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Radar detecters

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#1 · (Edited)
Radar detectors

How many of you ride with a radar detecter? I've been thinking about getting one. If you do have one, which one serves you well? I was told that the Escort Redline is a good one. What say you?
 
#3 ·
Subscribing here. Had 2 V1's then sold them because I never thought I'd have to worry about speeding, then comes along k1600. This time I want to try and conceal it maybe in hole in front of oil cooler, with a lexan case or something to keep it dry. A remote warning or helmet speaker notification alert will be fine. I have a feeling if I got stopped and the cop saw this,he would say yup, you earned your ticket today. Let see what anyone says about other brands too.
 
#4 · (Edited)
How many of you ride with a radar detecter? I've been thinking about getting one. If you do have one, which one serves you well? I was told that the Escort Redline is a good one. What say you?
I've always ridden with a radar detector because I always ride fast. I've used the V1, and the Redline. I wish the V1 wasn't a brick and I wish the Redline had directional arrows. Yes, I know there is a new model by Escort with arrows, but I cannot justify $600 while I have a perfectly functional unit.

The detectors have gotten me out of tickets more times than I can count.

I was speaking with the Trooper who teaches NH state police this weekend. I asked if there was a prejudice against those with detectors; he said no. He told me that just the act of stopping alone gets you credit with them. He has issues with squids, but not aging bikers who don't do stupid. I told him I ride "spirited", but always respectful. He told me that would go a long way with them.
 
#5 · (Edited)
On a bike your radar profile is much smaller, so any good Radar detector will work. The biggest issue today though is the collision avoidance systems on the newer cars. These tend to operate on the same frequency as Radar guns. Any of units without some sort of filtering system for this will drive you nuts to the point of just shutting the thing off.

I've used Escort branded detectors for over 20 years. Last year I switched to Uniden. Their filtering system was way ahead of Escorts. Honda vehicles still get through and create all of kinds of false positives though. Another nice option with the Uniden is the ability to mute any alarms below a user chosen speed. So when your rolling through small town USA at 35mph every bank, grocery store, or drug store doesn't set off a alarm.

Getting stopped with one on the bike doesn't help your chances of getting out of ticket, but then again the 2 times in 30 years of riding that I was stopped I didn't have the detector on the bike. Trust me, I've given them plenty of opportunities in those 30 years. All of my detectors have paid for themselves many times over.

To those that will say that if you don't speed then you don't need one. You are correct, but I will and do speed as is my choice, so I will use a detector while playing the revenue game. Dressed AGATT also goes along way in getting you out of ticket.

Sent using Tapatalk
 
#6 ·
Valentine one. I've had the same one for many years. every few years I send it in and get it upgraded. It was $400. but it's saved me thousands. :) It's extremely satisfying to watch the light go on, slow down, then see the cop.
I mounted the visual alert and together it works very well. You will also need the motorcycle adapter from Valentine just turn it up all the way for the visual alert to work. I hid it in the right speaker pocket. I bought the wafer cut and mounted it on the little shelf next to the tach with double stick 3m tape. (see pic) I mounted the V1 on the handlebars but they don't make the mount anymore so your on your own there. to reduce the false hits press the Dial until the small L shows then release and press it it till the big L shows. Now it's in logic mode.


Radar and Laser Detectors | Valentine One | Radar Detectors


Radar Detector Visual Alert for Motorcycles
 

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#7 ·
I drove around with both a V1 and an escort 9500.
In my 6 months driving around with both on my dash I can say based on my direct observations that the escort was a hair better.
Sometimes the V1 would pick up a radar first, but usually the escort.
They're both very good but again I thought the Escort was slightly better.
I know, but all the media you have read says the V1 is better and I must be wrong. (At least that's what the guys on my car boards told me)
Yes, my units and testing was a couple of models ago but don't see how they have gotten any better if at all. More features yes.
The directional arrows?
Nice to look at but doesn't really mean anything because when it goes off you're going to slow down anyway.
Cant go wrong with either one.
 
