Friday, December 31, 2010

Have a Fantastic 2011!

Wishing everyone a great 2011!  We will have a bunch of exciting new products in the works and hopefully we'll get to share them with you in 2011!

Have a safe and happy New Year!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Laser Jammer is Coming!

We have put up the info on our Laser Jammer System on our website at www.AdaptivTech.com. Pre-order is now available and use discount code K47ZCY to get 10% off the Jammer System!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Definition of High Mileage Bike

Today, a customer of ours, Ken C. from Sacramento, came by our office in his Gold Wing.  The odometer reading on his bike has to be shared.  The man is a true rider!



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

TPX Reviewed in Iron Works Magazine

A while back I was talking with the editor at Iron Works and he said he was interested in checking out the TPX System, so we set him up with a set on his Harley Davidson Street Glide.  Read up on his review here:























Friday, August 27, 2010

AdaptivMount in CycleWorld

AdaptivMount is being featured in this month's CycleWorld magazine.  Read up on it here:












Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

AdaptivMount in Trikes!

There is a mentioning of our AdaptivMount in the Summer issue of Trikes Magazine:













Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Published in Wing World!

A while back Wing World Magazine had asked me to write an article related to speed detection and I put together an overview on how cops catch people speeding.  The article was published in this month's issue.  Read it here:












Thursday, August 5, 2010

See What Our Customers Have to Say About the TPX System!

We've always had customers coming to us telling us how they liked our products at various events.  MotoGP seems to be the one event that we get more than the others, probably because the cops are out everywhere during that weekend.  See what our customers had to say about the TPX System:

Friday, July 30, 2010

Two Weeks of Riding the Coast

A few months back while discussing our 2010 road schedule with Adam of Twisted Throttle (not to be confused with our own Adam), he had asked me if I would be interested in doing some riding with him between BMW MOA Rally and MotoGP since they are in consecutive weekends.  I was hesitant initially because by doing so, it would mean away from the office for about two weeks while the office is on skeleton crew because of the two events.  As time went by, I started to convince myself that time away from the office will be good for me and this would be a good opportunity to do some good riding instead of my usual fastest route to and back from events because of time restrictions.  Finally in the Spring, after working out the logistics and a general itinerary with Adam, the ride was on!

Day 1: Santa Monica to Sacramento

I left Santa Monica around mid-day after spending a few hours in the office in the morning.  I did take the boring route of I-5 all the way up to Sac.  Nothing too exciting on the ride, except I did haul ass as traffic was light.  Did encounter a few CHP's along the way but no real saves.  I got to Sac in the late afternoon and hung out and spent the night at one of my good buddies from college, who, btw, had just passed his MSF course a week ago and is about to join our two-wheeled fraternity.

Day 2: Sacramento to Bend

After a satisfying and unexpectedly long breakfast at the historic Tower Cafe, I left Sac for Central Oregon.  While getting gas at Red Bluff, CA, I ran into three guys on a motorcycle trip.  The three guys were all from the Sac area and they were going to do some back road riding in the Trinity-Six Rivers-Klamath Forests.  They asked me if I'd like to join them.  It was really tempting, but unfortunately I HAD to be in Bend that night so I turned them down.  The ride to Bend was uneventful on I-5 until I got past Redding, then the scenery started to change for the better as I approached the Shasta region.  I then cut over to US-97 and made it to Bend in the early evening.

Days 3 & 4: Working the BMW MOA Rally

Since my motel was in Bend, about 20 miles away from Redmond where the rally was and my only mode of transportation was the bike, I had to ride to and back from the rally.  The speed limit around town in Oregon is 55 everywhere, even on the highways, so it made it really easy to go faster than you are supposed to.  The first morning on my way to MOA, as I was approaching Redmond where the freeway portion of US-97 was coming to an end, my TPX started going off on K band.  Even though there were a couple of shopping centers right up the road and it could've been a false-positive, I immediately slowed down to 55 and started looking around to see if there are any cops around.  Better safe than sorry.  Sure enough, about half a mile later, I see a cop pulling over someone on the opposite direction.  Not a save, but it's always good to know when cops are around.

On Saturday night, as I was filling up my bike at a gas station, I ran into Tim R. and Marcus L. of Seattle, whom I had a conversation about the TPX, tickets, and bikes in general just the night before at the motel lobby.  We talked about our riding itineraries and found out that we were all heading out to Seattle the next day and they knew some back roads worth checking out and invited Adam and I to come along.  I checked with Adam to make sure he was okay with it over a fantastic dinner dinner at Deschutes Brewery.  The decision was easy; locals showing us the back roads can't go wrong!

