Radar Detectors

Joined
Dec 3, 2004
Messages
1,153
Location
Not your business
Anyone know of any good deals on Escort radar detectors going on right now? I have an older 8500 & am looking to upgrade it. Cyber Monday is coming up.
 

ToddC

Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
4,163
Age
60
Location
Seven Bays Wa
Bike
2006 ST1300A
I have one of those. Been thinking of upgrading too. How do you hear it??? All the research I've done I can't figure out how to get the
Alarm to be heard while riding. I am low tech. No smart phone, GPS, or any of that stuff.

ToddC
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
1,282
Location
Wasaga Beach, Ont. Canada
Bike
'04 ST1300 Blue STar
Are these detectors effective against modern police speed monitors ?? I thought most forces use Laser now,, which is instantaneous and thus nearly impossible to detect in time to respond ?? I suppose some forces still use radar based systems. Detectors are illegal in our province,, but I know many have had hidden installations in past years. And we all travel,, right,,, Cat'
 

ToddC

Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
4,163
Age
60
Location
Seven Bays Wa
Bike
2006 ST1300A
The laser works only if someone else is getting shot in front of you and some of the laser light bounces past to your detector...... other wise your dead....

ToddC
 

dduelin

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Messages
9,640
Location
Jacksonville
Bike
GL1800 R1200RT NC700
2024 Miles
006739
STOC #
6651
I was talking to a guy today about his radar detector which he implied is rapidly becoming more trouble than it's worth. In the last couple of years the proliferation of radar based adaptive cruise control and automatic collision avoidance systems in vehicles cause false alarms all the time. His device is several years old. Do the newest ones operate any better or use different frequencies than the overloaded ones in use now?
 

ST Gui

240Robert
Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
9,262
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
Actually radar is also instantaneous these days. Lidar is laser-focused (LOL) and has little to no 'spillage' or scatter to alert other drivers when bear bait is taken compared to radar.

Around here the CHP have used both radar and lidar. The local police are still using radar. Each method has advantages and disadvantages over the other. Both require training and skill to be successful.
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
756
Location
Seattle area
Bike
2016 FJR1300ES
STOC #
265
There are still many police driving around with their radar on to make it worth having IMHO. It doesn't always work, but it saved my bacon multiple times this past summer. I did get my first ticket in 7 years though do to instant on radar in the middle of nowhere.
 

ToddC

Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
4,163
Age
60
Location
Seven Bays Wa
Bike
2006 ST1300A
I was talking to a guy today about his radar detector which he implied is rapidly becoming more trouble than it's worth. In the last couple of years the proliferation of radar based adaptive cruise control and automatic collision avoidance systems in vehicles cause false alarms all the time. His device is several years old. Do the newest ones operate any better or use different frequencies than the overloaded ones in use now?
The
New ones claim to separate out all the new signals used in new cars.....my old detector goes off a lot when in heavy traffic due to those new systems

T
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,108
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
I recently inherited a Valentine 1 radar detector. I used it on my trip back from the east coast to Cleveland - about 500 miles on I80. The detector went off at every construction site that had one of those "your speed is....." signs, it beeped at large permanently mounted billboards announcing traffic conditions ahead, it went off when I saw an LEO driving east (I was driving west), and I'm sure it went off because other cars had something aboard that upset it.

In short, while I became accustomed to its vagaries, I cannot imagine dealing with the distractions this thing is capable of while riding my bike. I have decided to not rely on it as much as I had hoped, to drive with the traffic when I'm anything less than 100% alert and looking for radar traps, and only speed in rural areas where there is less stringent enforcement and where the terrain is in my favor.

When I read the instructions (when all else fails, read the instructions) I learned that this unit can be upgraded, and that the user has to learn to differentiate spurious signals from real ones. I'm not sure I have the time to do that AND drop my speed if I'm at warp factor 3 or greater. I now drive mostly at Warp 1 or 2. And I don't use it on my bike.
 

wjbertrand

Ventura Highway
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
4,407
Location
Ventura, CA
Valentine and Escort can update the software to limit bogus signals. Though I see the CHP using laser occasionally, 95% of the time it's Ka band radar.
As far as deals, just type the model detector you're interested in into google.
To hear my detector, escort provides an earphone jack in all of their models. You can plug a head set directly in, pipe it into an onboard comm system (my choice using a Starcom1) or using a Bluetooth adapter to sent it to a Bluetooth helmet communicator.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ST Gui

240Robert
Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
9,262
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
I liked the idea of ECM and had a really neat little Escort years ago for about $269 or so. It was fun to watch the lights and hear the growler. It never saved me any money because I didn't get any tickets. $650 or $488 buys a lot of gas.
 

