Radar detectors - are they worth it?

[E30TECH]

Yesterday Don (Dgshaffer), Larry (lthj75), and Anthony (not from this board) went for a 400 mile + ride together through some great roads in PA. Our destination was Centrailia PA.

 

On the way home, we broke off as I headed NW and they headed SW.

 

I decided to make up some time on RT78 and RT287. I was cruising along @ 90/95 when I saw some brake lights ahead. I slowed down to 85 and saw the trooper in the middle. I got about an 1/8 mile and saw him come out. I moved to the right as I knew he was coming for me. He pulled behind, lit me up, I pulled right over. Shut it down and removed my gear. He asked me if I knew why he pulled me over and I told him I was probably going a little fast. He clocked me at 85 in a 65. He asked me where I was coming from and where I was going. "I just rode 12 hours thru PA, and I'm headed home". I gave him the credentials, swallowed my pride and dropped another trooper's name I know. He told me to hang tight and he'll be back. I recalled someone on this board having a cop check his max speed on their GPS, so I quickly deleted it as I had a triple digit max speed.

 

I felt for sure he'd let me off the hook. After about 10 minutes he gets out with a ticket in hand. Realizing 20 over is 4 points and about $300 I was just thankfull I slowed down *some* as it would have been worse.

 

He gave me a ticket for obstructing the flow of traffic, which carries no points and is $54. I thanked him for giving me a break and I told him I'd take it easy.

 

 

So all the above is the preamble to my original question - I am considering a radar detector for the RT.

 

Are they worth it? I would get a higher end unit - like the V1, but I was also looking at the new Escort and Beltronics (Bel and Escort are the same company). I have read the reports on radartest.com, but I wanted to hear some comments from you guys. I know the easiest solution is to slow down, but even after being pulled over, I hit 85 again just rolling with traffic.

 

BTW - it would be wired into the Autocom.

[OoPEZoO]

I think it all depends on where you do most of your riding. A radar detector is damn near useless in PA. Only the State Police use radar here, the local guys are not allowed and mostly resort to VASCAR (which is basicly him sitting in his car hitting a stopwatch between two points). I have thought many times of getting one because of my daily commute into MD (MD cops use radar), but the one thing that keeps me from doing it is that it is such a developed area that I'm sure I would be getting constant false alarms. I tend to rely on gut instinct and common sense.

 

I've only recieved 2 tickets while riding (9 years and about 50k miles), and even if I had the most expensive radar detector known to man.......I still would have got nailed both times. Local cops were well hidden in places where there was a pointless speed drop (45 drops to 35 for no reason) and I was coming back from a relaxing ride in the country and just not paying attention. I got popped both times at exactly 17mph over the limit.

 

I will probably get one before I plan my next cross country excursion, but I can't justify one for local east coast riding.

[tallman]

In this case, you probably would've gotten an alert, maybe in time to avoid the ticket.

In Keith's cases, it wouldn't have helped.

No radar detector is going to provide immunity from all detection devices at all times.

If you travel w/in certain paramters of speed. based on currents conditions, weather, other drivers, staying alert, you'll probably never need one.

In your case, it seems as if you were the fastest target of choice.

An early warning as the trooper clocked others would have gotten you slowed, but, depending on distance and other factors, you may have already been nailed.

Someone a mile behind you with a detector owes you a big thank you.

If you are OITMON and flying, a radar detector won't save you.

If you are in lots of traffic on an urban freeway, you'll get warnings enough.

If you're always the fastest target. Won't help.

I've ridden with and without.

With I rode faster, relying on technology. But still slowed down in the "right" places.

Eventually I realised that in my area, and with the choices I made to slow down, let rabbits go, exercise some common sense, etc.., a detector wasn't a big factor and I stopped using it.

Average speed still @the same as when I used one all the time, so no loss there. I guess I didn't ride fast enough to need one.

Around here, if you're going 90/95 on an Interstate, you're toast. That's just our reality.

I hear it's not that way everywhere.

For some, the cost benefit analysis makes a radar detector the right choice, for them. "If it saves me from a ticket. it's worth the cost".

Technology is their friend. Interestingly enough, some of these same folks don't believe in ABS technology.

I may hook up the HARD system for the nest trip. Or, not.

I've found my niche, ride at about the 92%tile, stay alert, encourage rabbit deployment, use common sense, look for fast vehicles with RD's visible, and I get where I'm going.

