radar detector

[wkid_one]

Unfortunately for Lou tho - the detector doesn't work through human flesh...so the behind option is somewhat limited on a bike.  Escort has the front and rear antenae also - but no good as it can't see through you when you are on the bike - in the car it works well tho.  Plus - the audio out and 'LOUD' option are fantastic for the bike (esp now on multi and don't have VTR drowning out all sounds)

Passport is wicked - actually out performed the Valentine 1 in a recent US test - so they are on par.  Gives you heaps of warning for Pigs - sometimes too much and you think it falsed only to speed up and find the cop another k down the road....

Laser Jammer is a waste of time on a bike (or car) unless you are just over the limit.  It throws back a dud speed (about 45kph), if the cop is any good and pings you twice and you haven't adjusted your speed you will be pinged for running with a jammer....if you are doing over 130kph - that is a hell of a reaction to reduce speed - esp given he has you in the laser sights

[Coldkiwi]

yeah, only things I wish the escort would do is

1) put a little more voltage out of the speaker jack to make the beeps a bit louder in my helmet

2) tell me if it was a front or rear signal (but i suspect that could be very prone to erroneous readings when mounted in front of me)

3) come with a water proof case cause I can't be bothered wrapping it in a a plastic bag all the times I should (only a problem in winter)

 

[wkid_one]

Just wired up the detector to the R1 - and about bloody time to - the bike is too quick.

 

[marty]

there was a great article last year in a kiwi motor mag about the detector vs radar war. stalker make the radars and lasers that the highway patrol use, and also make detectors for them.
laser is much harder to pick up in a car, as the beam should be aimed at the number plate (best reflective surface), but on a bike the headlight refractors are the best, and they're close to the screen/detector. a manually pulsed radar (mounted in the highway patrol cars) will give good stealth mode for an operator, and may only give occasional (picked up as 'false') readings to a detector.
the bottom line is that at speed, you have to ride with your finger over the brake lever. the best way to avoid getting caught speeding (and it's not, not speeding) is to always have a car that's travelling in your direction between you and a car approaching, as the stalker radar will always pick up the strongest signal, even if it is slower. the stalker has a mode which can read the fastest speed (as a secondary target) over the strongest speed, but that speed cannot be locked until it also becomes the strongest speed. they can still take action if your speed is fast enough to warrant it - it becomes an argument about who is right though as there would be no locked speed visible if you were 'fastest' but not 'primary target'

i'll try and find the radar shootout and post the link.

[wkid_one]

Most cops in NZ run with the Hawk on - not on manual pulse as this is preferably used with more than one officer in the car (OSH).  Also, the detector picks up reflective beams from the Hawk.  And it is easier - the ratio of car drivers without detectors doesn't warrant the effort of manual pulse.

I tested the detector in the car as a cop was using the hand held laser in the info stop by Silverstream - so I drove past him 3-4 times in both direction.  2 out of the 4 times I pick up the laser on the car in front of me.....but you essentially have no show.  Nothing will protect you from a Laser.......other than oncoming cars flashing headlights.  However - given the car is stationary and the speed with which a bike can travel --- I'd rate your chances of running. 

Aiming at the headlight on a bike is useless - as the refractive surfaces aren't perpedicular to reflect the laser back and actually disperse the beam - quite often they will aim at your helmet apparently.  Bikes cause significant issue as they are largely plastic and fibreglass with little flat surface to aim at and reflect back.  Cops also don't actually aim at the number plate - they aim directly between the headlights as this maximises the reflective area.

I would also rather run with a detector than not......even picks up mobile speed cameras with enuf warning to slow down.

The Hawk doesn't register speeds over 270kph - just an idea...

PS- cop using hawk was a mate

[marty]

the hawk is now obsolete, and is extremely rare. it was as slow a 99% of all radar fitted cars have either stalker dsr's (which can lock on a following speed - when you are accellerating away from or being caught by a patrol car), and ALL highway cars, and most other traffic cars have front and rear antennae, meaning you can be snapped as you are catching a patrol car, esp. @ night.

the fixed cameras (and the van-mounted ones) are very low power - and as they are facing across the road, if there is little traffic for the beam to bounce off, you won't know it's there till you're on it. at 120km/h you will travel 33.3metres per second, and at a conservative 2.0 seconds to respond to a radar indication, from 100m you're toast.

have a look at this link. http://www.radar.co.nz/nz/report1.html

it's not the one i was looking for, but it is quite good. try and beat the 0.2 seconds it takes for the stalker to read your speed, plus about another 1.0 second for the cop to lock on, and your detector has just told you you've been caught - nothing else.

my best advice is to keep those cages between you and the radar operator.