#8 ·
I'm surprised no one has said Radenso - the reviews and tests (google/youtube) seem to reflect that they are at the top of the food chain in distance and very good in filtering out BSM (blind spot monitoring).
Guess it all goes to how much you are willing to spend verses how much a ticket/points/insurance is for a violation(s)
 
#9 ·
I've got the Escort Max 360 and I think it's a great unit. Yes expensive but it's caught radar around corners and over hills that were not even in sight yet, giving me more than enough time to slow it down. We have a city cop in a small town just south of me that likes to hide off the road in one spot. My detector will pick him up an easy 1/2 mile out and around a long sweeping corner. He's not in sight and doesn't have a chance.

It's not water proof but it doesn't get very wet behind the shield on my mount. If it's raining that hard to get wet then I most likely won't be needing it anyways so I put it in my top case.

I find the arrows quite handy for locating them once an alert happens. Ya just want to know where they are, at least I do. I cut down on false alerts but shutting off the X and K band. All our LEO's here are running Ka and or Laser. Which bring me to another comment....

WARNING.. The new patrol cars the Colorado State Patrol recieved this year are outfitted with laser The dirty dogs.... I found this out the other day when my Escort went ape chit on me and he was sitting on the side of the road. I actually seen him before it went off, I wasn't speeding either but surprised me to see a laser hit instead of Ka band which they normally have.
 
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#10 ·
I'm using an Adaptiv TPX 2.0 (previous version to the current release). Never had any issue with adequate warning time. Plus it's water resistant (which my V1 isn't) and the buttons are BIG. Personally I don't need a detector that can detect a signal 7 miles away. I think 6.5 miles is plenty, plus the unit is loud and has an extra external (to the unit) LED that flashes when you get an alert. It works well, and it was designed for motorcycles.
 
#11 ·
I too have the newest Escort Max360, which is VERY quiet regarding falses compared to the last Escort Max. It's darn good, but not perfect. Got tagged doing 128 in an 80 zone on my way to Sturgis last year, and then again back here in Wisconsin the following week... and have pretty much been using the Cruise Control at 9 over ever since. (The latest "instant on" radars are pretty darn good too.) No points to spare, so I may as well sell it. Important note: They're pretty much useless if you don't connect sound, because you'll neither see it nor hear it on a sunny day without it. If you run Escort Live along with Pandora (Music), it will cut Pandora out when it alerts... but the Escort Live Ap does have a slight delay that could cost you. I know this, because I also wired in a "MixIt2" mixing board (before realizing Escort Live could do that), that has a priority channel and reacts faster to threats when used. It'll save you most of the time, depending on what cops are using against you.

Note: Laser detection is utterly useless, as it merely alerts you when you're about to get a ticket. These are instant line-of-sight devices that allow no time to react. To defeat them, you're going to need a jammer. I have never gotten a laser ticket in 15 years using the "Blinder" systems (2) in my cars. It's a "built in" system with a receive/send unit for both plates and both headlights (where they aim the lasers), that instantly measures the laser frequency and blasts it back out in the same frequency. These are passive devices, that seem to work flawlessly, even calling out the make and model of laser you just defeated. However, it's relatively rare that cops in my neck of the woods bother with their laser guns anymore, because their Radars have gotten very good, and laser guns are kind of a pita to use by comparison.

Finally, both Bell and Escort make "built in" radar detectors that are indeed waterproof, passive, and tougher to spot, but they're pricey. I still have the one from my last sports car, but prefer the newer Max360 because of the "falses" alluded to by someone above. Final note: Although Escort too makes a laser jammer, it is more expensive and less effective than the "blinder" system from what I've read, and again, after 15 years of that not being broken, I wasn't trying to fix it on my last set up.
 