So, to answer your question, synthetic every 4-6,000 miles.

[Lawman]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

[Timmer]

My V-1 has saved me at least twice, so personally I think it's worth it. The last time I got a ticket 2 years ago, I didn't have the V-1 mounted yet on my new bike. If I had mounted my V-1, the circumstances would have warned me sufficiently to avoid a ticket. I didn't have the V-1 on the bike and the CHP didn't cut me any slack. YMMV

[E30TECH]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

Thanks for all the comments. But I thought the same thing that Lawman stated while I was sitting on the side of the road.

 

I knew I was speeding, and I was thankful to him for giving me a break. I guess I dont need to be the fastest one on the road. It is just so damn easy on this bike.

 

Oh, and if you are changing your synthetic at 4-6K, you are wasting your money. What brand should I use

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I use one (V1) all the time when I am on trips, don't bother around town as the locals know me and usually pull the laser gun off or just give me a slow down sign. I cannot count the number of times it has saved me. You do have to use a certain amount of common sense. Primary being to run a speed that will allow you to quickly slow to less than 10 over without any drama. For me, that means 15 over or a little more. I can chop 5 to 8 mph off just by backing off the throttle. The other thing is learning to interpret the signals. My V1 gives different audio signals depending on the type of radar. X and K band, I pretty much ignore, Ka or laser results in a Pavlovian snap closed of the throttle. I'll then check the visual readout while monitoring the audio signal and scanning the area for threats. FHP usually run down the opposite direction with their radar on all the time so I have miles of warning. Since I'm not really moving all that fast relative to the traffic around me, the instant-on guys will most often pop somebody interesting a mile or so ahead of me and with the terrain in FL, that's all I need for a warning.

 

Nothing to be done against VASCAR and very little you can do about LIDAR except hope the LEO was feeling generous.

[Heck]

IMHO- yes.

This may change as the CHP uses more and more LIDAR (laser) in which case I can be sitting on the side of the road waiting for my performance award when the officer pulls in behind me with lights on.

I have a tendency to run ~10+ over (which usually puts me with flow of traffic) so the warning is usually a heads-up to check and verify my speed, but there have been times....

Of course if you are the lead dog out in the middle of nowhere, all the warning in the world will not change the outcome.

[steve.foote]

I've had the Escort and the V1, and both have saved me numerous times. Not everytime, but definately enough times to have paid for themselves many times over.

 

Radar is easy to detect if you play by the rule of always having traffic in front of you. Wait for a rabbit and follow them about a half mile back.

 

Laser detection is useless. I can only think of one time where I detected "bounced" signal from a laser gun. It sticks in my mind because it's the only time I've experienced it.

 

Excort vs V1. High marks to both, but the reaction of the V1 is better. And, the arrows alone make it the obvious choice. Once you get used to the arrows and the informative 'chirps', there is no going back.

 

Finally, I've been ticked with and without a radar detector being installed. I've never recieved a warning (always a ticket), but they usually are marked down to 14 over, again regardless of radar detector or not.

[Lets_Play_Two]

I have a V-1. On the way to and from the Unrally I probably got readings from police 10 times, but never in a situation where we needed to worry about it. We rode mostly at 80-85 mph (the F650 did just fine) with some higher spurts and followed one of Tim's rules...always have a rabbit deployed in front of you!!! And NEVER be reckless, ie. in and out of traffic. It worked for this 2500 mile trip.

[tallman]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

Thanks for all the comments. But I thought the same thing that Lawman stated while I was sitting on the side of the road.

 

I knew I was speeding, and I was thankful to him for giving me a break. I guess I dont need to be the fastest one on the road. It is just so damn easy on this bike.

 

Oh, and if you are changing your synthetic at 4-6K, you are wasting your money. What brand should I use

 

Well, this is what I had been using.

But I found that by switching to synthetic coconut oil my HP went up by @12%.

[Gregori]

As previously noted - how you ride depends on whether it's worth it or not. But since you bled off some speed to get it down to 20 over, you're probably is the category where it's helpful to have.

 

I find the V1 indispensable. I can attest that over the years it has saved me at least ten times the purchase price. (And I'm on my second one, as I upgraded about a year ago.) I had a string of others before the V1, and had only so-so happiness/success with them. In fact, I threw a Cobra and a Bel away over the weekend while cleaning out my garage. I wouldn't inflict either of them on anyone, as a false sense of security is a bad thing...

