RADAR DETECTOR

Here's the deal. I don't ride a bike to speed, I ride it to enjoy it. Sometimes that involves fracturing the posted speed limit, and other times it doesn't. I absolutely love speed and its intoxicating appeal, and the ST lets you speed faster than you realize you are. The concept of "speed" is a relative one, meaning that 70mph seems slow in some circumstances and insanely fast in others. This is due mostly to external factors such as inclement weather, twisty roads, colder temperatures, heavy traffic and closed environments. Each of these factors can take any given speed and make it seem faster. For example, on an open, straight desert road, 70mph doesn't seem all that fast. Now consider going 70mph on a wet, twisty road in a dense forest.

I respect the law, and I respect the police, but when it comes down to it, speed limits don't mean all that much to me. I tend to think speeding tickets are simply a line item on a state's budget. That said, when you get caught, you're going to have to pay with either money (fines and increased insurance) or time (fighting it in court). Personally, I've fought every ticket I've ever gotten, and I've won most. Still, the best way to deal with a ticket is to avoid one, and the best way to avoid a ticket is to not speed. Ha! In general, I don't speed, but when I do, I want to have that extra layer of protection just in case. Remember, no radar detector is foolproof, and in some situations, even the best detector won't do squat, so don't rely on any detector too much. Neither the airplane above you nor that cop car pacing you from 100 ft back are going to set off a detector. Using your eyes and being alert to speed trap situations will save you more tickets than any radar detector will.

So now we get to radar detectors. I'm not going to go into a bunch of reviews and whatnot here. Go here if you want to learn more. What I am going to do is tell you that if you want the best detector there is, get the Valentine One. It wins every award all the time. It's also $400 - yikes! Me, I simply want to know in general when a cop is prowling the road, and most any radar detector will get the job done, as such I currently use a Whistler 1670. It detects most cops I've seen and it only has few false-readings here and there. It detects all bands, has 360 degree coverage, voice readings, a loud volume setting and bright lights. With that, I just defined about 90% of the detectors out there, so it's really hard to go wrong with any of the major brand names. This model even has a little digital memo recorder which may seem gimmicky, but can actually pretty useful on a cycle with no memo pad attached.

Whatever model you choose, there are many mounts out there. The mount I use below won't allow 360 degrees of coverage (i.e. from behind) like most models offer. This is basically because I secure it right in front of me. Since I'm not going to drill holes in my chest, all I get is front coverage which is again, just fine for me, because I want to catch most speed trap situations, not all of them. Even the $400 models won't do that. Better yet, being right in front of me, I can clearly see the display and I don't need to take my eyes off the road to do so.

This mount is about as simple and inexpensive as it gets. It is nothing more than a 2" strip of 1" 3M dual-lock (super velcro). You can pick this stuff up at most hardware stores in the glue and tape isle, but I got mine at Radio Shack. Simply attach it where you see on the dash and on the bottom of the detector. Let each piece sit for a couple days to cure before locking them together.



Once the tape strips are cured, lock them together and that thing isn't going anywhere even on the bumpiest roads. Plus, you can rip it off at any time (getting pulled over) and re-attach later with no harm done. Also, because the dash is pitched forward, you can leave the forward couple rows on the strips unattached, which levels out the detector, but still holds it securely in place. After this, you can hardwire the detector or whatever. I simply plug mine into the 12v socket at the bottom of the right glove box. This is also where you can quickly store the unit should you face one of the boys (or ladies) in blue.



One more thing. It's not waterproof, but then again, whoever speeds when it's raining out deserves a ticket.