Pulled over by an unmarked grey Camaro (Iron County, Utah, Sheriff)

[M.Brane]

 The link above made it seem like you couldn't adjust the brightness of the LEDs.

[Rogue]

I think they are referring to the visual alert device.  I was referring to the display on my detector, which you can turn down.  I think it's the same for the Valentine.  I agree it would be a bad thing if something that bright went on during night driving/riding.

I know you guys like the visual alert system.  I thought about going that route.  However, I went with the Audible alert for one big reason:  I want my eyes on the road looking for the bogey.  Ideally, I would like to have the 8500’s readout in a helmet mounted device so I can scan up quickly to check signal strength.  The signal strength tells me if the bogey is getting closer or further away.  The audible alert will do that too but with all the other ambient noise it’s tough to tell sometimes.  When mounted in the car I find both the visual and audible alerts working together to be a great tool for bogey awareness.  I actually have fun playing with it.  I feel like I’m flying a combat mission and I’m scanning for bogeys!  

[M.Brane]

 On the TPX you can adjust the brightness of the visual alert. Nice because you can crank it up in the daytime, and it will get your attention without being distracting. It blinks faster as the signal gets stronger so you don't really have to look at the unit to know signal strength.

 In fact my only real complaint about the TPX is the blue backlit display (freakin' hate blue lighting on instruments!). You can turn off the backlight on the buttons, but not the display.

[Bounce]

The Adaptive's big draw is that it's motorcycle specific kit and weatherproof.

not that big a deal. i toss my V1 in the tank bag when it starts raining hard enough that the fairing no longer protects it. conditions indicate reducing speeds then anyway... and i use it at night, too.

[Squareman357]

not that big a deal. i toss my V1 in the tank bag when it starts raining hard enough that the fairing no longer protects it. conditions indicate reducing speeds then anyway... and i use it at night, too.

LOL I carry a ziplock bag just for that occasion.  Behind the screen it's not hard for it to stay in place and keeps my V1 dry.  Easy peasy.  And like you said, by the time it gets bad enough that I need to put it away, I'm no longer running above legal speeds anyway LOL!

[Papa Lazarou]

You all need to buy a Royal Enfield.  

[Squareman357]

You all need to buy a Royal Enfield.  

If I wanted to ride slow I'd buy a Harley...

[Dave.TX]

For those that blame the cops for your speeding ways...  It's like blaming your obesity on McDonald's: they didn't force that food down your pie hole.

If you're gonna break the law then be prepared to suck it up when you get caught.

Crown Vic's, Camaro's, Tahoe's, trucks... why does a police vehicle have to be a certain type? So they stick out like a sore thumb so when you do see them you can quit breaking the law and act like you're an angel? I stop people in my marked Crown Victoria and they still lie to me as if they've done nothing wrong. Doesn't matter.

And yes, I speed on my bike too but not all the time and not every day. No, I don't have a radar detector on it. No, I haven't gotten caught yet. No, I won't throw my badge out there as soon as it does happen. I'll take accountability for my decisions.

I had a Valentine One and it was superb. If I wanted to get another detector I'd choose that one again. The ex-girlfriend lifted it when she moved out. It was worth giving up to never see or talk to her again though.

That video of the Texas constable Camaro is exactly why they have the reputation of being not much better than a rent-a-cop. Probably wears BDU's bloused in his tactical boots, has an AR-15 decked out with lights and lasers, thinks he's a one man SWAT team and goes by the online handle of "Deputy Dog" or similar. Man that video is embarrassing. He doesn't need that car to guard the JP court, serve eviction notices and do misdemeanor warrant round ups on deadbeat dads. A Prius would work just fine and save taxpayer money.

[SoCalFJR]

Get the big sport tour with BAGS..........the bags are the key, they will assume you're old and ignore you........it seems to work for me...........lol.........haven't had a ticket for about 12 years now..........and I can assure you it isn't because I am watching the speed limit......... ..........if you're running a crotch rocket you have a sign on your back that says "arrest me first".............

[FJR1300]

Get the big sport tour with BAGS..........the bags are the key, they will assume you're old and ignore you........it seems to work for me...........lol.........haven't had a ticket for about 12 years now..........and I can assure you it isn't because I am watching the speed limit......... ..........if you're running a crotch rocket you have a sign on your back that says "arrest me first".............

Uh... we all had bags and we all got awards.

[Kneescrubber]

Uh... we all had bags and we all got awards.

Holding up your restaurant bills from the previous night does not constitute an award.  

[FJR1300]

Holding up your restaurant bills from the previous night does not constitute an award.  