FWIW - I was using a V1 long before I fell in with the BMWST crowd, who also seem to overwhelmingly prefer them.

 

I'm almost always the fastest vahicle on the road - I can count on one hand the times per year that someone passes me when I'm riding/driving alone. (If I'm in a group, I dial it back to accomodate the comfort levels of those I'm riding with, and if riding 2-up or driving with a passenger, my focus isn't as intent as when I'm solo so again I slow down some.) Where speed is concerned, I'll admit that I'm a 99.99th percentile driver.

 

Oh, for those who whine that fast equals hazardous, the only accidents I've had over the last 20 years were one where I was at a complete stop waiting to exit a driveway and was hit from the side, and one where someone chased me and intentionally hit me on a freeway.

 

On the rare occasion that I do earn a roadside interview, I put my gloves over the top of the V1, concealing it before the officer arrives at my side - so as far as I can tell, the presence of a detector has never been the basis of a ticket/warning choice.

[E30TECH]

I would not rely soley on the detector, and would not have a false sense of security.

 

Last night, the detector would have saved me as there were cars in front of me. I might have been going 3-4 MPH faster than them, but I knew I was speeding and knew he was going to come after me, which is why I just pulled into the right lane and let him catch up (figuring that would help me some in the end).

 

As far as mounting the detector, I cannot seem to find a good location. I have my GPS mounted with a custom bracket that sits just above the speedo / tach.

 

Can you guys share your ideas? More than likely, I'd go with the V1. I'd also need to be able to remove it when I leave the bike. Its bad enough I leave my gps + xm receiver and kenwood on there when I park.

[Dave McReynolds]

I had a V1 for a couple of years, and finally sold it because I decided it was doing me more harm (potential for tickets vs. warning) than good, given the way I ride.

 

Usually when I ride where there is other traffic, there is someone going faster than me, and I'm pretty much going with the prevailing traffic, which tends to be about +10 or so over the speed limit. So if I get nailed under those circumstances, I guess it was just my turn for bad luck.

 

The only time I really want to speed is when I have the road pretty much to myself, and then only when the road is mainly straight. If the road is curvy, I'm content to ride close to the speed limit in between the curves and get my thrills on the curves. So both times I got tickets with the V-1 it was on straight, empty highways with a LEO hiding behind a bush with an instant-on. The only good the V-1 did me was to let me know I'd been nailed. Both times, the LEO's asked me how I liked the radar detector, in a friendly, though perhaps ironic way as they wrote me up. So as much as I would like to speed on straight empty highways, and as stupid a public policy as I think it is to have LEO's hiding behind bushes when they could be off somewhere doing something useful for public safety, I can't afford it, so I have to behave there too now (more or less).

[keithb]

I would generally say they are worth it as long as you get a respected brand such as V1 or Escort. My Escort has saved me several times. I try to stay within +10/+15 on the freeway or the speed of traffic around me. Since I am in sales and drive for a living I have learned some rules I try and live by to avoid the "roadside interview". Some of these are common sense and some are easily forgotten.

1. Never constantly speed in the fast lane and stay there.

Once you pass the vehicle move to the right. If you

don't move over you are just asking for a ticket.

You want to blend in so you are harder to spot.

2. On large freeways LEO's stay in the far right lane and

wait for people not paying attention to speed by them.

Just like shooting fish in a barrel. I have seen it so

many times out here in L.A. it is comical for me as an

observer. Not for the offender of course.

3. Look up on overpasses and onramps. LEO's love to sit up

there and clock you as you go by.

4. Pay attention to where LEO's sit all the time and use

radar. ie. certain section on freeway etc.

5. When you enter a small town SLOW DOWN and do the speed

limit. This is how towns make their living.

6. It helps if you have a sixth sense about LEO's being in

the area. It has saved my bacon more times than I can

count.

Again these are some tips I have used to keep my odds of not getting a ticket higher. Ride safe and have fun out there. Feel free to add to the list.

[Draftermike]

Well....V1's don't work on airplanes. I knew that before the UnRally, but forgot to look up

[T__]

Perry, you already had one of the best POLICE detectors available.. It usually works on most vascar, radar, laser, etc.. That was those cars in front of you with their actions & brake lights.. Watch W-A-Y out in front of you & you will be surprised how much info the vehicles up there will telegraph you..

 

I use that system a lot & it usually works better than my radar detector..

 

Twisty

[smiller]

Those are all good. I'd add one more...

