Thinking about going to V1

[yura]

good points. in order for a cop to ticket you for going over the speed limit, do they have to provide a radar readout, or can they say "yeah, you were going 50 in a 40mph zone, here's your ticket"?

Depends on where you are. Here they can use visual estimation. If they think you are doing 40kph over the limit, your vehicle goes bye-bye.

Here's a quick story:

Buddy was riding his sportbike w/ his girl on the back on a local highway. Another similarly looking bike was going faster and doing some douche-like moves, also with a passenger. Someone calls the other bike in, and the cops stop my buddy. They don't clock him speeding, they don't get a speed estimate - nothing. They stop him purely on the fact of him matching the description of a civilian's phone call. The result was $600 worth of immediate fines, bike towed for a week, and license lost for two weeks. In a week those officers showed up at his house and took his license for another three months.

He paid $4000 for a lawyer to send a strongly worded letter (which got him his license back after a month) and who will also join him in court to fight these tickets. Once the trial takes place and he (no doubt) wins, he'll be proceeding to sue for costs.

All this because some grandma called 911 on her cellphone and said that a red motorcycle with a passenger was speeding.

And I know my buddy real well, and know how he rides (we ride together all the time) - this story isn't made up. I picked him and his girl up when the bike got taken. Welcome to beautiful British Columbia.

[johnrando]

Another vote for V1 - but I don't use mine in the city either. Another point of view on this (outside of going fast with extra protection) is the peace of mind it gives you while driving... We've all seen LEO on the road and wondered if they are hitting you with speed detection... well now you know. Also, sometimes your speed increases maybe you're going faster than you think, a detector going off is a good friendly reminder to keep your speed in check. (Even going 80 on a Interstate with a 70 mph could (but not likely) get you a ticket). Also, the bogey counter is extremely helpful. So are the directional arrows, as they help you find the source and you know when you've driven by them.

Most of these are additional side benefits. In reality, I drive with a lead foot and I like the added layer of protection, and the V1 provides that, equal to or better than what else is out there according to what I've read.

[Jon D]

As said above, they are the best detector right now. Would never do a road trip without mine. I set the cruise at about 10 over while they most likely won't ticket at that they can. I have had it really save me twice, once Ka the other a laser on the car in front.

[yura]

As said above, they are the best detector right now. Would never do a road trip without mine. I set the cruise at about 10 over while they most likely won't ticket at that they can. I have had it really save me twice, once Ka the other a laser on the car in front.

How sensitive is the laser performance? I'm surprised it picked up laser bouncing off the car in front of you as laser usually has a very narrow beam of only a few feet. Any feedback/experience?

I've found that with my 8500, seeing "LASER" light up is a cue for either an instant exit off the road, or a couple seconds heads-up to make up an excuse!

[Jon D]

How sensitive is the laser performance? I'm surprised it picked up laser bouncing off the car in front of you as laser usually has a very narrow beam of only a few feet. Any feedback/experience?

I've found that with my 8500, seeing "LASER" light up is a cue for either an instant exit off the road, or a couple seconds heads-up to make up an excuse!

It was good enough. No real measurement. Scared the xxx out of me when it went off.

[cakM3]

I have no complaints with my V1... The arrows really are great to have, as well as the counter that shows the number of emitters. Those features have saved my bacon a few times. There aren't any traffic monitoring radars that I am aware of in my part of the country, so I can't comment on the filtering. I give it two thumbs up.

I concur with edlvrt's statement above

Coupled with the RadarActive app I'm using with my iPhone4 I get a heads up of where the LEOs are parked ahead of time so I have GPS capability with mine...

Not that I speed with wreckless abandon but its nice to drive down the road without any unnecessary surprises...