Triumphrat

DahktahJay · 06-06-2005

I noticed a few weeks ago while going up I-83 from Baltimore, MD towards Harrisburg, PA (and a few other places) and passing a handful of those "You are Going XX mph" kiosk/sign thingy's that the didnt even pick me up. I must have passed between 10 and 20 of these things and not a 1 registered anything. I figured the absense of a flat metal surface (i.e. front license plate, car hood etc..) was the reason. I also figured that those signs probably use the cheapest method of speed detection and that could be synonomous with old technology. I would like to hear from anybody who has got pulled over speeding and if they knew what method of detection it was, or from anyone in the law enforcment field who doesn't mind sharing the in's and out's of speed detection as it relates to motorcycles in particular. Just curious to know the facts just in case I do get a ticket and want to try to weasal my way out of it. It probably won't matter anyway because I know first hand the "calibration technicality" doesn't work and an insanity plea won't fly :-) ! Also in my experience the cop always shows up so there goes those hopes. I always end up going to court then being ordered to pay the ticket and then court costs plus a half a days work missed. I could always get a radar detector but im a cheap skate so until I actually get a ticket or pulled over I won't see the benifit to the cost.

dnlwthrn · 06-06-2005

My 03 gets picked up by those all the time. I pass one almost every day. I just wish it was in a faster speed zone. I now know almost exactly how far off my speedo is at an indicated 35 mph... usually registers 31-32.

I'm not sure why you're bike is getting missed. Radar (especially old tech) doesn't need a flat metal surface to reflect off of... If it did, we'd never know how fast pitchers could throw a baseball.

Dan

Sport · 06-06-2005

Funny you ask that because I have been thinking the same thing while riding in the exact same area.

I have heard that older/boxier cars were easier to pick-up because there are less curves to reflect back to the radar gun (same principle as our stealth jets/bombers). I too travel I-83 everday there at Dead-Man's curve, and have tried to make triple digits on those speed detectors to see if they would short circuit or something :wink:

I have also noticed that it easily reads 25+ miles less than my recorded speed; sometimes jumping to 0Mph.

I believe our ST's reflect the radar in too many directions for the radar to detect our bikes accurately; however, if our regionals are anything like the California Highway Patrols, they are trained to detect speeds of moving cars within a 3Mph accuracy. A CHP friend of mine shared this with me some time back.

DahktahJay · 06-06-2005

Screw EM! They probably couldn't catch me anyway! HA! No just kidding! Never would run from a cop but man would that be an adrenaline rush! I wish I had a cop friend or a hard core gadget geek that had different types of equipment I could experiment with. I could probably find some stuff on eBay but who has extra money for that *****? I'd rather buy an '05 ST first.

zKing · 06-06-2005

Quote:

I too travel I-83 everday there at Dead-Man's curve, and have tried to make triple digits on those speed detectors to see if they would short circuit or something :wink:

Don't ask me how I know this, but once you get over a certain point they just say "HI" (at least the ones around here do). I heard a rumour that the people who run them realized people were attempting to see how high they could go and they didn't want to encourage that behaviour.

Of course I have no idea who would try such a thing... :razz:

cyclebob · 06-06-2005

Sadly, I must say, we're only invisible to the roadside auto , mobile stuff. Such was kindly explained to me by a friendly Ohio State Patrolman, he thanked me for NOT running ( he was coming from the opposite direction, accross a median ). There wasn't anywhere to go, and I,m the only local w/ a cane strapped to the back of my bike. I've since found one that collapses into the tankbag. Save yourself some money, buy a good detector and stay legal on major highways ( airplanes and helicopters).
Good Luck All! I know, it's hard to keep it legal.

jvb · 06-06-2005

Quote:

Don't ask me how I know this, but once you get over a certain point they just say "HI" (at least the ones around here do). I heard a rumour that the people who run them realized people were attempting to see how high they could go and they didn't want to encourage that behaviour.

Of course I have no idea who would try such a thing... :razz:

Is that HI as in Hi, how are you going? Or HI as in too high?

vwvectors · 06-07-2005

The radar detector is the way to go . An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure . Someone also makes a product that u spray (clear) on your headlights & license plate & it absorbs & scatters the radar beam . Independent tests have met with positive results .

Lama1 · 06-07-2005

The same thought occured to me when I passed one the other day that I pass daily in my car. On the ST no indication at all. :???:

DahktahJay · 06-07-2005

Does anybody know if those kiosk's actually collect data or do they just display a number and thats it? Im a IT guy who designs and develops database driven applications and for some reason data gives me a stiffy! I would like to get my hands on some of that data if it exists and graph it, analyze it, make reports, etc., etc.