Do you invest in a radar detector?

So do you guys invest into radar detectors? I have an old escort passport that recently broke. And now I'm in the market for a new one, and I was wondering what your opinions were on them. I'm about to get a 300 dollar tax return and I have 0% apr on a credit card for 14 months So i'm thinking about picking up the Escort Passport 9500 IX ($500 )

But my reasoning is, I put it in my car or on my bike, and it is cheap insurance against tickets, not 100% fullproof but if it saves me from one or two cops that I would not have seen on my own, it already paid for itself, after ticket cost, potential court fees, and the price rise in insurance, you would be kicking yourself forever. Granted I have a completely clear record (no tickets, no accidents), that is pretty damn good for a 20 year old, but my insurance is still sky high and it would suck really bad if it went up any more.

http://www.amazon.com/Escort-Passpor...assport+9500ix

[himynameisjoe]

Nope. I just go the speed limit most of the time. Then I avoid tickets and death. Crazy...

So you never go 5 mph or more over the speed limit? Because I highly doubt it

[himynameisjoe]

Originally Posted by codestp202

So you never go 5 mph or more over the speed limit? Because I highly doubt it

5? O heavens no. 2. I stick to 2 over all the time. Not a mph more.

Lol how many people ride your ass on a daily basis?

[choneofakind]

Just don't drive like a moron. We all speed. It happens; we're on a motorcycle. Just be intelligent and keep an eye open for cops. It's worked for me so far, and I started riding when I was 17.

[himynameisjoe]

Originally Posted by codestp202

Lol how many people ride your ass on a daily basis?

None. I pull over for everyone coming up behind me. I don't like getting my ass ridden by strangers. I'm not a whore, ya know?

This isn't just going for a motorcycle, also your car, I drive my car everyday, (unless its summer when I ride the bike) and while 95% I am able to spot a cop from far away, cops in my area are not so easy on bikers. Living in a college town we have a lot of retards on sportbikes.

edit: @himynameisjoe well i'm a whore, so I like it.

[himynameisjoe]

For the record. No I don't have one. I've talked about it for ever. Just never got around to spending the money to buy one. In reality, I've probably actually gone the speed limit 3 times in my entire life. In fact I just got a speeding ticket back in December for going like 46 in a 25 or something stupid like that. Detector would have been handy

Those 25 mph zones will get you every time.

[choneofakind]

Ah I see. Yeah I'm even less likely to get pulled over for a moving violation in my car. I drive like an old man.

[csmith12]

I used to run them but haven't in a long time. I pretty much know their spots and slow down if I can't see far enough ahead. I borrow my dads when I travel though.

[himynameisjoe]

I will say. I keep it to 35 at a max in the 25's now... There was also the time I worked overnight like 45 minutes from my house and was anxious to get home. So it's like 6 in the morning, not a single car on the freeway (it's a sunday) and I'm doing like 95-100 down the road not paying attention. All the sudden I see this white car sitting on the on ramp... I keep going... it get's closer... I keep going...finally... O ****. slam on brakes thankfully get it down to 60. Drive past... hahaha

Haha I feel the same way about the car: I drive a 02 civic and the only thing it is good for is gas mileage, but on the highway if it is a 60, I can find myself going 80 when I'm traveling home, so radar is awesome. Traveling is really the best time to have a radar detector, when I'm riding for fun, its not as necesarry because I know they're typical hiding spots, but while touring on the freeway or in new places, you never know. Also, my dad is handing me down this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3acg-E94pw
from when he had his zx12 and zx14r's.

joe I thought you only go 2 over...

[choneofakind]

I must be weird. I stick it to right around the speed limit on cruise control.

Honestly, I can say I have never gone the speed limit in my life. If it is 35 and I'm driving normally it is always 40-41. I thought going 5 over is normal

[alex.s]

i invest in race entry fees

[Alex]

I've had a radar detector since before I had my first driver's license. I stopped running them in cars a few years ago, because California traffic is generally moving pretty fast anyway, so there's no need to stand out from the pack at a much higher pace. Typically I'm at 80 mph on the freeway, and even going right past CHP, they don't bat an eye until you're closer to 90 mph.

On a motorcycle, I've run a detector on all bikes where it's been convenient. I.E. if it's a ST bike with enough space in the dash, I've wired one up. Early on I ran it on sportbikes as well, but it became too much of a pain to deal with in a tiny cockpit. So now there is a new V1 on my new RT, and I go without on the 10R and the 300.

