Adaptive Technologies Radar Detector

ThaDoubleJ

Registered
I just picked up the TPX detector from adaptive technologies, took forever to get it all set up on my 996 since they don't have a mount yet and I had to adapt a techmount to work, then I tried the Hayabusa setup I purchased for my 05, and the mount requires that you remove the steering stem nut, replace it with thier aluminum one with a ball on top, and torque to 70% of manufacturers spec. This doesn't sound like a very good idea to me, and I certainly don't have the wierd star shaped thingy that qualifies as a nut on my bike. I know the Techmounts for busas have a stem that goes down inside the steering stem, seems like a much better idea. This thing I bought looks pretty stinkin trick, but the 70% torque spec worries me. I don't know much about the steering head of a bike, never had to get into that part, any info would be awesome.
 
I don't know
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 the answer to your question, but I would go with the Tech mount and mod if nessary
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. That said, I've read the ATR is a great Detector. Which I'am thinking about adding. Since gas prices have risen and small AND large cities are now hitting more marginal traffic infractions for additional income. It's just a way they can get more $$$$$ to off set their rising cost. So
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, knowing they're there, is a positive for me
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.
 
Seems like a pretty good detector, I lined it up against my Passport 8500 (which has never failed me) and it was picking up my K band radar gun at pretty much the same time as my Escort, plus picking up a Ka band from a cop a couple streets over that my 'scort was missing here and there. I'm not too thrilled about the wireless ear thing that you have to attach to your hat, but I'll be more excited about it next time I don't get a ticket. The mount I ordered (70 bones) looks really stinkin nice, but messing with the steering stem nut makes me a little nervous, and asking the local punk kid at the Suzuki stealership makes me even more nervous.
 
I picked up the TPX a few weeks ago and got the control mount with it. Was easy to remove the existing brake lever control bolts and replaced it with the ones that came with the unit. took me maybe half an hour to install. most of that time was due to routing wire to follow the exiting bike wires.
 
I sell these if anyone wants one.
Typically ship same day.

We even did a GB here for it awhile back. Have put about 4-5000 miles on mine since I got it a couple months ago. I didn't have any trouble swapping out the steering nut actually, just took the old one off, and put on the Adaptive one and tightened it up. Not the worlds biggest expert on radar detectors, but empirically speaking, it works great. Took a 1200 mile 4 day ride few weeks ago and wrote about 4 different instances where it saved me from doing something stupid.

Here's a cut and paste from the ride:

So here's my Adaptiv TPX story. Provided a good warning at least 4 times in the last 1200 mile ride. After that ride, I've begun to realize that all a radar detector has to do (I've never even owned one before) is save you from one ticket, just one, and it pays for itself right there.

Bonehead Move #1: We were on Hwy 36 and just runnin' through the curves, good times, takin' it easy really. Hwy 36 near Red Bluff has these sequences of curves and pop-up hills (you can get airborn- seriously), then straights. We came into the straight and I had the bonehead idea to blast on over to the next sequence- which I could see good mile ahead. Dead straight. Busa country. Just as I tuck in to roll on the throttle, put my chin down on the tankbag and the LED Alert goes off. Rolled off and then there he was, CHP with a car pulled over on the very far side of the straight! Whew! Should have known better, that was a classic speed trap plus I was getting close to the end of 140 miles of twisties. Duh.

Next day, we were on Hwy 89 headed towards Truckee & Lake Tahoe. This is classic CHP huntin' grounds. Tim was leading and I radioed ahead to him to be on the lookout for CHP. As we rolled into Sierraville (tiny town), sure enough, detector goes off not minutes after I told Tim to cool it. We made the right 90 degree turn as Hwy 89 rolls through that town & there he was seemingly waiting for cars to roll into this small town from opposite direction. Another classic scenario. Part that I was surprised by is detector picks him up around the 90 degree corner. How does it do that?

On to #3. Headed home after 1200 mles of riding for a quick 50 mile juant on I-80 to switch roads. CHP love I-80 as it has some steep descents dropping out the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I was expecting speedtraps and they were all in very predictable places. I drop in behind the grocery-go-getter in the middle lane. And the dude in the jacked up pickup speeds into the slow lane and blasts past everybody. Sure enough, the Adaptiv radar goes off. There are 3 CHP waiting at the bottom of the hill! Sheesh. One on the left, two on the right. 3 cops! That was open season.