 

7. Try to be courteous to other drivers, use your turn signals properly, etc., and above all do not drive in an aggressive manner. If you are under observation for a while after being clocked in many instances your driving style will have as much to do with whether you get a ticket or not as your actual speed.

[Lawman]

I would generally say they are worth it as long as you get a respected brand such as V1 or Escort. My Escort has saved me several times. I try to stay within +10/+15 on the freeway or the speed of traffic around me. Since I am in sales and drive for a living I have learned some rules I try and live by to avoid the "roadside interview". Some of these are common sense and some are easily forgotten.

1. Never constantly speed in the fast lane and stay there.

Once you pass the vehicle move to the right. If you

don't move over you are just asking for a ticket.

You want to blend in so you are harder to spot.

2. On large freeways LEO's stay in the far right lane and

wait for people not paying attention to speed by them.

Just like shooting fish in a barrel. I have seen it so

many times out here in L.A. it is comical for me as an

observer. Not for the offender of course.

3. Look up on overpasses and onramps. LEO's love to sit up

there and clock you as you go by.

4. Pay attention to where LEO's sit all the time and use

radar. ie. certain section on freeway etc.

5. When you enter a small town SLOW DOWN and do the speed

limit. This is how towns make their living.

6. It helps if you have a sixth sense about LEO's being in

the area. It has saved my bacon more times than I can

count.

Again these are some tips I have used to keep my odds of not getting a ticket higher. Ride safe and have fun out there. Feel free to add to the list.

 

 

Thanks for the tips

 

Do you have a similar recipe for avoiding detection for things like raping, robbing and pillaging?...

[George Brown]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

You just confirmed what I've always thought.

[smiller]

Thanks for the tips

As if you didn't know...

[ghaverkamp]

Do you have a similar recipe for avoiding detection for things like raping, robbing and pillaging?...

 

Stay away from the highways, where the cops are looking for the easy revenue.

[George Brown]

Someday maybe I will learn how to comment on several different quotes in the same post. Until then here's another comment:

 

He asked me where I was coming from and where I was going. "I just rode 12 hours thru PA, and I'm headed home". I gave him the credentials, swallowed my pride and dropped another trooper's name I know.

First, it was good to see you at the UN. Sorry we didn't get a chance to ride together again. As word of caution, I would be careful about mentioning how long I had been riding that day as I've read about some cases where "driving while tired" was lumped into "driving while impaired"

 

Glad you had a reasonably good outcome. When that kind of outcome happens, don't you wonder why? I always do. Was it my good looks, my polite and cooperative behavior, the mention of the other troooper, etc. etc. etc. or, just a LEO with a heart?

[RBertalotto]

5. When you enter a small town SLOW DOWN and do the speed

limit. This is how towns make their living.

 

If you NEVER ride faster than the speed limit, you don't need a radar detector. If ALL of your riding is on heavily traveled highways, you don't need a radar detector.....

 

If you travel backroads that go from small town to small town, where speed limits go from 55-65 mph down to 25mph within a mile, you MUST have a radar detector....

 

If you travel in a "spirited" fashion at times, you MUST have a radar detector....

 

If you have a "6th sense" about police whereabouts (whatever the hell this means), you don't need a radar detector. Infact, you don't need registrationm or plates!

 

My radar detectors (plural, as every vehicle I own has one) have saved my bacon dozens of times a year. I travel over 60K miles a year on business and pleasure and lots of it is small roads down south (if you know what I mean)...95% of the "saves" have been on rural roads where a "20 over" would be a pain in the ass, even if it came without points........

 

Many police cars drive around with there radar guns turned on. I can't tell you the times I've wanted to tear away from a stop light or maybe take a corner just a bit faster than the local law enforcement might appreciate, and the detector went off and let me know that someone was nearby to "serve and protect" me......

 

It's your call, but I wouldn't venture out without my protection.......

[keithb]

Lawman

I can condone a little speeding as long as it does not endanger other vehicles but cannot condone the crimes you mentioned. That's your job and thank you for doing it.

[Grassman]

I have a V1 and it is the best money I have spent

[keithb]

Roy B

What I mean by 6th sense is that you just get the feeling of a LEO being around, you slow down or not, and all of sudden there he is with his radar gun.

[russell_bynum]

Mine has definitely been worth it.

 

First and foremost, you have to understand what it can and can not do.

