Radar Detector

There are probably about 5 major things to consider in buying and using a radar detector.

1. Choosing a detector
2. Buying or building a mount
3. Choosing a warning device that takes the output of the detector to the rider
4. Making the electrical connection
5. Developing a good strategy for when spirited riding is reasonable

The best and most recommended radar detectors seem to be the Valentine V-1, the better Escorts, and the higher level Beltronics/BELs. Others may work but these three are consistently rated the best by fair tests and real users. Often the Valentine won't be mentioned in reviews, because that company only sells direct to customers and so the reviewers can't make money by recommending them. Reviews that also sell detectors are often biased or so neutral as to be useless, because they say the best things about only the highest priced detectors they sell.

I like the Valentines because they have the Front, Side and Back arrows to indicate direction. The V-1 is tough, upgradeable and repairable. The company has consistently been a high performer in this field. The unit is a little big and rectangular, but who cares. It's long range detection is very, very good and that's the one feature needed when you are getting stray bounce signals off cars far in front of you.

Good mounts can be bought or built (I've bought and made many). They generally use the forks, triple clamps or windshield for location

Radar detectors are generally made for the car market because that's where the volume of sales are. Motorcycle use is an a later adaption. But the point is that loud volume, flashing lights, ...etc are not needed in cars, but are needed for motorcycles if you are to get a good warning. The flashing LED's on windshield or mirrors and the HARD System using a wireless helmet receiver are my favorites. But, a direct wire to a helmet speaker also works. There are many other methods, but some auxiliary amplification of the signal is needed to get the rider's attention at speed and over the wind noise or past earplugs....etc.

The best choice for electrical connection is directly to the battery with a fused line and an extra on-off toggle switch. Connecting to the CAN bus, headlight or tail light will give problems. For example, hooking to a tail light line will give a big voltage drop whenever you use the brake. This drops the radar detector off line and it reboots, very annoying....etc. The extra on-off toggle switch is used to keep the detector off when an officer follows you or to occasionally switch on and off as a "system check" that everything is working. Most detector buttons are small or rotary, so turning them on and off with gloves is a pain and likely a distracting hazard. After every refueling, do a system check to be sure that everything is working. Refueling tends to shift wires, dials and switches as you move tank bags or gloves around on the bike.

No radar detector is a complete, force shield against radar or certainly not laser. Instant-on radar is tough to beat and you can only hope to catch stray signals as the officer hits cars ahead of you. So, one strategy is certainly to not speed in towns or within about 5 miles of them. These are high enforcement areas. It is also helpful to know the territory. Some areas get lots of enforcement and some little. Learn the profiles and colors of the most used police vehicles so you can also visually spot them. Remember that both the State and local police also use motorcycles equipped with radar. Most radar detection comes from the front, in the other traffic lane, around corners, over hills, cars parked in the medians or side of the road...etc. Watch for these. There are many others to list, but that's for another day. It is possible to ride quickly, safely and efficiently in open areas with few physical or ticket risks. No tickets... and .... no crashes are good matching objectives.

Good luck and happy, ticket-free riding.