[bfpower]

I don't really need one in town. I know the cops and they know me; most of them know I'm a generally reputable guy and wouldn't give me trouble unless I was doing something really dumb. They even let me go a few years ago going 60 in a 35 (in a rural area, but I was still being dumb as ****).

I'm outfitting the girl for some mild sport touring this year. Usually MHP is more interested in DUIs than speeders, but in case I'm near one that dislikes sport bikers, it might be good to invest. What's a good detector for a bike?

[eulark]

Unless youre going crazy fast, i doubt they'd pull you. The only time i was pulled, it was at 2am by a cop who didnt tell me what he pulled me for until he was walking back to his car. His first words when he walked up to me were "You got any pot on you son?" I dont care that they profile me being a biker and all, it is what it is, but honestly, to start with that? And then he just talked my ear off about how he had a motorcycle once, then while walking away he said i was going about 70+ mph and to just cool it a bit. Which seems odd since i cant remember ever hitting 70 in 3rd gear...lol

edit***oh and it was a 45 zone

[dfox]

a radar detector is an antiquated gadget, not an investment.

I threw mine in the trash when I got pulled over by laser. No radar detector will give you a warning with laser unless the cop really sucks at using the laser. Your detector needs a direct hit, officers aim at the front bumper/plate, not the windshield. Laser is being used MUCH more widely now. Laser jammers are illegal in many states, and the numbers are growing.

I avoid tickets by slowing down in situations where police have a location to hide (onramps, curves, highway turn-arounds, etc).

bottom line, with the new technologies in speed measurement out there, radar detectors are dinosaurs. use your brain.

and don't forget, a police officer can still pull you over and ticket you based on visual estimation of speed.

Originally Posted by dfox

a radar detector is an antiquated gadget, not an investment.

I threw mine in the trash when I got pulled over by laser. No radar detector will give you a warning with laser unless the cop really sucks at using the laser. Your detector needs a direct hit, officers aim at the front bumper/plate, not the windshield. Laser is being used MUCH more widely now. Laser jammers are illegal in many states, and the numbers are growing.

I avoid tickets by slowing down in situations where police have a location to hide (onramps, curves, highway turn-arounds, etc).

bottom line, with the new technologies in speed measurement out there, radar detectors are dinosaurs. use your brain.

and don't forget, a police officer can still pull you over and ticket you based on visual estimation of speed.

I understand that, but you are also missing the fact that these high end detectors are now gps-enabled and are constantly being updated with speed traps

[aeroblade]

Oh I wanted a radar detector so bad until they started using lasers as well, so I figured it wouldn't make much sense investing in one. As I've mentioned on another topic before, the speed limits in my state sucks, all bikes have to limit themselves to 31 mph on the friggin highway and we are always at risk of being run over from behind by speeding cagers and I myself got whacked once by the side mirrors of a minivan that blew past me while I was riding on the edge of the road under the speed limit . So I came up with a solution...

I used to get tickets all the time but then I realized something,... there are plenty of cagers on the road that could actually protect me from speed tracers. So what I do is, everytime I set out on a trip I search for that one lucky cager who will try to race me or just speed up just to prevent me from overtaking them (which is frequent btw) and once he starts hauling a$$ I follow them keeping a safe distance lining myself up behind the car . So when ever they come across a speed tracer I simply slow down and ride like nothing happened. It works too, 3 years countless tracers and not a single ticket yet .

Wait, explain the 31 mph rule on the freeway?

[rojoracing53]

I have my $500 radar detector on my bike and the audio is piped strait into my helmet to I don't ever have to look for a warning. The detector and my phone are both fed into a Bluetooth transmitter via a reverse audio Y-cable then the audio is transmitted to my Bluetooth helmet com system. I can listen to music and take calls and all the while if I'm tagged with radar it will sound over anything else so I never miss it.

Radar detectors are not full proof and are practically useless on any "FUN" roads with curves. Lets be honest when you doing double or triple the speed limit around corners the cop won't even need his radar to cite you. I've been saved by mine 4 times while on city streets and hwys, twice laser and twice radar.

