I've used a radar detector for the last 10 years. Must have saved my license at least 50 times, and probably a king's ransom in fines. Always used an Escort 8500 until recently when i was following another bike that had a Valentine. He picked up a signal that my Escort didn't pick up, not once but TWICE! I figure that the cop was zapping his radar and mine didn't pick it up becauae of the range. So I decided to buy a Valentine and man-oh-man, what a difference!! I've been running both radars in the car for the last 3 months and the greter sensitivity of the Valentine is just huge. As much as 20seconds difference (at 100+ klm/h) if the copper leaves his radar on before the Escort picks up the signal. If you assume that the cop is doing 100 as well, then that's 40 seconds or 2/3 of a Klm. What's more disconcerting is that if the radar is being used intermittently, then sometimes my Escort won't pick up the signal at all, but the Valentine hasn't failed me yet. I have a buddy who has an Escort 9500 and we tried all three together in the car once - the 9500 and the Valentine both performed about the same, the odd time the Valentine beat the 9500 and vice versa. We were dreading being stopped by a cop while having three radar detectors mounted on the windscreen and cables hanging everywhere "Are you boy's just a little bit paranoid?"...."No Officer, we make it a point to always use 3 condoms as well, you can never be too careful!"
The 9500 has some good aspects regarding the GPS functionality etc. but the winner on the Valentine is the arrows that show where the signal is coming from as well as the number of signals it picks up. Several times I've picked up two signals at the same time and known that I've got a tax-collector in front of me as well as one behind me.
I use built in headphones on my bike, and mount the detector in a small plastic box velcroed vertically inside the fairing beside the forks. Three reasons for this - one is that if a cop does ever stop you then you've got a fighting chance of getting a more lenient reaction if the detector isn't visible, and secondly, I assumed last year that they were going to make detectors illegal so wanted to have it mounted stealhily. Third reason is that mounting it vertically means that it picks up speed cameras from a greater distance because they broadcast their signal in vertical orientation. Cop cars broadcast in a cone shape, so it doesn't matter which way you mount the detector. In theory having it mounted lower effectiovely cuts down the range, but after doing some LOS calculation I concluded that the loss wasn't material. In practice I've picked up signals at a range of 5klm's on the flat (SH1 Timaru-ChCh).
I've tried a HARD heads up light unit but to me, you just can't beat the sound through the headphones. You soon get used to attaching/detaching the cable, it's unobtrusive, and cheap. I wear earplugs inside my Shoei so i had to get a mini amplifier to boost the sound. I also have a Valentine concealed display unit that shows me all the arrows etc since the detector is hidden inside the fairing.
I should point out that having a detector doesn't make you bullet proof and the police are canny about how they zap you - if you're first in the queue and they instant-on then you're nailed. I've only been nailed 3 times in 10 years and lost my license once for 28 days. I all cases it was first in the queue, doing 150 + and instant on. I f I cruise at 135 then I always (so far) have managed to bleed enough speed off so that all i get is a waggly finger and a "I'll get you next time" look from the patrol car.
My RD is like an American Express card - I never leave home without it and on the few occasions where I forget to take it, I go back and get it.
Good luck with your research, there's a wealth of info on the web. Check out Youtube and there are quite a few vids of comparisons.
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Originally Posted by Anthrax
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