#14 ·
Here's my set-up. I'm in Canada, in a province where detectors are illegal so I needed a concealed and stealthy install. But even if I wasn't concerned about stealth, I would still do this all over again. It really is install, and forget about it. If it rains, I'm fine. When I park at a hotel overnight or just a quick stop for lunch, I just walk away from the bike. I'm not worried about theft, rain, etc. Set it, and forget it. I used to leave the detector in that enclosure 24/7, but now after 3 years I do need to remove it when I wash the bike. The vents have lost some their waterproofness, although a rain storm is still fine. It's the direct pressure of a garden hose that gets things damp inside now. If you look closely at the pics, you can see the Frogskinz fabric vents on the top of the box.

Going into that waterproof yet vented enclosure box is a 12 volt power cord, and leaving the box is a 3.5 audio cord. Both are sealed and waterproof. The cord snakes up the handlebars where it plugs into a 3-way audio splitter. Also coming into that splitter is phone/bike/GPS audio thanks to a Motochello Speaker Bridge under the seat. Then, the small box on the handlebars is what I plug my Bose noise-cancelling headphones into. So I have audio from my phone (controlled via the wonderwheel) playing music (or Waze), and radar alerts come thru at the same time (easily heard). The small button right beside the wonderwheel mutes the current alert. And the LED light on the black plastic dash below the speedometer confirms power-on status and also flashes with alerts. So everytime I get on the bike I have only 1 cord to plug-in.

My detector is an Escort Redline. I chose that model becasue I built this set-up in early 2016 and that was the only way to go for stealth. Now however, there are some fabulous new offerings from Uniden as well as Radenso. There are just too many BSM falses to encourage anyone to go with a Redline now, in 2019. Mind you, I travel back roads and rarely run the slab, so BSM falses in my case, are tolerable. But if I was buying a new detector today, it would definitely be a Uniden.

Total cost for this set-up (minus the detector) would be:
$40 Aluminum enclosure box
$30 Power cord with LED light and mute swtich
$20 various grommets
$80 Motochello Speaker Bridge (only necessary for your phone audio to be controlled via the wonderwheel, thru ear buds)
And about half a day of time doing the install
 

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#15 ·
I've been using Valentine1 for the last several years. Saved my bacon many times but getting lots of alerts now from driving assist features on many of new cars that use the same band. I switched my V1 to "logic mode" which helps a little. Ultimately, it's sketchy with radar detectors on busy roads and Interstates because of false alerts but I still value it when I'm on two-lane roads---which is where I spend most of my riding time.

I use the HARD helmet mounted LED light alert system for many years. I don't think there is a better way to get an alert on a motorcycle. Trying to hear an audible or see a visual alert on a dash or windshield is too difficult.

Hardwired to the ignition and mounted on the clutch reservoir with dual-lock velcro. Nice and low so not too conspicuous. Detectors are legal in my state but if I'm pulled over, I'll take my gloves off and lay them on the detector to hide it.

 
#16 ·
I probably should even join in on this conversation because all it will do is aggravate people. In all my years of working in law enforcement specifically traffic enforcement, the standard line was, "if you can afford a radar detector, you can afford the ticket your getting". I don't use a detector and I never have or will. I don't ride/drive slow, as my wife can attest to, but I don't ride/drive stupid either. There are places where you can go fast, but not too fast and there are places it is stupid to speed. In my estimation having a radar/laser detector gives the user a false sense of security in many instances. I used to "play" with the detector crowd and sit on a frontage road next to the interstate and occasionally hit the instant "on" button on my radar set just to see how many people would jump on their brakes. In some cases if someone was really flying down the road I would do a slow catch up to him/her because sure enough after a minute or two they would think they were in the clear and their speed would jump back up at which time I would run a VASCAR clock on them. When I would stop them they would claim I couldn't have gotten them because their radar detector didn't go off and I would politely tell them I didn't use radar, I used VASCAR. More than once I had people literally tear their radar detectors out of their cars because they were quite upset it didn't save them from a ticket. Boo-Hoo, Boo-Hoo!