[wkid_one]

Sorry - disagree Marty - have run past many a mobile unit and the detector works fine.  In car units are picked up about 1-2km before the car is close.

You continue riding at 110kph - I'll use the radar detector and ride at speeds I find comfortable.

[marty]

we'll have to agree to disagree....maybe one day we'll get together and swap stories

[wkid_one]

All I know is from speaking to the cops and personal experience.  The manual pulse is seldom used - and the in car system is usually on auto - meaning with a detector you pick the car up from miles away.  Manual Pulse is used when the car is stationary and the cop is doing a sly '100 tickets in 8 hour' saga.

Did over 1000km last week and every time a donut the detector picked the cops up WELL before they were anywhere near me.  Had about 200-300m warning of mobile speed cameras also.

 

[Marmoot]

In a good condition (straight road, open areas, etc) detectors like V2 and 8500 can pick up a radar from over 1.5km (over 2km for 8500, as has been tried by me). Cop's radar can pick you up from about 1-1.2km, but he still need positive visual identification of the target (required by law) to positively determine it is you he's after.

Of course, there is simple rule of elimination employed by them (#1 suspect would be motorcycle, then red sports car, then other sports car, then 4wd, then normal car, then campervans). This will factor into equation depending on how much a**eholeness the officer has.

In the end, detectors always give advantage to you and give you warning time, however much it is.
It only comes down to whether you can slow down quick enough.

This theory has been proven over 1.5 years of using 8500 and V2 by a number of highspeed riders in a close group with no tickets during various sightings of patrol cars and unmarked cars.

But, if you are still unsure of detectors, the easier way to avoid tickets would be to keep to speed limit in obvious areas (highways, residentials, and cities/towns) and only speed like maniacs in vacant backroads.

[Coldkiwi]

yup.. the 8500 picks up mobile cameras at plenty far enough to slow down in clear conditions. As for falsing... if I get ANY Ka signal its straight down to the speed limit. the warnings are infrequent enough to make me believe its a pig not to far away.

incidentally... you mentioned the hawks were outdated marty... I talked to a knowledgable soul at the cold kiwi who mentioned that sometimes the old x-band units (I understand pretty much all but decommissioned) are sometimes dragged out on long weekends to fox deviants like us who have turned their x band off in the detector due to all the erroneous signals. not a likely getting pinged scenario but a possibility. the key to remember of course is that they will almost certainly not have been calibrated prior to use and this will get you off if so.

 

[Kwaka-Kid]

Originally posted by Coldkiwi
the key to remember of course is that they will almost certainly not have been calibrated prior to use and this will get you off if so.

 

dont bet on it.

[Coldkiwi]

its a fair chance. those X-band units are as old as the hills and about the same size. Getting the calibration unit to have them ready before a big weekend is probably a major headache that I'd be willing to bet a few highway patrol officers won't be bothered dealing with.

another interesting fact (that is, heard first hand from an experienced electronics man who has a friend in the force and went for a tour with the radar car) is that even if they read your speed on the hawk (and I'm pretty certain eagle too) systems, they won't lock on to you until the speed has stabilised enough for the unit to be sure its reading the one vehicle. SO...... if you get zapped and really haul on the anchors, (gently won't work) your speed reading will drop so fast the unit won't lock as it thinks its getting erroneous signals. it'll only lock once you ease off the brakes. the officer may well chew your ear for his reading of 150kmhr+ but if his unit only says $101 kmhr, that's all he can book you for (unless he observed your bike airborne over the crest of the hill or some other extenuating circumstance that puts a speed reading second to dangerous driving).

 

[Kwaka-Kid]

Coldkiwi... just asked the man himself "EVERY SINGLE DEVICE USED IS CALIBRATED THAT VERY DAY" and yes, EVEN X BAND devices... if you really want you can ask to see the logbook, altho they dont have to show you.. but who i asked said he will always show you.

and he said after testing etc you REALLY NEED TO BE LOCKING up both brakes to put the devices off... REALLY hard... like not just your average joe "brake hard!" but anyways thats from the horses mouth who actually has tried it etc

so dont give info that could get your fellow bikers tickets CK and keep safe ya'll!

oh and what he said goes for all highway patrol units.

[Marmoot]

Just a little out of topic, but I get an interesting falsing once.

Due to not lubricating chain enough, I got a dry chain on one ride. As metallic friction does cause electromagnetic signal (often experienced in Remote control helicopter hobby in form of electromagnetic noise that interferes with flight controls), it happened to create a band that my 8500 detected as Ka. Hence, I got the Ka ringing everytime I got to a certain speed range (around 140-160kph) for my whole ride that day.

That was the first and only time I got that funny thing happened.

The moral of the story? Lube your chain!!!