Re: radar detector on R1100S

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Rene and list members,

rene-didier@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> I would like to mount a radar detector on my R1100S. Has any
> one put one on theirs? Where? How? I just don't want to
> re-invent the wheel.

[I recently posted this to the IBMWR list. It applies here.]

I assume you want to get a radar detector for two primary reasons: (1) You 
like to occasionally ride in a spirited manner which may exceed legally 
posted speed limits, and (2) you prefer to avoid getting a ticket for 
exceeding the speed limit. I also assume you are an prudent rider. If my 
assumptions are correct, read on. Otherwise, hit the "delete" button and 
sayonara.

I too, fit the description above, and as a prudent rider, I am extra careful 
to consciously decide when I want to ride in a spirited manner, and just how 
briskly I want to ride. My experience with radar detectors was that I got 
lulled into a false sense of security. This lead me to scenarios such as 
being pulled over by authorities for exceeding the speed limit even though 
the detector sounded off as expected as a squad car and I crested a hill 
simultaneously.

So I changed my strategy to one that has proven to be 100% effective. I have 
frequented the red line in top gear on a number of occasions (indicated 250 
kph), and I frequently travel at 140 to 150 kph on roads posted with a 100 
kph limit, without ever being ticketed and never fleeing authorities. People 
ask me how I do it, especially since I don't have a radar or laser detector 
or jammer. My answer: I ride according to ambient conditions. Here is the 
"secret":

1) Start by making sure your riding skills are up to snuff for
   taking your bike up to those higher speeds. This means
   getting professional training, and putting in the practice
   to test your perceived skills, and making sure they are
   sufficiently and truly developed. Do this in a safe haven.
   A track is the best place to develop skills because the risk
   to you and your bike is reduced when you eliminate traffic
   that is not rider friendly, and road conditions that could
   conspire to injure you.

2) Make sure you always dress for the occasion. In case you
   are not into physics, a little common sense will tell you
   that as you raise your speed, should an incident occur, the
   odds of injury increase as well as the degree of the
   severity of those injuries because with increased velocity,
   the forces acting upon your body also increase. So does the
   risk of death. This is all bad news, but these are things you
   should take into consideration if you want to go fast. Race-
   grade leathers (or super synthetic textiles), top and bottom,
   heavy duty leather gloves, heavy boots with ankle protection,
   and a good full-face helmet with eye protection are prudent
   go-fast gear. Impact protection such as CE pads go a long
   way to translate a shattered knee into a bruised one, so
   consider them to be a good idea for major impact points:
   knees, elbows and forearms, shoulders, and preferably spine
   and hips.

3) Learn about the risks that conspire to do you in when you
   ride on the street. By wisely educating yourself about these
   risks, expecting them, looking for them, and knowing how to
   mitigate or avoid them, you will be able to pick up the pace
   without posing risk to yourself, your bike, to others, or to
   others' property. I found David L. Hough's book "Proficient
   Motorcycling" to be outstanding for this purpose. There are
   also courses that teach this sort of thing too.

If you have done the above, and you ride in accordance with your skills and 
with ambient conditions, you will also be avoiding getting nailed by radar 
and laser speed traps as well as "rolling radar" traps. Here are some 
examples of how I accomplished this:

 o On a long stretch of straight road, without another vehicle
   around, a clump of bushes located 20 ft from the shoulder
   obscures my view. Training tells me an animal may be behind
   that scrub, and it may jump out unexpectedly as I pass at
   250 kph. Bad idea! I slow down to a pace where I can easily
   stop or swerve to avoid an incident, should that happen.
   By the way, a Leo with a radar could be hiding there.

 o On a long stretch of straight road, without another vehicle
   in sight, I am approaching the crest of a hill which
   naturally obscures what lies beyond. Training tells me that
   a hidden intersection could be beyond, or a two-car collision
   in the middle of the road, and I could not stop in time if
   I were doing 250 kph. Bad idea! I slow down to a pace where
   I can easily stop or swerve to avoid an incident, should
   that happen. By the way, a Leo with a radar could be hiding
   there, or a moving radar could be coming the opposite way.

 o On a gloriously twisty road, I have an opportunity to put a
   knee down and have some fun. Training tells me that beyond
   each blind curve could be some gravel, sand, or other road
   debris that should instantly spell a low-side. Or on an
   otherwise perfect road, a decreasing-radius curve could
   suddenly introduce parameters that are beyond the limits
   of man and/or machine. And even if I slowly inspect the
   entire run before doing it at high speeds, a blind curve
   could suddenly surprise me with a downed rider sprawled
   across my path, or a slow moving semi rounding a corner,
   or a pick-up truck sight-seeing. Bad idea! I slow down to
   a pace where I can easily stop or swerve to avoid an
   incident, should that happen. By the way, a Leo with a
   radar could be hiding around that blind curve.

 o On a clean stretch of high-speed-capable highway, I'm
   cooking it well beyond the speed limit. Off in the distance,
   heading in the same direction I am, I see one or more cars.
   I could pass them at 250 kph, but training tells me that one
   of these drivers may be less than 100% alert. He may be on a
   cell phone, or gazing around, or just inattentive. Another
   driver may decide he's going to pass, and pull into the left
   lane (and into my path) without seeing me, or perhaps not
   realizing that I'm booking triple-digit speeds. Bad idea!
   I slow down as I approach these vehicles to ensure that I
   can easily stop or swerve to avoid an incident, should that
   happen. By the way, one of those vehicles could be a Leo.

You get the idea. You can go fast, and go prudently, and not get nailed by 
speed traps. This strategy is not effective against airborne authorities. 
But then again, either are radar/laser detectors/jammers, so you are no 
worse off.

- -Steve Makohin
 '01 R1100S/ABS
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada

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