 

If an officer is being really smart, and really sneaky, they will have you picked out of the crowd, they will have visually estimated your speed, and they will have decided to give you a ticket...then they pull the trigger on the radar gun and get confirmation. A detector will not help you in that situation.

 

A detector is extremely unlikely to do anything worthwhile for you if the LEO is using laser.

 

And a detector will not help you if the LEO is pacing you.

 

But...

If they are being lazy (which, from my experience, most of them are), they'll sit there pinging a vehicle every few seconds with instant-on. You may well pick that up in enough time to slow down.

 

And if they drive with their radar on all the time (which the CHP seems prone towards doing), then you're also very likely to get notice well enough in advance.

 

My V1 (BTW, there is the V1, and then there's all those other crappy detectors) has paid for itself MANY times over.

 

Oh...and I know some officers say that they are more likely to give a ticket to someone with a detector. I'm sure that's true some of the time, but the one time I've been pulled over since I started using my V1, the officer paced me. It was moderately heavy, fast moving traffic (only in LA will you find bumper to bumper traffic rolling along at 80mph) and I was running my usual ~10mph faster than surrounding traffic, smoothly working my way through the gaps and occasionally splitting when I needed to. The officer paced me and moved through traffic with me, staying far enough back that I didn't spot him in my mirrors until it was too late. He turned on his lights, and I pulled over. He wound up letting us go without even a written warning because he said I was the first bike he'd pulled over that day that had a valid license and insurance...or protective gear. Then he smiled, pointed at my V1 and said "and don't rely on that thing because sometimes we don't use radar".

 

So...I'm sure that some cops are more likely to ticket you if you have a detector, but some don't.

 

While I very much like my V1 (most of the time, it is the only electronic accessory that I ride with despite the fact that I own the full assortment of required crap...autocom, FRS, GPS, iPod, XM, etc), the best thing you can do to prevent getting a ticket for speeding is just being smart about where you choose to speed, and keeping a vigilant watch for LEO's. The V1 augments that approach very well.

 

I speed every time I get on my bike, and I have not received a ticket in 6 years. In fact, I've only been pulled over once in 6 years and that stop did not result in a ticket. I've been lucky a few times, but mostly I avoid tickets by being smart about it.

[RBertalotto]

Got it! Wish I had that sense.......But then again, lots of folks have at times told me I make no sense....

[leikam]

I don't have a radar detector and don't feel the need for one.

 

This is how they work: you wick it up, they beep, you slow down, you see the cop, don't get a ticket and thank your gadget. Regardless of whether it actually saves anybody from a ticket, it gives the owner a warm fuzzy so you're bound to see a lot of partisans.

[RBertalotto]

This is how they work: you wick it up, they beep, you slow down, you see the cop, don't get a ticket and thank your gadget. Regardless of whether it actually saves anybody from a ticket, it gives the owner a warm fuzzy so you're bound to see a lot of partisans.

 

Huh???

[jimwms]

I'm pleased with my Escort, which I keep in the tank bag with the audio hooked to the Autocom, so, should I get stopped it is not obvious that I have it. I believe it has saved me on several occasions.

[Todd_Z1]

Yes.

 

Cheers!

[bakerzdosen]

Only if you use them... Having them in your tank bag because you forgot to hook them up after your last meal does no good whatsoever. DAMHIK.

 

I too have had a V1 long before I got here, and long before I rode a motorcycle. I've only seen it register laser twice, and it saved me both times. (I assume as I was going too fast and didn't get a ticket. One of the times, the car next to me did.)

 

Oddly enough, it may have saved my life one time. I was kind of running (in my car) nearly neck and neck with a car on the interstate (he was a bit ahead and it was late at night so we were the only ones on the road). The V1 lit up, I slowed to the limit, the other car kept going. Sure enough, a police cruiser pulled out directly behind the guy in front of me but hadn't lit him up yet. Then BOOM, the cruiser hit a deer while accelerating. I probably would have been past by then, but it would have been close.

[KDeline]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

So because I have a radar detector and John Smith does not, you would give me the ticket? Proves the law is not the same for everyone.

[Lawman]

Proves the law is not the same for everyone.

 

 

Holy cow man, are you just now realizing that?? Ray Charles can see that..

[Mike O]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

The last 'reward' I received went like this.

 

Officer: Do you know why I pulled you over?

Me: A bit heavy on the peddle?

Officer: No. You were a bit careless coming over the hill while talking on you Cel phone. We discourage that. And you were speeding.

