM

I'll pay a bit more if it's a good one and it's, let's say, discreet. If I could have nothing showing but my iPhone on its mount, that's a serious score.

I personally don't understand this prerequisite. You just stated that lidar needs a clear view. And we both know that anything in between the transmitter and receiver will affect the radar receivers signal. Do you ride in NC or DC a lot?

No, I'm in Illinois, but if you get do get pulled over (laser), chances of a warning or talking your way out of a ticket with a radar detector prominently showing above your dashboard are pretty much non-existent. I'd like it hidden, with no more than a little light or an audio signal over blue tooth while I'm listening to music to tell me it's active.

- Dan

Quote from: Cablebandit on April 07, 2014, 06:51:08 PM

If you bury it in the nose it won't be very good at detecting signals behind you.


The laser portion only tells you you're about to get pulled over.   



I say spend the money on training days to outrun the popo.

Apparently, if there is other traffic, the unit will pick up the laser that is being used to check the speed of vehicles in front of you, so laser detection is useful.

Maybe will research it out tonight at home.

- Dan

This goes counter-intuitive to how I think laser works (and what my BIL (a cop) says), but I certainly would like to learn!

Years ago I know a company made one that had the detection unit and the notification unit wired but separate- this allowed the detection unit to be mounted up towards the front (the grill) and the notification part down under the dash.  I had a buddy that had one- but that was like 20 years ago- and I'm pretty sure he paid big bucks.

THe act of unplugging the unit and putting it in the tank bag has worked well for me.
Although it has been a while since I have use it, slower is still cheaper.

I did get pulled over by an officer, (forgot to hide the detector) I talked him out of the ticket (read as spun a good lie to a county hick) After he made me sign official warning he asked what the box on the bars was, I told him it was a radar detector. His replay "Dang I always ticket you sonsoffbitches" I just smiled  So YES if the LEO knows you are running radar there is no way to talk you way out of it.

Valentine 1 does have a remote monitor and I think it is smart phone enabled now. 

Valentine 1 does have a remote monitor and I think it is smart phone enabled now.

Good to know.  Thanks!

I run a Beltronics Vector 995.  The Valentine 1 is a good unit but dated especially for the price.  Some of the reports I've read is they have issues with detection range using the front and rear reciever units as it causes some kind of interference on the "K and Ka Band" which is what most police radar detectors run on now.  Every now and then way out in the boonies you can still find some departments using the old X-band handheld units.  And there are lots of K band auto door openers and security systems that you pick up in the city.  But this also applies to other units.

Watch craigslist for higher end units.  I got my Vector 995 a few years ago for under 100 dollars.  I run a Vector 995 with a Mark Parnes visual alert.  Great setup though mine hangs out in the open on top of a RAM magnet mount.  But I generally only run 5 or 10 over the limit anyway.  I'm on a Strom so I'm not a big speeder on that bike.

I have mine velro'd on the tank bag. If I get pulled over I'd just take off my gloves and cover the detector, but I've never been pulled over while it's been in use.

If you want the best, there is only one. Valentine 1.

Unlike radar Roy and other sites that do comparisons, and also sell detectors, this one is not biased: http://www.guysoflidar.com/radar-detector-test-august-2009/radar-detector-test.html

And with the V1connection, it can tie directly into your iPhone or Android.

http://www.valentine1.com/v1info/v1connection/android/

bah, radar detectors. I just use my spidey sense. 

Quote from: kneescrubber on April 08, 2014, 06:40:32 AM

Quote from: mxvet57 on April 07, 2014, 10:36:03 PM

Haven't had a radar detector for over 30 years.

Neither have I. And I've had surprisingly few tickets considering my riding style.

Picked up my first ticket in 2 or 3 years last week. Just south of Houghton. 76 in a 55 but he wrote it for 5 over. $140. 

Apparently the law in WA state (acc'd to the state trooper) says that the vehicle's valid speed measurement can only be derived from the manufactured speedometer that came with the vehicle.  Garmin speed is invalid.  Of course this was his response when he learned that I depend on my 660's speedometer and not my bikes because my bike reads 8% faster than actual.  Therefore, that was good enough for him to convince himself I was guilty, even though he uses continuous k-band and was accelerating over a hill at the time I was decelerating when the road became a long sloped straightaway and there was nobody in sight for at least 1000 yards.

The $300 spent on that ordeal should have gone into a radar detector.

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Quote from: bizbat on July 03, 2014, 02:17:35 PM

Apparently the law in WA state (acc'd to the state trooper) says that the vehicle's valid speed measurement can only be derived from the manufactured speedometer that came with the vehicle. 

So... if my speedometer reads seriously low for some mysterious resin, it's legal to ride at 85mph just because my speedo says I'm doing 55? 


Speedo Healer, here I come!

Seemingly...

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.

I need a radar detector.  I have recently been accused (and cited!!) for 85 mph by an over-zealous state trooper when I know for a fact was  traveling below 75..!

Was the speed limit posted at under 75? If so, the judge only has to figure our how much you owe since you've already admitted/confessed to breaking the "law".

Like the old saying goes, "We've already established you're a whore. Now we're simply negotiating your rates."

Quote from: bizbat on July 03, 2014, 12:16:24 PM

I need a radar detector.  I have recently been accused (and cited!!) for 85 mph by an over-zealous state trooper when I know for a fact was  traveling below 75..!

Was the speed limit posted at under 75? If so, the judge only has to figure our how much you owe since you've already admitted/confessed to breaking the "law".

Like the old saying goes, "We've already established you're a whore. Now we're simply negotiating your rates."

Since people seem interested in commenting to this.. I will add a bit more color into my perspective. 

Yes, I was speeding, knowingly, guilty of said crime, and willing to accept the citation for exceeding the speed limit. 

The issue for me is how much over the speed limit I was traveling.  Like I said, in my humble opinion, the trooper was a bit over-zealous with the charge; I know that I was not traveling at that speed. 

In fact, the process this trooper uses to calibrate his radar gun for ensured accuracy does not include calibrating his vehicle speed input to the radar guns.  So when this trooper is bouncing microwaves off you while he is moving in your direction, his vehicle speed input into the radar gun must be correct, or any value the gun reports (which corrects for his vehicle speed) will be incorrect.

To illustrate:  Trooper is driving towards me at 55mph.  I am driving towards him at 75mph.  The speed differential is 130mph.  Without the gun's vehicle speed input into the radar gun's computer, his gun will show 130mph.  If the vehicle speed input is working correctly, his gun will show the correct 75mph (130mph - 55mph = 75mph). 

In my case, the trooper admits that his radar gun calibration process does not take vehicle speed input into account.  And in my case, he was unable to tell me at what rate he was traveling towards me (although he was traveling up a slope and was not using cruise control), because he relies on that closed loop system to operate properly.  And in any case, speedometers vary as the circumference of the tire decreases with normal use.

If his radar gun determines its own rate of travel via a GPS input (or its own GPS signal receiver/processor), then the same argument he used against me (that my GPS is considered invalid) could be used against him, because we were in a wooded area and he admitted he was not using cruise control (hysteresis algorithms tend to require a bit of history at the expense of realtime accuracy).

All of this could have been avoided if I had been using a radar detector.

 



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BizBat: If you're going to lean on that defense, then you better get cracking with your legal requests for service/calibration documents from the LEOs maintenance office. You can make such a claim, but their SOP is a routine service of the RADAR equipment with speedo "feedback" included. The judge will take the officer's word that all maint was done according to his patrol car log book unless you have other evidence to present.