Stealth V1 install on K1200LT

[dvallis]

Hey K1200LT owners, you probably recognize the picture of the side pod "wing" below. Has anyone ever tried to install a V1 or some other detector in there? Seems to me it would have a great view front and rear. It would even allow laser detection with some creative clear plastic inserts ....


Comments?

[ironbuttwannabe]

Nope, never heard of it. Probably because there is a crashbar up tight in that plastic. Not much room in there. No empty room at all if you are using the J-Peg aluminum crash bar. A better solution would be in your side case

[dvallis]

Ah, well, the large metal bar might cause some radar issues. :rotf:

I'm not quite letting this one go yet. Maybe an areodynamic pod on top of the side wing? I like that location because of the front-back visibility it has for radar and laser. Side case mounting is radar only. Also, if you put it on the right side of the bike, it would always have a pretty good view into traffic.

We'll see I guess ... the search continues.

[meese]

Why do you need to hide it? Are you from Virginia? :confused:

Mine sits right out in the open on the handlebars, although it is in a waterproof case. If you're really worried about it, install an exterior on/off switch so you can shut it down to full dark before the nice LEO walks up to speak with you . . . :D

[SilverBuffalo]

I believe it will work a little better higher up on the handlebars where Meese and myself have ours mounted,
it's certainly easier to see there.

I set my helmet on it and cover it before the "nice" LEO walks up to my bike.

[murray]

[QUOTE=meese]Why do you need to hide it? Are you from Virginia? :confused:


But even if they nail you in states like VA one should have plenty of time to stash the V1 before the LEO pulls you over.
I have been alerted by the V1 many times in Va. It's a life saver.

[VRodPete]

[QUOTE=meese]Why do you need to hide it? Are you from Virginia? :confused:


But even if they nail you in states like VA one should have plenty of time to stash the V1 before the LEO pulls you over.
I have been alerted by the V1 many times in Va. It's a life saver.

I hear that VA is experimenting with radar/laser detector-detectors, so the LEOs get advance warning you have a detector and can bust you. The detector-detectors were supposedly developed by the radar detector mfrs (get this marketing logic...) and the grand plan is to make the old radar/laser detectors obsolete (detectable) and then introduce a new line of "invisible" detectors. It's great when you own both ends of the market, huh?

[2002redrider]

As stated previously the side pod is just a cosmetic cover for the crash bar, no room at all left over. A small shelf above the instrument cluster tucked in behind the windshield works great with excellent rear sensitivity even through or around me. Add a H.A.R.D. wireless transmitter and helmet reciever LED system and you have great protection.

[dvallis]

I like the idea of keeping laser warning capability front and rear. I'm messing with building a small streamlined side pod, clear end caps, attached to the side of the top cover. The bike fairing is completely in pieces for an Autocom, GPS, V1, OEM stereo integration, so I may as well do it right this time.

[dshealey]

I like the idea of keeping laser warning capability front and rear. I'm messing with building a small streamlined side pod, clear end caps, attached to the side of the top cover. The bike fairing is completely in pieces for an Autocom, GPS, V1, OEM stereo integration, so I may as well do it right this time.Putting it in a "container" on top of the crash wings would work, but it would reduce the range a little at all times, and just about kill reception completely if the radar source is off to the side a little so that it is blinded by any metallic parts of the bike.

I played around for a couple hours trying all kinds of different locations on the LT using a Ka band source at a local mall, finally gave up trying to "hide" it altogether and put in a Pelican box bonded to a cutout in the wind wing on the right of the windshield. It worked just great there, even the Laser detection until I gave that up and turned it off. Found that it was a fantastic GM SUV brake light detector, but too little too late for laser speed detection to be useful, so turned it off. I used the remote display unit, pictured over the instrument panel, and the remote audio unit to pipe the audio through my intercom. I never rode through VA with it, but not sure what I would have done then. Probably removed it from the Pelican box and put it in a locked sidecase. VA does not say you can not have it, just that use of them is illegal.

P.S. To make it a little more theft resistant, I drilled and tapped the case latch for two tamper resistant screws. Never removed the unit from the bike during the three years it was on it.

[D.Kinsey]

I was able to modify the Escort SRX https://www.escortradar.com/store/passport-srx.htmlto to work on the LT. Front unit under the front fairing/attached to the high beam and the rear unit built into the license mount. The head/control unit is very thin and sits almost invisible mounted to the bottom of the dash shelf. Works well ;)

[djw]

I was under the impression that the unit needed to be horizontal for the microwave collector to work most effectively?

[CohesiveTechnology]

You are correct. Radar emission, like most emissions, are polarized; either horizontally, vertically, or circular-ly :) ). A V1 oriented vertically will have a greatly reduced intercept range; on the order of half the distance (though this is a guesstimate because many factors affect the intercept threshold).

In the front of the V1 is a feed horn. The shape of the feed horn is mathematically calculated for best gain on the horizontal axis.

[dshealey]

I was under the impression that the unit needed to be horizontal for the microwave collector to work most effectively? There was no difference between vertical and horizontal at all when I tested using the Ka band door opener signal in the mall parking lot. I tried every position, and the signal strength readout did not change at all anywhere between vertical and horizontal.

I had picked a spot in the parking lot where the signal strength was a couple dots below full strength so I could tell differences in mounting locations and positions.

I wondered about differences between door openers and actual radar guns, but when riding with others who also had V1 radar detectors, there was little to no difference in when we picked up radar. Sometimes I would be first, other times someone else, but there was a very short range of difference in any occasion.

