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motorcycle radar detectors

41K views 226 replies 40 participants last post by  oldgixxer 
#1 ·
i'm wondering if anyone is using any kind of radar detectors on their motorcycles? if so, what kind/price and effectiveness, and if you have a picture that would be great as well.
 
#4 ·
Despite what some people believe, a radar detector will work and will save you tickets.

My Passport 8500, with earpiece, practically pays for itself every time I ride Hwy 3 between Hope and Princeton. Starts chirping long before my Geezer eyes can pick out Smokey. It really did pay for itself long ago.

E-bay is a good place to save yourself $100 - sellers of new units both here and in the US.
 
#8 ·
My X50 has paid for it self many times over. Even saved me from Lidar a few times when the second chase car left his radar on.
I have found it teaches me more about their radar habits like locations, how long they wait to flip the switch, care factor ect.
Lots of threads, read up.
 
#11 ·
My Passport 9800i and a little common sense and keeping my eyes peeled saved me from a Lidar trap on the I-5 today.

Common sense = knowing that the corridor on the I-5 just south of the Peace Arch crossing is a speed trap intense zone.

Eyes peeled = Looking for anything parked on the median or on overpasses or on ramps.

Passport 9800i = Lidar threat warning as patrol car comes to view from 1000 meters away with cop pointing Lidar gun at me from his window.

If your detector warns you of Lidar, it means that the cop is trying to get his aim on your front license plate or if on your bike, probably your headlight. It can give you that one moment you can exploit to drop below the speed limit that could possibly save you from a ticket while the cop finds a reflective surface on your vehicle to retrieve a reading.
 
#12 ·
...Or at least from a larger ticket. 10km/h can mean the difference between $189 and $489.

I picked up an X50 on ebay, 3 months old, for $140. Already tested it on a drive down south, and it worked great. Once you're out of the city, they're worth their weight in gold...highway patrol are all using dash mounted radar if they're looking for speeders; odds are you'll even pick up the sneaky bastards that pace people as they 'splash' people to get an accurate reading. A detector and some common sense will save you a lot of cash and points.
 
#13 ·
Interestingly enough one of our fellow BCSBer's was given the chance to do a ride along program, they said that on the ride along they setup a lidar speed trap and they were allowed to try and tag people, they said it was pretty difficult to get a reading on a motorcycle due to such a small target, the closer it got the easier it became, so hearing this I figure my X50 would pickup the stray lidar in enough time for me to be able to slow down before they get a decent enough fix, assuming of course that they are going to try and tag you from a distance, if they wait long enough before trying to tag you, you could get caught with your pants down.
 
#15 ·
Probably the windscreen. Swerve as soon as it chirps and you might be ok.
Negative.
Have a little experience with the type of laser used in BC. By the time you have the warning in your helmet, the deed is done and they have a "fix."
If fortunate, you might get some light "scatter," from the vehicle or vehcles ahead of you, but if the officer is fixed on you......
 
#18 ·
Might have been the scatter issue that worked for me. SOP was to swerve in my lane, hit the brakes and pray. It's worked a couple of times for me now.

Are there rules against laser jammers? I can understand the legal issues with interfering with radar frequencies, but light?

OTOH, a member of the WSP on Wetleather says they played with every type of LIDAR jammer they could purchase, and none of them worked worth a damn.
 
#19 ·
OTOH, a member of the WSP on Wetleather says they played with every type of LIDAR jammer they could purchase, and none of them worked worth a damn.
You are correct, the fellow who wired about 30% of the bikes in the last few IBR, is a former Master Chief of Avionics for all the aircraft on a US Navy Carrier (among other things) he did in his 20 years in the service.

His shop is a thing of beauty btw :rockon

He and I were chatting about Radar/Laser Jammers one day and he explained to me he could build me a jammer that would "likely" work. Of course he added it would cost at least $250,000 in parts and I would need to tow a trailer with a generator to hold and power it.

He smiled and said that the Officer would know he was being jammed immediately and that an FCC violation in the USA was a far bigger deal than I could ever imagine. He said just "man up" and pay the speeding ticket.

In other words the Jammers you can buy are about as useful as those "100% natural" instant male enhancement pills :evilgrin

I use a V-1, a CB and constantly look for the police.

I would never have got my "bear in the air ticket" last year if I had remembered I-5 truckers use CH17 not 19.

On another note is it time yet to ask which is better the V-1, the Bell, the Escort or something else? :laughing :horse :laughing
 
#20 ·
From the reviews I read before getting my x50, most people went towards the escort. A few people said it was nice to know what direction the signal came from (ie V1), but otherwise the x50 was more sensitive and had better results. Don't forget you should get a fully synthetic radar detector from Beacon ;)
 
#22 ·
Laser is still not widespread (especially regarding small towns) as it requires departments to make a new invest for the hardware and training, and is limited in that it works only in virtually clear conditions.

So yeah, a good detector is worth it even without factoring in laser.
 
#28 ·
i just talked to a friend of mine that is CHP in california....he says "save your money. i've given 100's of tickets to people with radar detectors. the majority of the time you are already caught before you know it"

having said that, i'm sure a detector could save you a few of the times...and just those few times would have it paid for anyways.
 
#30 ·
Sure he's written 100's of tickets to detector owners, but more importantly he hasn't written tickets to 1000's of detector owners for the aforementioned reason.

Anyhow, I have the 9800i and it's fantastic. It's the same detection technology as the X50 but with a very robust GPS feature that allows you to permanently disable false alarms and it blocks out all detection signals when traveling at legal speeds. It's very elegant.

I also like how the 9800i will tell you your speed when the detector goes off and it has voice prompts that tell you the radar band it's tracking.
 
#29 ·
X50 story I love telling

Im on my road trip last season, Im on a straight stretch behind 4 cars moving at 90kph... I have to pass...so pull out... a van is seen way off in the distance..probably 500+ meters

as soon as I pull out I get a little bleep in my headphones from my X50 so I pull back in...then as the van pulls by me I look over , sure enough, its a cop in a family van ghost car

without the radar I would have been up into the 160 -170 's without question

bike taken away and in the back of the squad car without question

does the radar work...you bet !!! If you ride the speed limit, then no you dont need one

unfortunately I like getting out of third gear every once in a while so ill keep mine thanks
 
#32 ·
It should be mentioned that motorcycle specific detectors (ie: run on a battery) don't put out enough power to have sufficient range. Stick to one that you hardwire in.

Also, use extreme caution when buying 'new' radar detectors off Ebay. There is a very well established scam on the go where they shovel junk parts into new cases and rip you off - big name brands and all. The seller here in the lower mainland for that stuff is legit, you can check serial numbers after the fact and all that, but... Be careful, you won't get factory warranty off a private distributor either.
 
#34 ·
where can you buy these in the lower mainland that is legit?
how are you guys wiring in your detectors on the bike? cigarette lighter type connection?

i'd like to be able to use it on both the bike and the car....
Ralph's Radio in Vancouver sells Escort as do some Future Shops, the future shop in richmond has the new escort as well. Wired directly to the battery or an ignition switched source. I wired mine directly to the battery using the optional direct wire cord from escort, I figured if I'm off the bike the things unplugged and with me so I didn't bother wiring it to a an ignition switched source.
 
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