Me: Right. Sorry.

 

A few minutes later...

 

Officer: I've written this citation for 6MPH over.

Officer: By the way, I see you have a radar detector (handing me the 'reward'.

Me: Yea, but it wasn't on. I had to unplug it to use my cel phone.

Officer: (rolling his eyes)

 

Yea, I know, but I figured the 'reward' was already written and he could use a chuckle back at the office. Point is, he DID notice it.

 

Mike O

[Fugu]

My V1 has paid for itself several times.

 

I recently got pulled for being way over (I slowed down from "what the hell are you thinking" to "way over" when the V1 alerted).

 

The trooper let us both go, no citation at all. We had a nice chat about the bikes.

[E30TECH]

Can anyone recommend a mount for the V1? I have my GPS mounted above the speedo / tach. If anyone wouldn't mind sharing their setup, I'd appreciate it.

 

Thanks,

Perry

[Fugu]

I have mine on my BMR Co Pilot shelf with their security mount.

 

I adjusted it to be a little tighter by drilling new holes, that way the V1, GPS, and sat receiver are all behind the windshield.

 

The security mount covers the top and bottom of the V1 and there's velcro sandwiched inside it so it can't slide out.

 

Somebody could steal it if they had allen wrenches, but it would take them a minute longer.

[rocks]

This is a timely discussion I've been battling these thought for about 6 months now

[Woodie]

Only if you use them... Having them in your tank bag because you forgot to hook them up after your last meal does no good whatsoever. DAMHIK.

 

Coffee on my keyboard from that paragraph!

[BigArn]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

WHY WHY WHY. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS MENTALITY.

What about if you stop somebody in a Corvette. Will you give him a speeding ticket just because he's got a high performance car???

[Lawman]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

WHY WHY WHY. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS MENTALITY.

What about if you stop somebody in a Corvette. Will you give him a speeding ticket just because he's got a high performance car???

 

Of course not...If I ticket him it will be because I believe he violated a a traffic law and chose not to let him go with only a warning...

[russell_bynum]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

WHY WHY WHY. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS MENTALITY.

What about if you stop somebody in a Corvette. Will you give him a speeding ticket just because he's got a high performance car???

 

Of course not...If I ticket him it will be because I believe he violated a a traffic law and chose not to let him go with only a warning...

 

 

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

Can you reconcile these two statements?

[Paul Mihalka]

On this subject I once had a good conversation with a LEO. Not one who stopped me but a customer with who I had a good relation. He told me the same thing and explained it in a way that made sense. If you just get stopped for some non-excessive speeding (he said under 20-over) you may be one who rarely speeds and a warning may make you pay more attention to observe the speed limits. If you have a radar detector, you probably are a habitual speeder who regularly and intentionally breaks the law and do everything you can to avoid the consequences. So you get a full citation so that may be you might stop frequently breaking the law.

[Spyder]

Perry, I have my V1 mounted in the glovebox -- out of sight and out of the elements. No major loss of detection range based on known false signals in my area. Of course this mounting solution precludes any laser detection, the value of which is questionable anyway.

[russell_bynum]

On this subject I once had a good conversation with a LEO. Not one who stopped me but a customer with who I had a good relation. He told me the same thing and explained it in a way that made sense. If you just get stopped for some non-excessive speeding (he said under 20-over) you may be one who rarely speeds and a warning may make you pay more attention to observe the speed limits. If you have a radar detector, you probably are a habitual speeder who regularly and intentionally breaks the law and do everything you can to avoid the consequences. So you get a full citation so that may be you might stop frequently breaking the law.

 

Sounds like total BS to me. Every single person I know is a "habitual speeder". When I drive my truck, I'm ususlly pretty close to the speedlimit and I almost never pass anyone...which tells me that the vast majority of drivers are habitual speeders.

 

It sounds like a "And thought you could outsmart me...I'll show you." routine to me.

[Mark_Hogan]

I've installed an Escort 8500 with a HARD annuciator on my '07 1200RT. This was done 1 week after a 90 in a 55 in Denton, MD on the way back from the beach on my then 3 week old bike! I've used Escorts for years, and currently have a remote Escort 8500 with front and rear laser laser jammers in my BMW M3. Living in the DC area where GEICO GIVES all of the local police laser and radar guns, I can't imagine driving or riding without some protection. My ticket mentioned above (my first in years) happened as I was passing two RV's on a two lane road, and the trooper was going the opposite direction with radar. If I had the detector installed, I would have been spared the $300 and points. I don't want it to sound as if I tear all over the place, I just want protection from the 10 to 15 over that is so prevelant here, as well as the 10 to 20 or so on the highways. As for the passing, I'd much rather speed than be hanging out in the opposite lane...