"Textbook" knowledge is one thing, but a lot of empirical data for me meant much more. Real life circumstances rarely follow the book anyway.

[dvallis]

I've been looking at this after work for a week. The bike is in pieces with an intercom install, and I'm ready to be done and back to riding. I really just want a better looking V1 installation than "clamped on the handlebars". : - ) If any of you guys are military or ex-military, you'll know what an aircraft "ECM Pod" is. I'm thinking of taking some random streamlined plastic widget, add some clear fore & aft windows, waterproof the whole thing, paint it with BMW bike matching colors and that's it!

I'll post a few pics when it's done.

[Razmataz]

Ken & Dave. How did you waterproof your radar detector? I have a new Escort 8500 that I'm paranoid about getting it wet. Lost my Bel detector (I'm pretty sure) to over-exposure to water. I have mine mounted on a right hand mirror mount. Where it is behind the windshield for some protection. TIA

[andy]

I had mine glued to the lid of the left saddlebag. It worked there for many years. Then the remote display unit on the dash and the V1 slaved to the ignition. Turns it off immediately without any extra action needed.

Granted there is a LITTLE bit of loss of radar reception (100-300ft) warning, but I have always 'seen' radar early enough. The only thing you loose with that is the lidar warning, but then OTOH, once that goes off its already too late anyways. In my next LT that's where its going to be mounted again.

[der_Wanderer]

Andreas, how did that work for detection of radars from the right of the road?
Do you have any pictures by any chance?

[dvallis]

So here it is. V1 Mod 2. Waterproof, aerodynamic. Retains laser and radar capability, front and rear. Now all it needs is a coat of paint. :rotf:

[SilverBuffalo]

So here it is. V1 Mod 2. Waterproof, aerodynamic. Retains laser and radar capability, front and rear. Now all it needs is a coat of paint. :rotf:Why paint it?
That's ugly enough I doubt if anyone would want to steal it,
another plus on your cleverness,
where did you get "the box" and have you figured out how to route the wires and keep it waterproof?

[der_Wanderer]

So here it is. V1 Mod 2. Waterproof, aerodynamic. Retains laser and radar capability, front and rear. Now all it needs is a coat of paint. :rotf:

Andreas, did you strip it of it's outer shell prior to put it in there? Seems like it's the case from the picture but then again I may not be seeing right.

How is it behaving in hot weather? I would already be worried about heat in that box in normal weather...

Thanks!

[dvallis]

Apparently Hans is not a fan of the custom V1 :D but I'm liking it. The remote display under the GPS is working out great. Lets me mute alarms coming in through the Autocom or change radar modes. A coat of "BMW Blue" on top of the primer ought to look pretty good.

[SilverBuffalo]

Whoa buddy, to the contrary, I think it's great and very clever :)
it does look a lot better now that you've painted it.
I see that you've decided to put it on the left side,
assuming that the "window" is still in the same place that it is while in the original cover that would essentially put the unit upside down, do you think that will affect the performance?
And once again, have you figured out how to route the wires and keep it waterproof?
How about unplugging and removal? Does it obstruct your mirror view?

[dvallis]

Hey Hans

The V1 is actually right side up. The front and rear facing laser detection windows are on the left side of the unit. Detection range is turning out to be great for laser and radar, both front and rear. Having it looking over the left wind deflector wing seems to be the key. It doesn't get in the way of the mirror either.

The case is just a $10 tackle box from Fred Meyer, that happend to be aerodynamically inclined. :D Some black waterproof paint finished off the OEM look.

I solved the wiring problem with a custom cable. It's a standard phone jack (RJ11) on one side to a 4 pin round inline female socket on the other. The RJ11 end gets sealed into the box. Add some heat shrink and you've got a waterproof cable. This plugs into a male jack hardwired into the bike, eventually ending up at a Autocom audio input. Works in great. You get intercom, music, gps, phone, bike-bike and radar/laser audio all integrated in both helmets.

We just took it on a 4 day loop around the Olympic penninsula, to the top of Mt. Rainier and around the Cascade Mountains. Paid for itself several times over. Heat doesn't seem to be a problem. I did get some condensation inside the case before it was sealed, so I'll probably re-do it more carefully this week.

Here are a couple of photos of the finished unit.

[Lonewuff]

Ken & Dave. How did you waterproof your radar detector? I have a new Escort 8500 that I'm paranoid about getting it wet. Lost my Bel detector (I'm pretty sure) to over-exposure to water. I have mine mounted on a right hand mirror mount. Where it is behind the windshield for some protection. TIA

Cycle Gadgets sells two kinds of waterproof boxes that the Escourt will work with. One is a clear soft plastic shell the other is a black acrylic box with windows in the front and back.

This is the one I have my 8500 in:

http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products/product.asp?Item=RB

This works great and my detector has never gotten wet. You can also use screws that require an allen wrench to open the box for a little more security.

[atrovarious]

[QUOTE=murray]

I hear that VA is experimenting with radar/laser detector-detectors, so the LEOs get advance warning you have a detector and can bust you. The detector-detectors were supposedly developed by the radar detector mfrs (get this marketing logic...) and the grand plan is to make the old radar/laser detectors obsolete (detectable) and then introduce a new line of "invisible" detectors. It's great when you own both ends of the market, huh?
https://www.beltronics.com/store/sti-driver.html
invisible to detector detectors... Great truckdriver unit.