I always(98.7%) drive and ride calm and comfortable, but after 7 years pushing 200Mph the speeds what I feel comfortable at are normally higher then the posted max when its an open road. I'm glad the 250 sounds likes its screaming at 75-80mph because that's what keeps me from going any higher.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by aeroblade

Oh I wanted a radar detector so bad until they started using lasers as well, so I figured it wouldn't make much sense investing in one. As I've mentioned on another topic before, the speed limits in my state sucks, all bikes have to limit themselves to 31 mph on the friggin highway and we are always at risk of being run over from behind by speeding cagers and I myself got whacked once by the side mirrors of a minivan that blew past me while I was riding on the edge of the road under the speed limit . So I came up with a solution...

I used to get tickets all the time but then I realized something,... there are plenty of cagers on the road that could actually protect me from speed tracers. So what I do is, everytime I set out on a trip I search for that one lucky cager who will try to race me or just speed up just to prevent me from overtaking them (which is frequent btw) and once he starts hauling a$$ I follow them keeping a safe distance lining myself up behind the car . So when ever they come across a speed tracer I simply slow down and ride like nothing happened. It works too, 3 years countless tracers and not a single ticket yet .

What's a tracer?

[aeroblade]

Well over here the unit for speed is kph so I just converted it into mph and kinda rounded it off. 50kmph speed limit for bikes and 70kmph limit for cars. These laws were made waaaaaaaaay back when the bikes we used to get here could only do a maximum of 60kph lol

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

What's a tracer?

The Unit that enforces speeding laws are called Speed Tracers!

[250rr]

Originally Posted by Alex

So now there is a new V1 on my new RT

+1 on the V1. I've run the same one on my cage for ~ 20 years!

I've never run it on my motorcycle, though. Not sure how I'd mount it, or where, on the Duck. Like Alex says, there's not much room.

I don't need it, of course. I just like the pretty lights it displays.

[Malicious Logic]

I'd love to get one on my bike but haven't yet. For now, I just use my brain and slow down in areas where I know they'll probably set up.

[ai4px]

You make a very small target for radar. I think (educated guess) they can't hit you at 1/4 the range they can light up a car.... so in that extra distance you should be able to bleed of your excess speed before they can light you up. If you can't you were prolly just going too fast anyway.

FWIW, I usually go 80 by my speedo on the 70mph interstates... which is 76mph in realtime. Hey, why don't speedometers ever run slow? Because your warranty runs out quicker as the odometer ticks off faster.

[ai4px]

Originally Posted by codestp202

I understand that, but you are also missing the fact that these high end detectors are now gps-enabled and are constantly being updated with speed traps

Ohh yeah.... I have a GPS in my brain and know where the cops like to sit - been travelling the same roads for years. My spidey sense works pretty well too.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by ai4px

You make a very small target for radar. I think (educated guess) they can't hit you at 1/4 the range they can light up a car.... so in that extra distance you should be able to bleed of your excess speed before they can light you up. If you can't you were prolly just going too fast anyway.

This isn't the case. The radar is more than sensitive enough to pick out a motorcycle from well out of sight range. The limiting factor is in fact that sight range, as the LEO needs to be sure that they are tagging the correct vehicle. The radar units all have features to pick out the fastest target as well, not just the strongest one; so a speeding motorcycle coming past a slow moving truck is still vulnerable to showing up correctly on the radar unit's display.

Plenty of room on the RT:



Mounted it on a stalk on my older RT (and K):



On my R6 from a few years back; crowded with GPS + radar:



On my ZX-12R; put a remote display in the dash to put it more into my line of sight. Still wasn't a great solution; Rojo is right that without an audio alert in the helmet, you might miss the alert for the few seconds that would have been necessary to save you.

[ai4px]

What is this on the front corner of your bike? Hey, anyone ever tell you that you are an electronics nut job??

[Alex]

That was a HID lamp from Touratech. Great unit!

[lgk]

They are outlawed here in VA, but people still use them.

i would install one if i had a good way to hide it.

[Gurk]

no speed limits where i ride!

[lgk]

Originally Posted by Gurk

no speed limits where i ride!

but i hate one way streets, lol.

[massacremasses]

I also rock a V1 in the car. Bikes I dont really use them.. I dont take long enough trips to worry about it generally... and currently I dont have a bike anyways... haha

[Kevin2109]

I have the motorcycle specific TPX radar detector... Its a cool novelty I guess, kinda fun when you can see if they are around. I dont test it ofter because I have too many other tickets to think about speeding haha But I will say it saved me from a 130+ ticket once

Link to original page on YouTube.

I've seen the tpx, does it really work that well?