Lidar's also called Lasers really changed things because they were unbelievably fast in recording a reading and there is never a doubt as to which vehicle I was targeting. The first generation Lidar units were quite heavy and you needed two hands to stabilize them, but later models have shrunk to the size of small binoculars. In some respects having a radar or lidar detector only staves off the inevitable. The false sense of security begins to work against the people that have them and they get complacent. Any decent law enforcement radar set today is equipped with an "instant on/off" feature and if the LEO knows what they are doing they won't put the unit in "constant on" unless they are fishing. It's really the radar splash that alerts a detector to go off and the splash is generated by the officer leaving the unit in "constant on" mode, or continually turning the instant on button on and off. I almost never left my radar set in constant "on" mode choosing instead to wait until I saw a vehicle I knew was exceeding the speed limit and then I would engage the instant on button.


Remember too that if the officer knows you have a radar/laser detector, which isn't all that difficult to figure out, they will no doubt make a note of that fact in their citation narrative which can then be used in court. Having the detector may not garner a guilty conviction, but it will certainly be an issue in the penalty phase. So spend your money on such foolishness if you want, but there is almost always a payback for doing so. A detector may save you on occasion, but it won't save you in every instance. Only your brain can do that.


Rick H.
 
#18 ·
I probably should even join in on this conversation because all it will do is aggravate people. In all my years of working in law enforcement specifically traffic enforcement, the standard line was, "if you can afford a radar detector, you can afford the ticket your getting". I don't use a detector and I never have or will. I don't ride/drive slow, as my wife can attest to, but I don't ride/drive stupid either. There are places where you can go fast, but not too fast and there are places it is stupid to speed. In my estimation having a radar/laser detector gives the user a false sense of security in many instances. I used to "play" with the detector crowd and sit on a frontage road next to the interstate and occasionally hit the instant "on" button on my radar set just to see how many people would jump on their brakes. In some cases if someone was really flying down the road I would do a slow catch up to him/her because sure enough after a minute or two they would think they were in the clear and their speed would jump back up at which time I would run a VASCAR clock on them. When I would stop them they would claim I couldn't have gotten them because their radar detector didn't go off and I would politely tell them I didn't use radar, I used VASCAR. More than once I had people literally tear their radar detectors out of their cars because they were quite upset it didn't save them from a ticket. Boo-Hoo, Boo-Hoo!


Lidar's also called Lasers really changed things because they were unbelievably fast in recording a reading and there is never a doubt as to which vehicle I was targeting. The first generation Lidar units were quite heavy and you needed two hands to stabilize them, but later models have shrunk to the size of small binoculars. In some respects having a radar or lidar detector only staves off the inevitable. The false sense of security begins to work against the people that have them and they get complacent. Any decent law enforcement radar set today is equipped with an "instant on/off" feature and if the LEO knows what they are doing they won't put the unit in "constant on" unless they are fishing. It's really the radar splash that alerts a detector to go off and the splash is generated by the officer leaving the unit in "constant on" mode, or continually turning the instant on button on and off. I almost never left my radar set in constant "on" mode choosing instead to wait until I saw a vehicle I knew was exceeding the speed limit and then I would engage the instant on button.


Remember too that if the officer knows you have a radar/laser detector, which isn't all that difficult to figure out, they will no doubt make a note of that fact in their citation narrative which can then be used in court. Having the detector may not garner a guilty conviction, but it will certainly be an issue in the penalty phase. So spend your money on such foolishness if you want, but there is almost always a payback for doing so. A detector may save you on occasion, but it won't save you in every instance. Only your brain can do that.


Rick H.
On the bold, I mostly agree with you. I suggest anyone new to detectors use it at the posted speed limit for about 10,000 miles before relying on it. There is a learning curve to different scenarios that only experience can teach you about. And I/O is why long range detectors like the Redline & Uniden R-Series are worth their money ie: an I/O shot can be detected from 10+ miles away (depending on terrain), and the cop may not target another vehicle for those 10 miles.

