Garmin Bike Radar

[fallenarch]

This is for bicycles but I was thinking it might be nice on a motorcycle too. One problem might be that for a motorcycle 150 feet is not much warning at 60+ mph. Still would be nice to not have to twist around when in dense traffic. What say you?

Garmin also has a backup cam that displays directly to the GPS screen. Might be cool to hook this up either to a switch so you can turn it on when you want to look behind you or somehow attach to the turn signals.

 

[GNBRETT]

pretty kool

 

[VIPER]

Pretty cool but 150 ft isnt going to be helpful at all

 

[jellyrug]

Bicycles don't have rear view mirrors.

 

[fallenarch]

Bicycles don't have rear view mirrors.

Yes, but mirrors alone should not be fully trusted. Mirrors work if you constantly monitor traffic behind you so no one slips into the blind spots (the only thing mine tell me is there is a big elbow tail gating me). I always look back to be sure it's clear. But in heavy, fast moving traffic even a split second with your head turned away from the direction you are moving can be enough to cause a problem. Not saying this is a must have for everyone, but it is potentially an added safety feature that isn't as dangerous as the thing it helps prevent.

PS: Also many bicycle riders have mirrors.

 

[jellyrug]

Yes, but mirrors alone should not be fully trusted. Mirrors work if you constantly monitor traffic behind you so no one slips into the blind spots (the only thing mine tell me is there is a big elbow tail gating me). I always look back to be sure it's clear. But in heavy, fast moving traffic even a split second with your head turned away from the direction you are moving can be enough to cause a problem. Not saying this is a must have for everyone, but it is potentially an added safety feature that isn't as dangerous as the thing it helps prevent.

PS: Also many bicycle riders have mirrors.

Arch, yep I am with you.
I do almost 10 times the miles on my cycle, compared to both my motorcycles.
Guess I am lucky, no bad accidents in the last 15 years. In bike (cycle) races we often go down, but I always seem to just lose a little bit of skin.
Racing cycles is similar to racing motorcycles, no mirrors allowed. So I guess I have just learnt over the years not to give a %^$ about what happens behind me.

On the cycle, I would actually prefer a camera with a remote screen on my bars and remote triggered rifles that shoot dog poop, both in front and behind, aimed at those who think they own the road.

Personally, I would find anything added to my normal mirrors in traffic a distraction. I love seeing their size diminish when I twist the throttle. Especially when it is a Corvette, or a Porsche.

 

[VIPER]

Ok i am an idiot! Its a radar device for proximetry. I honestly thought it was a radar detector! i Was like uh 150 ft ? seriously! Now thati have seen the light, that is damn cool!

 

[fallenarch]

Yeah but 150 ft is too close for a motorcycle going 60-70 mph. We would need 100 yards. I sent an email to Garmin concerning a motorcycle version, no response yet. Cars have it so why can't we?

 

[jellyrug]

Yeah but 150 ft is too close for a motorcycle going 60-70 mph. We would need 100 yards. I sent an email to Garmin concerning a motorcycle version, no response yet. Cars have it so why can't we?

Good luck with getting a reply.

Garmin also makes power meters for bicycles (I use one all the time) so you can see how many watts you are putting out, instantaneous, 3 second average, 10 second average, average for the whole ride. Think that would be cool on a motorcycle so you can see if your motor is putting out what it should. Not difficult to do, it will be a strain gauge in the sprocket and an accelerometer.

Arch, let's work on a patent!

 

[captain]

LEO use radar these days for just this purpose. The rear antenna will alert them if a vehicle is coming up on them too fast too close!

 

[fallenarch]

Arch, let's work on a patent!

When I was a young chap of 14 I designed a rear suspension system that translated the rotating motion of the swing arm into a push-pull motion. This allowed the shock to be laid down under the engine, and allowed huge amounts of travel without the geometry issues that come along with traditional setups. Of course it was a constant ratio but I handled that with progressive springs. While I didn't get it at the time, this setup would move about 20-40 lbs to the center of mass on the bike too. Obviously, modern linked mono-shock setups do a lot of this without the addition of gearing that would have to be maintained. We went for a patent but gave up at $3,000, that was a lot of lawns cut back in 1977! As my parents pointed out that was a quarter of college at Va Tech.

Jelly that's when I realized if you have an idea it's better to source a supplier and sell as many as you can before others jump on it. Patents are expensive and difficult to defend. They also eat a lot of startup money.

 

[jellyrug]

When I was a young chap of 14 I designed a rear suspension system that translated the rotating motion of the swing arm into a push-pull motion. This allowed the shock to be laid down under the engine, and allowed huge amounts of travel without the geometry issues that come along with traditional setups. Of course it was a constant ratio but I handled that with progressive springs. While I didn't get it at the time, this setup would move about 20-40 lbs to the center of mass on the bike too. Obviously, modern linked mono-shock setups do a lot of this without the addition of gearing that would have to be maintained. We went for a patent but gave up at $3,000, that was a lot of lawns cut back in 1977! As my parents pointed out that was a quarter of college at Va Tech.

Jelly that's when I realized if you have an idea it's better to source a supplier and sell as many as you can before others jump on it. Patents are expensive and difficult to defend. They also eat a lot of startup money.

Arch, it is the attorneys you have to stay away from. I filed a design patent for this www.etsy.com/listing/464347708 It cost me less than $400 and is in process (pending)