 

While in live in Maryland and go to my beach house in Delaware almost every weekend (where most of the aforementioned two lanes occur), I spend a lot of my time in Virginia (office location) and DC (meetings). Since radar detectors are illegal in VA and DC, I've made a remote mount out of aluminum and have it inside of the fairing vertically on the left side (as seen from the saddle). I have the HARD mounted on the fairing (as opposed to inside of my helmet) pointing up at the windsheild. I can actally see the face of the detector with just a little lean forward, and the HARD is not only bright, but reflects into the windsheild making it impossible to miss. I have the detector wrapped in plastic for weather protection.

 

If anyone would like to see pictures of the mounting, drop me an email.

I am adding a laser jammer to the bike when I have time, so I'll update when that occurs.

 

Mark

[Lawman]

My hunch is that the officer would have written the speed if you had a radar detector on the bike...

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

WHY WHY WHY. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS MENTALITY.

What about if you stop somebody in a Corvette. Will you give him a speeding ticket just because he's got a high performance car???

 

Of course not...If I ticket him it will be because I believe he violated a a traffic law and chose not to let him go with only a warning...

 

 

Generally speaking I am more likely to write someone I stop who is using a radar detector..

 

Can you reconcile these two statements?

 

There are 4,789 things that I consider when deciding whether or not to issue a citation..It all factors into what I called "officer discretion". Radar detectors IMHO are used for no other reason than to allow a driver to speed without being detected..I just don't buy into the idea that some folks use them because they enjoy the sound they emit and prefer listening to them instead of a radio..It's my opinion that grandmothers and others who drive very slowly don't use them..Conversely, it seems to me like many who habitually drive fast do use them..I'm less inclined to believe that just because someone is driving a corvette that they habitually speed however it does factor in....After all sports cars are often used for other reasons than speeding..Using my discretion I form some opinion as to the effectiveness of a warning versus a ticket..Use of a radar detector suggests to me that a warning probably will not be sufficient to cause that violator to change his behavior..Perhaps this concept can best be related by the following true example..

 

One afternoon last month ( August in Texas) I was working radar on a state highway in a 55 m.p.h. zone shooting traffic approx. 1/2 mile into the 55m.p.h. zone that was coming out of a 70 m.p.h. zone..I stopped a vehicle for 14 m.p.h over. It was occupied by a male in his early twenties. The car looked to be no more than a death trap..All the windows were down, he was filthy and looked like he had just come from working a shift in a coal mine. There was not a dry stitch on him. I asked him if he knew why I had stopped him and he acknowledged that he was speeding.. He did not have his driver's license on him but did produce a check stubb from his employer. He gave me his date of birth and I was able to confirm his valid driver's license..I also noticed from his check stubb that he worked in a local welding shop that employees 2 -3 guys and that he is paid $10.00 per hour..Also apparant was the baby seat buckled in the back seat and the fact that this car was quickly overheating..I asked him if this was his work car and learned that it was in fact his work car and family car..I further learned that he lived in a nearby government housing project, had a brand new baby and a clean driving record. He never asked for a warning and I can tell you he fully expected me to issue him a citation..He was respectful and made no excuses for speeding..I let him go..

 

A short time later I stopped a brand new Ford diesel 4 door truck that appeared to have every bell and whistle that one could have..It was occupied by an affluent local businessman that I have stopped several times..He is well known by all the state troopers who work this area..I don't know how he keeps his driver's license as his driving record is very long..He uses a radar detector.. I catch him speeding because I often use my instant on when I work and that was the case this time also..When I approached him his initial response was to ask for a warning...I told him that would not be the case and that I was going to issue him a citation..He responded by saying, "please hurry"..He stated he was in a hurry and that if he wasn't in a hurry he wouldn't have been speeding..I did write him without delay..This is just a true example of officer discretion..I appreciate having the discretion to write some and let some go..The alternative would be to write every violator for every violation observed and I don't think that is a good idea..For anyone wanting to take away an officer's discretion for traffic offenses I would ask that you give this plenty of consideration before lobbying your state legislators for that change..