SSBBS

2GO!
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
9
Location
Georgia
Bike
1290SA&ST1100
Greetings all,
just acquired a '98 ST1100, and came looking for info on how best to set up detector on this bike. I use a ram mount and a "screamer" on my ktm 1290, love it and it has paid for itself many, many times over the years. forget if it's "radar buster" or screamer, but it's right around $99 for the kit, includes a special(peizo?) speaker and a sweet little finger tip toggle switch that mounts near throttle.......an optional led alarm can also be added, but it is the speaker that makes this worth every dime, harley's with stereo's full volume will hear your radar detector
alarm....i too use an escort 8500, escort and Ballentine(?) are the only ones I know of that have the required speaker output port for screamer the kit to work, but it is just must have once you see what an excellent LEO bird dog it is....shields up!

in the cage, i use "escort live", extremely effective web based protection, via bluetooth/smartphone app...other drivers report and the web link alerts even before the radar signal can be detected....this will display on the 8500 as well, but the app announces it over the stereo"LIVE RADAR" ahead, reported 2 mins...10 mins...1 hour ago, and it counts down the distance you have left til you hit it....i travel constantly, work and play, I depend heavily on this tool, cannot endorse it enough and just gotta get on set up on the ST, somehow.

so the issue with the ST is the lack of exposed handlebar to clamp a ram mount onto(get my ram mount stuff @ twisted throttle)....don't want to mess up faring or give up storage pockets,
kinda wondering just how i'm gonna get it installed and figured I could find some one's solution here.....I need to add a tankbag, that may have to be where it mounts, but not until I give up finding somewhere/some way to have it secured directly to the bike....last ticket i got, i had the detector but mot the screamer on the the GS i was riding at the time, just did not hear it, rolled right into the cop with radar gun, point blank and dead to rights on i-75......soon as i can figure it out where to mount it, it's gonna be on the ST as well.

happy trails!

Gary
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,108
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
You can get a ram mount that fits between the handlebars atop the steering tube (MCL OUT OF BUSINESS - DO NOT ORDER - though there have been threads that they are ramping down). The MCL spacer also provides an optional powerlet that is fed from below up the steering head tube. Some of the riser blocks also have these features. Some guys have mounted dash shelves above the dash and someone makes a curved iron bar with 3 ram balls on it that fits across the top of the dash. And then there are the brake and clutch reservoir tops (aftermarket) with ram ball mounts. Of course, all of these locations put the radar detector out in plain sight and exposed to the elements. Hiding it under the fairing or dash is going to be difficult - but then it might not 'see' the signal. You can get an optional locking knob for the ram clamp. Touratech might offer a quick detach mount so you can put the detector in your top case at rest stops.
 

skipcurt

Skip
Joined
May 23, 2009
Messages
850
Location
Woodstock, GA
Bike
'18 BMW R1200 GSA
STOC #
3156
Some guys have mounted dash shelves above the dash and someone makes a curved iron bar with 3 ram balls on it that fits across the top of the dash.
I have the 3 ball system on the curved bar mounted to the dash top with the GPS and radar detector mounted to it. It was called the RBIS dash shelf but they must have closed as the website I had for it is no longer. You might be able to find a used one here on the forum if you ask around.

Skip
 

ST Gui

240Robert
Site Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
9,262
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
It was called the RBIS dash shelf but they must have closed as the website I had for it is no longer.
Yes he had an end of business sale some time back. I've had one for two years and only put in on a couple of months back. Nice bit of kit though I don't thing it will support a lot of weight (iPad mini was my intention).

Mine was with a signal RAM ball. I could add two more but won't bother. Will never use a radar detector but my phone it very close to line of sight.
 
Top Bottom