So here's your bonus #4. Right at the very bottom of another of the steep decents. Detector goes off right before I crest the hill and start down. Thanks TPX! Ah, but right as my little wolfpack of cars gets to the bottom, he pulls out and follows. Everyone pulls over to the right and prays. He plods on by TPX is having a field day going off. Must be rear-facing radar gun left on.

So I decided to have a little fun with that and once he gets just to the edge of my line-of-sight, I pull out and follow him leaving the wolfpack behind. No one else seems to want to pursue the CHP. The TPX goes full strength when he's line of sight a good distance off. I match his speed and continue following, the TPX radar, continues going off.

The part maybe someone can explain to me is even when the road had slight bend to it and I couldn't see him, still get a weak 1 or 2 bar alert. Maybe he's about a 1/2 mile in front of me, far enough to not be too conspicuous, but I can clearly see the Explorer. Road straightens out, back to line of sight, and detector goes full strength. Over small rises, back to 1-2 bars. I followed him for at least 5 miles matching his speed and detector was going off the entire 5+ mile stretch beepin' and flashin'.

Interesting experiment in how the radar detector works.
 
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I can splain how you're picking him up around corners and such, once my license was in danger from speeding, I decided to get to know my enemy and began learning everything I could about Radar and Lidar.  Basic gist is, radar bounces off everything.  Birds, trees, mountains, you, me, the ground, road signs, stinkin everything.  Pretty much the only time you won't pick it up till he's on top of you is if he's using instant on Ka and you're the only vehicle for miles, or if he's pointing up a steep hill and it's spraying off into space.  Lidar is a different story, most call it Laser, and it puts out a 3 foot diamater beam at the distance he shoots you with it, and it disperses into basically nothing.  If you get lasered, you're alrady caught, unless you get lucky and catch a little shard of it bouncing off the car in front of you.  It has to be used on something reflective though, and all we've got is a headlight.  The low beam will scramble it a bit, but don't count on that, I've been lasered on my 996 easy as pie since it has a bunch of chrome surrounding the low beam projector.  They do make jammers, but they're a felony and wouldn't work too well on a bike.  Radartest.com has bags of usefull info for fighting the fuzz.  Pash, what did your torque that nut down to?  My shop said 25.5 ft/lb was spec, so I did about 20 to fall in with the 70%.
 
active jammers are illegal but passive jammers aren't there are a few states that theyre illegal in but its mostly the same states that have illegal radar detectors
 
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ThaDoubleJ @ Jun. 17 2008 said:
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They do make jammers, but they're a felony and wouldn't work too well on a bike.
Radar jammers are a felony but laser jammers i don't believe are. Blinder system has gotten much praise from 4 and 2 wheeled perspective's. Radar Roy seemed to like it: http://www.stealthstreetbike.com/beat-the-heat.htm
Before we get too caught up in heresay and 'i heard this', We did a group buy for the new Cheetah M-25 Laser Jammer for Motorcycles a few months ago. Brand new offering from the Cheetah folks- specific to bikes. So if are curious about Laser Jammers, you can look up that old thread here or read FAQ's on how they work here on a page I built for them: http://www.pashnit.com/product/cheetah_m25_rider.html
Definitely a specialized item, and at $629, not cheap.

Do they work? A dumb answer to that is people wouldn't be buying them if they didn't.

<div class="iF-Passage"><div class="QUOTEHEAD">Quote:[/Quote]<div class="QUOTE clearfix"><span class="quoteBegin"> </span>
Are laser jammers legal?

Laser Jammers are legal in 80% of the United States, or 40 out of 50 states. There are no federal laws in the U.S.A. that prohibit the ownership and/or operation of laser jammers. However, some states have enacted their own laws that do prohibit the ownership and/or use of these devices. These states include: Nebraska, Minnesota, Utah, California, Oklahoma, Virginia, Colorado, Illinois and Washington DC.

Most countries in Europe ban the use of laser jammers but not the buying, owning or selling.

In the UK, it is illegal to use a laser jammer and if you are caught the typical penalty to expect is points and a fine.

It is your responsibility to check the local laws that apply in your area and to comply with local legislation at all times.[/quote]

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