Day 5: Bend to Vancouver via Seattle

Pee break in Yakima.
We met up at the crack of dawn and hit the road with Tim and Marcus.  Since I'm the one equipped with the TPX and the Laser Jammer prototype, they decided that I should lead.  Not a problem, that's what a guy with a radar detector should do anyway.  We started on US-97 through Oregon, a relatively scenic highway, desolate at parts.  We opened up at parts and made it to the Oregon-Washington border in pretty good time. After a short breakfast break, we were back on the road.  We got to Yakima and then hit up highway 821 along the river.  Tim was initially concerned with the traffic on 821, but it turned out to be of no concern at all.  The traffic was light, probably because we were there pretty early in the day.  821 is a great road with numerous unobstructed sweeps.  It is also on 821 that I pulled a bone-head move that could've gotten me a pretty fat ticket.  We had gotten stuck behind a RV and I was looking for an opportunity to pass.  Since I'm leading the group, I usually wait until a stretch where I think the entire group could pass.  For some reason, I didn't do that.  Instead, I passed on a double yellow with a blinding turn just ahead.  It was totally safe me to do so, except there happened to be a Washington trooper coming in the opposite direction, which I didn't and couldn't see until I had passed the RV.  Instantly, I thought to myself "shit, I'm going to get pulled over."  I kept on looking at my mirror, expecting the trooper to make an U-turn, but the trooper never did!  I got lucky, real lucky.

After 821 we got on I-90 to head into Seattle.  We did pick up a few state troopers along the way, including unmarked troopers, but no real saves.  There was one almost save, as we picked up an unmarked trooper from about half a mile out, but we weren't really going that fast at the time.

I-90 was an awesome interstate.  It was scenic and had numerous sweeps, and it was an interstate experience unlike anywhere else.  We did get stuck in traffic and it sucked not being able to split lanes, but it was a good stretch nonetheless.  I also opened up during this stretch when I thought it was safe to do so and I think both Marcus and Tim were pretty happy to be able to use the upper-bands of their BMW's.

At Triple XXX Rootbeer.
We finished our ride at the famous Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive In and parted ways.  Tim and Marcus rode home, Adam went to see his aunt in the Seattle area, and since I had the rest of the afternoon to myself, I rode to Vancouver, BC, to see a friend.

On my way up to BC, the TPX registered what I thought was the only true save of the trip.  I don't remember exactly where I was, but it was in Northern Washington, not too far from the border.  I was zipping along pretty good, when the TPX went off with a weak Ka.  Instinctively, I let go of the throttle.  The road was undulating but I could still see pretty far ahead and I didn't really see anything up the road.  The Ka then went away.  A few seconds later, Ka came back on, then went away.  Hmmm, looks to me like either the Ka is coming from far, far away, or a cop using instant-on up the road.  Sure enough, about three-tenth of a mile later, I was approaching a slight uphill and right when I was about to crest the hill, Ka went full blast and I see a motorcycle cop sitting in the median hiding behind some bushes.  The Ka then quickly went away.  Yup, cop was using instant on and the TPX sniffed it out in advance to warn me about it.  I'm glad that there were other vehicles ahead of me, or else I would've never gotten the Ka signals and would've probably ended up with a ticket.

Day 6: Vancouver to Newport, OR via Mt. St. Helens and Portland

St. Helens!
I left Vancouver early in the morning with the intention of meeting up with Adam at 9, but ended up getting stuck in the line at the border for way longer than expected.  After finally made my way down to Seattle, we took I-5 down to Castle Rock, then cut over to 504 to check out Mt. St. Helens.  504 is another fun road with plenty of sweeps and amazing scenery.  We made it to the observatory, watched the movie that everyone said we had to see, and rode back down 504 again.  We stopped at Portland to grab a quick dinner with my friend (who also happened to be our company's lawyer) at Brasserie Montmartre before we cut over to US-101 via Road 18.

Our goal was to get to Coos Bay by the end of the day, but by the time we got to 101 it was already dark.  We ended up spending the night at Newport, OR.

Day 7: Newport to Redding, CA

We got up early again and hit the road.  We rode through the first tank and got gas in Florence, OR.  At the gas station, we asked the station attendant where he would recommend for breakfast.  "The Dunes Cafe", he said, without skipping a beat.  When a local doesn't even have to think to recommend a place to eat, you know it's got to be good.  We got there and weren't disappointed.  The food was delicious and came in large portions, just what we needed to get ready for a long day of riding!