What I can tell you is that my Redline saves me from a ticket on almost every ride. It’s nice living where detectors are illegal, because cops here drive with the radar guns on constantly.
 
#17 ·
I just use the WAZE app. It's not a full proof system but it's probably percentage wise just as effective as a radar detector, especially from everything Rick just said above ^^^.

A lot of the time the police have moved from where other drivers have marked them but many times they are right were the app told me they were. I don't rely on it to flat out fly but it does keep me honest as I have a heavy right hand/foot. Also a great warning to traffic as well. Got me out of being stuck on the slab before I was past the last exit I could get to more than once.
 
#20 ·
I’m glad you responded. As a former LEO you’re input is valuable. These forums are for an exchange of opinions and constructive communication. When I say it “saved my bacon”, it’s mostly been a squad car laying in wait around a corner. I do tend to ride faster than the speed limit but not recklessly so. No more than the (above) average 4 wheel driver.

You made some good points and I respect that. But there’s another side that leads to people buying a $400 device—in some cases (not all) it’s about revenue for municipalities. For that reason, I use a detector.
 
#26 ·
Radar Detectors

Thank you all for responding about your thoughts on radar detectors. I'm now down to an Escort or a Valentine. Both seem to be very good. My thanks to the Motor Officer's ideas too. Most of us are very aware about our surroundings when riding and I do think that riding a motorcycle definitely makes you a better car driver also. You tend to be more aware of everything.Again, another big thanks for this forum for providing an input avenue for members in a positive way.
 
#28 ·
Most of us are very aware about our surroundings when riding and I do think that riding a motorcycle definitely makes you a better car driver also. You tend to be more aware of everything.
Being a passenger has made my wife a better driver, too.

When driving or riding, I'll often run a commentary on what I see ahead, and verbally predict what drivers are going to do. After a while it becomes automatic, and she's picked up on that and will play along.
 
#31 ·
I'd been driving Jeeps off-road for several years, so I knew the basics of throttle/clutch/shift/steering. I also learned to read the road ahead and know where your tires are at all times, and not to just assume that every possible track was the same. Plenty useful on two wheels or four.

When we got to street driving, my dad would not only ask if I'd seen the car ahead/behind/to the side, but what color, make, and model it was. He also got really excited when things were about to go wrong, and raised his voice while becoming harder to understand.

I did much more practice driving with my mom... :cool:
 
#33 · (Edited)
radar detectors

Funny, but today I was talking to a life long friend, retired state trooper, and asked him about radar detectors. This guy I might add was probably the most respected credit to the uniform I have ever known. He laughed when I asked him if I was pulled over for speeding and he saw a detector. I asked if it would count against me. He said,'and let say I was doing 80, He would probably write one for 5 over, but since I was doing 80 and he saw the detector, he would write it for 80. Something about knowing full well I was doing 80. Then we laughed together and talked about being retired and out of our jobs.
 
#35 ·
Kinda depends, if the radar is Ka band then your detector would pick it up every time it went off, like him clocking other cars in front of you or if it was on auto constantly throwing out a signal. Laser might be tougher, you might get a hit as it bounces off a car in front of you but if it's quiet and you blow by and he hits you... it's all over but the crying. There's pretty much no defense against it unless you drop the cash for counter measures.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Here's my radar/laser jammer setup; all ALP. It's more stealthy than picture suggests. Single sensor up front is before I went to NetRadar and added 2nd laser sensor for DragonEye; takes 2 to jam DragonEye. If I get hit from the rear with DragonEye I'm toast. Went with weatherproof NetRadar to reduce constant falses I was getting from my Redline (sold). NetRadar is unit mounted in center. Also, Redline was mounted on top of brake reservoir and definately wasn't stealthy.
 

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#39 ·
How many of you ride with a radar detecter? I've been thinking about getting one. If you do have one, which one serves you well? I was told that the Escort Redline is a good one. What say you?
The new Redline isn't the original long distance kink the old Redline was. So, pass on this one.

The new long distance king appears to be the Uniden R7.
 
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