[smiffer]

Why the heck did you all stop? In our group usually the last person takes the hit for the team. "Sorry officer, I don't know who those other guys are. We all caught up to each other back there a bit."

[Rogue]

I had a Valentine One and it was superb. If I wanted to get another detector I'd choose that one again. The ex-girlfriend lifted it when she moved out. It was worth giving up to never see or talk to her again though.

I have both the Valentine 1 and the Escort 8500 X50.

I found the Escort superior to the V1 except for LIDAR.  The V1 is one chatty little SOB in the city.  There is no way to shut off X-band so passing through busy commercial areas is like having a Xmas light parade plus with beeps!  Also the light readout on the V1 is too small!

[Croak]

I have both the Valentine 1 and the Escort 8500 X50.

I found the Escort superior to the V1 except for LIDAR.  The V1 is one chatty little SOB in the city.  There is no way to shut off X-band so passing through busy commercial areas is like having a Xmas light parade plus with beeps!  Also the light readout on the V1 is too small!

Um, my 10 year old V1 (installed in the rear deck high mount brake light of my stationary for years E36 M3) let you turn off X band.  Go read the manual/PDF file.  I seem to remember DIP switches, but it's been a decade so I may be thinking of something else.  But you can also get the remote display and mount it somewhere easier to see than where the V1 is actually mounted.  On my BMW, the remote display has been removed from the plastic case and mounted inside my rear view mirror, bottom right.  Looks like a compass or something from the outside, but has the full V1 display (directional, strength, count).

Since the V1 is sort of perma-mounted in the BMW, I opted for the TPX in 2009.  It's saved me money, but it's also been a pain in the ass.  Mine has the "second gen" cable, with the little clip to hold the DIN connector to the mounting bracket, but there's still a serious problem with those connections getting bad ("wallered out" is the technical term) over time due to vibration (mine has about 40k miles on it, and I use it on two different bikes).  The unit will lose power a lot and then come back (making you think you're getting shot as it reboots), the visual alert will either go dark or stay on, audio through the headset will be off/low/distorted, etc.

The latest model has a hardwired pigtail, with the DIN connection further downstream (no longer hard mounted, and therefore pretty much resistant to vibration).  Sadly, it's not an upgrade you can do to the older units, and they aren't honoring or doing goodwill replacements for us early adopters.  

All that said, the big buttons, various alert schemes (super-bright LED, remote or wired audio), solid weatherproofing (this thing has seen a LOT of heavy rain), and ease of removal/mounting when off the bike, and the easy of swapping from one bike to the next with an extra cradle/harness still make me glad I own one, but it's killing the cheapskate in me to spend another $300+ to replace my current unit for such an obvious (in retrospect) design defect.

And yes, it's bad on K-band falsing, or one could consider it a very good radar detector detector.  I almost always leave it in City No X, even when on the highway.   Oh, and if mounted properly with a clean sightline, the LIDAR detection works too, for all the good it will do you.  

[Rogue]

I read the owner's manual multiple times but could not locate to shut off the X-band.  It tells me to put it in "Superlogic Mode", which will alert me to strong X-band but cancel it immediately if the detector decides it's not a threat.  Problem is, it detects mulitple x-bands so it goes on and on after the first one is cancelled.  I'm thinking of calling the company because it's driving me nuts.

No remote mounting for me as I need to switch it between cars.  I plan to get the updated Escort 8500 X50 with greater range.

I do like the directional indicators of the V1.  If I can turn off the X-band, I would be 90% happy with it.

[FJR1300]

Why the heck did you all stop? In our group usually the last person takes the hit for the team. "Sorry officer, I don't know who those other guys are. We all caught up to each other back there a bit."

Didn't have a choice... I was the last in this group and I came over the hill to find a Highway Patrol cruiser parked in the roadway, blocking the road. This was how he got each of us into one group.

[Andrew]

Yo Rogue check this out
http://www.valentine1.com/Lab/techreport3.asp

[Silverbird]

Wondering if anyone can answer this for me since I've never gotten a ticket.

I don't care about paying fines, to me it the price you pay for breaking the law. What I am concerned about is points on my license.  Do you mean traffic school BS can keep points from accumulating?

[M.Brane]

Wondering if anyone can answer this for me since I've never gotten a ticket.

I don't care about paying fines, to me it the price you pay for breaking the law. What I am concerned about is points on my license.  Do you mean traffic school BS can keep points from accumulating?

 To a point yeah. They won't let you go too often. That's pretty much the whole "point" of traffic school though. Well, that and your money goes into their system instead of to the insurance companies. Get popped too often, and it's time to start paying them or the lawyers.

 Of course if you have a commercial drivers license it's a moot point because you're not able to attend traffic school. You're supposed to know better.