Hi Pard, I have 8 bikes right now, 7 of them are sport machines and I wanted to avoid having to hard wire all of them and also wanted something I could move quickly from one bike to the other as needed. So I went with a tiny 12.6 volt Li-Po 1400 maH battery pack (3.5 ounces) velcroed in place just below the instrument housing, good for 4-5 hours of riding before a recharge. I purchased a spare Uniden cable with the RJ11 connector and then soldered to a male battery connector to make a clean and reliable setup. Here's a shot of the ZX-6R cockpit where you can see the battery pack location, each bike is in a bit different location but this has worked out great. I was a bit concerned about the windshield suction cups staying in place but they actually get really sticky out there in the sun and you have to pry them off.
Power pack details, as mentioned, I ordered a spare Uniden DC power cable with the standard RJ-11 plug and soldered the + and - wires to a Traxas Male High Current connector. I simply unplug the Li-Po and recharge on a Traxxas balancing charger, about 15-20 minutes charge time typically. Also, notice the small Velcro tab on the female side of the battery connector, I place the mating fuzzy part in a convenient location that ties the connector and wiring down so they don't move around. Simple and effective!
No, I got this setup after getting two tickets back to back over the past couple months, one was 26 and one 21 over posted limit, same LEO, same road. I hired an attorney to take care of the tickets and got the Uniden as insurance. Both times I had plenty of warning time if I'd had a detector. As I see it, these ain't exactly cheap but if it saves you once it's paid for itself.
LEO use laser here too but only on the highway or freeway where they can get a long, straight shot at you from a static position, can't be done from a moving vehicle. I can't remember the last time I rode a sportbike on the highway though, strictly a back road barnstormer and the more deserted the road the better, so the big threat is instant on radar. Some Smokies get lazy and run radar in C/O mode and a good detector will pick them up as much as three miles ahead.
I did a lot of research, the R1/R3 both were the top rated in almost every category, the most important being Ka band long range detection. I got the R3 but really the R1 is all you need. The R3 has GPS and updateable database so you have published speed camera and stoplight cams programmed and can program GPS lockouts on the fly if you have a fixed K band source that is on your route and giving annoying false alerts.
To be honest, this thing is spooky quiet, I get an occasional peep if I pass a newer GM or Acura with blind spot monitoring on K band. This is not really a problem though because it's so rare and it's only within a few feet of the vehicle due to really superior K band filtering on the R3.
My set up is Highway mode with X band locked out , K band filtering ON, Ka band filtering OFF.
If the Ka alert goes off, let off the throttle and start looking around, Smoky is the only one running that band and it's about 85% of all radar around here, the other 15% older K band units..
So this your last two tickets were on the highway? It's pretty impossible to detect a cop before you see him on the backroads around here with all the elevation changes and curves. The only defense is it's difficult for them to actually catch you. Especially if they're traveling in the opposite direction. No shoulders on the roads here in OH so they pretty much have to make a three point turn to turn around. By that time you're a mile down the road. Unless you stop... : )
Hi Dougo, both times it was on a twisty back road, I was coming off a corner onto a long straight and a DPS Trooper locked me up with his radar. The second time, I was about 1/2 mile ahead and parked on the road side waiting for him to catch up after I saw his lights come on and stayed on the gas for a few seconds. I never run, not worth turning what is essentially a minor inconvenience, into a potential felony.
These guys are just doing their job and we're just out having some fun on an isolated back road, all part of the game I guess.
CHP also have a onboard system where they get you while moving. Not sure if it's radar or not, but they can get you while rolling off the back or the front.
CHP also have a onboard system where they get you while moving. Not sure if it's radar or not, but they can get you while rolling off the back or the front.
Radar, they can shoot instant on while in motion, either forward or rearward. Laser is less than a 3 foot pattern at a 1000' range, that takes a well braced hand to hit a motorcycle due to the small frontal area. Think of laser as a sniper's rifle and radar as a street sweeping shotgun. That's also the reason laser is almost impossible to defeat unless your reflexes are faster than the speed of light, think superman here. You're only hope there is to catch the scatter if the LEO get's sloppy lazing a target up ahead, otherwise you're getting a citation. Instant on radar is tough too, again, if you have a rabbit out front you can get an early warning.
Hi Dingo, yes, I bought the GPS enabled R3 model. The R1 is identical except it has no GPS and is $100 cheaper. On my current missions, I could have saved the $100 since I really don't need it; but the GPS speed is a cool feature to have and it appears to be dead on accurate.
So far I think the R3 is awesome. The biggest compliant I have about detectors is false alarms. I mean, what's the point if the alarm is always going off and spoiling your ride because someone is opening their garage door? I had an older Beltronics detector but it used to drive me crazy with all the false alerts on the X band, which could not be switched off like on the R3. The R3 filters out all of the BS signals except for the K band signals on the newer Acura and GM cars with their blind spot monitoring system. It's really rare to hear it go off though and it's obvious the source as they are, like right in your face when the warning goes off. Walmart and Target also have a K band radar for the front door automatic opener but you simply reach up and hit the mute button twice on the R3 as you go by and it locks out that signal permanently via GPS.
On my standard 37 mile loop, I have gotten only one Ka band hit that was a local LEO about a mile ahead of me and maybe two K band falses from new GMs cruising the backroads. The Ka band signals are the ones I pay attention to as that's what most LEO run down here, so I selected a very high pitch whistle that is unmistakable.
Oh one more thing Dingo, if you get GPS, you get all known red light camera alerts and photo radar alerts automatically via the GPS. The software can be upgraded periodically via a USB connection to your laptop. So fixed location false alert lockouts (Walmart, etc) and the two items mentioned above are the biggest advantages to having the GPS feature.
Got a Ka band alert early this morning out in the twisties on my Repsol Honda, so backed way off the gas and started doing the head on a swivel thing. The signal intensity began to increase and about a half mile later, I came through an S bend and sure enough, three LEOs had a guy in a pickup truck pulled over on the side of the road with lights flashing everywhere. It would have been a been a "heart in my mouth" experience for sure without the detector's early warning.
Hi,
Just picked up my bike and was reading the manual, which says DQS for both up and down shifting, but I was under the impression it was only for up. Anyone know for sure? Possibly they just slap the same DQS blurb in all the manuals?
Attached relevant blurb.
Thanks!
Hi guys (and girls of course!),
First time posting here, hope you can help me a little. I have what looks and smells like a gas leak somewhere on top as there is some residues left on a part in front of the tank. I've taken a picture to better explains it. I was just wondering if someone else...
Hi all
I am having an issue with my front forks where no matter how much I adjust the preload, compression or rebound, The front forks seem to bottom out/fully compress under braking. I recently replaced the fork seals and dust covered, removed the old fluid and added about 570mil of fresh...
Hey 959ers. I tried the new member area but figured this section gets more vision. I’m new to ducs and have done a ton of research which has led me to believe the 959 is well suited for me.
I’m located in south Orange County and am currently looking at bikes in the area. I stopped by Rosso...
Hello. I plan on doing my first track day with the 959 and im not sure how to disable the rear and headlights. I do have a set of trakbrand light covers I've never used before but they reccomend disabling the lights. Anyone have experience with them? Also what tire pressures are recommended for...
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