Our next stop was Coos Bay because I wanted to stop by the Steve Prefontain Memorial at the Coos Art Museum.  I was a competitive distance runner through college and even today, I still try to relive my glory days.  There was no way that I was going to go by Coos Bay without checking out the memorial for arguably one of America's greatest athletes.  After passing by the museum without realizing it, we finally found the place, thanks to Adam's Droid phone.

The memorial was just a room upstairs in the museum and it had photos, trophies, medals, and various memorabilia on display.  It was smaller than I expected but very well presented.  I got goose bumps as we strolled through the memorial.

After the short visit, we were on the road again.  We cruised down 101 through the amazing giant redwoods and then cut over to Redding.  Why would we want to go to Redding?  Because we wanted to do Road 36, arguably one of the best roads in California, so we've heard.  We cut over to Redding via Road 299, which was also a fun twisty road.

Day 8: Redding to San Francisco

The next day we got up early again (see the repeated theme here?) and hit up County Road 16 en route to CA-36.  Our original itinerary was to make it to San Francisco by around 2 or 3 in the afternoon.  This would allow Adam to get down to Monterey to help out with his set up at MotoGP.  But we decided to take a detour.  More on this later.

Road 16 was a technical road with a good amount of hairpin turns, and it was fun as hell.  Then we hit up CA-36, which was even more fun with a good mix of everything from hairpin turns to mini-sweeps.  Not to mention being up in the mountains with fresh air and awesome scenery.  From CA-36, we then got back on US101 again and ended up in Legget for a photo op at the redwood tree drive-through tourist trap.  As we were getting ready to get back on the road, I told Adam that we could take the scenic route down to the Bay Area via Highway 1.  Now, my experience of Highway 1 up to this point was between LA and SF, so it's mostly straight with a few sweeps and pockets of twisties.  I knew the stretch of Highway 1 between the Legget and the Bay Area would have a bit more twisties, but what I didn't realize was that it would be ALL TWISTIES!  I thought the detour would set us back an extra hour, hour and a half at most... boy, was I wrong!

Overlooking California coast.
Don't get me wrong, Adam and I had a blast going through the twisties on Highway 1, but it put us way behind our original schedule.  Our plan was to have a late lunch at Hog Island Oyster Company around 4, but we got there at just past 5 and missed having lunch there as they closed at 5.  Bummer!  But luckily, Tamales Bay Oyster Company, which was just a few miles down the road, opens till 6, so we could still have oysters for lunch.

We made it there, and as we were getting off the bike, I dropped the bike in the gravel parking lot.  I was tired and hungry, and got careless as I was about to dismount the bike and failed to pay attention to the gravel footing and lost my balance.  Luckily, my saddlebag took most of the impact and all I ended up was a broken clutch lever and scratches on my engine case, front left turn signal, and left mirror.

After a satisfying lunch, we rode down to San Francisco and parted ways there.  Adam continued down to Monterey and I stayed in the city with my cousin that night.

Day 9: San Francisco to Monterey

After a night of good sleep in the city, I made my way down to Monterey to get ready for MotoGP.  On the way down I saw CHP's and local cops everywhere.  I'm sure they were also getting ready for the big weekend as well!

Days 10, 11, and 12: MotoGP!

I left my bike at our booth since we had a car there and it was easier to carpool.  MotoGP was awesome as always.  Great crowd, great vibe, and great racing!  Even though I didn't get to see most of the races (I was there to work), I was still able to sneak away here and there to check out some of the races.

Day 13: Monterey to LA

Adam had a friend in the area, Nate, that wanted to do part of the ride with us, so he met up with us that morning.  We took the PCH all the way down to San Luis Obispo and had lunch at Fat Cats Cafe.  After putting myself in near food coma, Nate parted ways and we got back on 101.  Shortly after we got on the road, I had a close ticket encounter again.  I was leading and we were zooming pretty good.  I came up on a blind right sweep, probably going around 90.  As I was half way through the turn, I see a CHP hiding around the turn.  I immediately let go of the throttle, didn't hit my brakes because I didn't want the cop to see me jamming on the brakes.  As soon as I let go of the throttle, the TPX went off on a weak Ka for a split second.  Sneaky!  The cop was using instant-on as vehicles pass and had set the range on his radar gun to low.  Good thing I was alert and wasn't doing anything faster or else it would've meant a ticket.  Again, there is nothing much a radar detector can do in a case like this.

We made our way down to So Cal and I purposely pulled into a gas station on Kanan Road in Agoura Hills.  This is now my back yard and I know the roads of  Santa Monica Mountains pretty well.  I wanted to take Adam on my favorite road in So Cal, Latigo Canyon.  I asked Adam if he's interested in taking the scenic route back with an unintentional grin on my face.  Seeing my grin, Adam agreed to take the scenic route.

We headed south on Kanan Road and made a left into Latigo Canyon.  What better way to end the trip than on my favorite road!  Latigo Canyon is filled with bunch of tight twisties, the kind of twisties that I like, where you get to use the upper bands of your second gear while constantly throwing your bike around; just none-stop turns.

We eventually ended up on Highway 1 again, and after another photo op of Adam and his bike with the Santa Monica pier, we ended our journey at my apartment in West Los Angeles.

What a great trip; the two events went extremely well, met some new friends, got to see some old friends, had some great meals, and got some great riding in.  When it's all said and done, over 3,300 miles, over 59 hours of riding time, hundreds of turns, countless memories, and... still no ticket!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

AdaptivMount in BMW ON

AdaptivMount was featured in this month's BMW ON magazine. Read up on it here:

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

2010 SML Radar Detector Shootout















We were back in Texas last weekend again for the 2010 Radar Detector Shootout, conducted by Speed Measurement Laboratories.


As with years past, I rode the bike out there from LA.  I left on Wednesday afternoon around 3, which was a couple of hours later than I wanted to.  I ended up fighting LA traffic for the first couple of hours just to get out of town.  Thankfully we are allowed to split lanes here in California or else it would've put me way behind the schedule that I had in mind.  After getting out of town, I was able to open up the throttle a bit.  As always, CHP was out in force, but I was on good behavior and didn't encounter any real threats.  The cops were also out and about in Arizona, as the state is notorious for dishing out speeding tickets.  Again, I didn't encounter any real threats, although I did notice a significant drop in their mobile radar camera units on the side of the road.  It probably has something to do with the fact that the entire radar camera program is going to go away comes middle of July.  The ride through Arizona was a scorcher and I ended the day in Chandler, AZ.  When I got off the bike at 9PM, it was at a balmy 105 degrees!


I left early next morning, trying to avoid some of the heat... but to no avail.  It was pretty damn hot at 7AM already.  I made my way through Arizona into New Mexico, and finally, arrived in El Paso in mid afternoon.  Again, didn't encounter any real threats along the way.


We spent the next 3 days testing a few prototypes under the blazing Texas sun.  I'm happy to report that overall, the testing went well.  I don't have the official results to share, as they won't be ready for another couple of weeks or so, but I will reveal this: the much asked Laser Jammer tested very well, and looks like we can finally put the final touches on it and finally move into production phase.


After the last test finished up on the third day, I hopped back on the bike to head back to California.  Nothing too eventful for the first hour or so, but the TPX once again proved its worth going through New Mexico in the next few hours.


If you read my blog entry from my trip back from last year's SML, you'll remember that the TPX saved my butt a few times in NM on the way back.  I definitely remember them on the ride and I was being careful while speeding through the state.  The first save took place right outside Las Cruces.  I was approaching town, and was on a long incline on the interstate.  As I got close to the crest, the TPX started going off with a weak K band.  Immediately, I backed off on the throttle and let my speed drop down to the posted speed limit of 75.  I got to the top of the crest and the K band grew to 3 bars.  On the other side of the crest was a downhill bend, which I couldn't see much past the bend because of the trees lining along the side of the road.  As I started to go into the bend, what do I see on the side of the road hidden behind the trees?  A New Mexico state trooper waiting for speedsters.  Count that as a definite save.


As I went along, maybe an hour later, in the middle of nowhere, K band went off again, and it started weak but got to full tilt very quickly.  Again, I backed off on the throttle immediately and sure enough, a few seconds later, a cop hiding behind some overgrown bushes in the median was catching speedsters going in the other direction.  How do I know that he was catching speedsters going in the opposite direction?  The fact that I had a relatively short warning and I was able to pick up the signal as I headed away from the cop for the next mile showed that the cop had his radar pointed at the opposite direction.  Not a save, but it's always good to slow down in the presence of cops.


The same scenario would play out two more times before I crossed into Arizona.  I guess the cops were just focused on traffic going east in NM on that particular day.  I finished off the day in Goodyear, AZ.


Since I was pretty tired from 3 days of testing and the ride from the day before, I slept in a bit and left for the road a bit before 9 the next day.  Going through AZ I encountered a couple of mobile radar camera units and Arizona troopers, but no real threats.  In California, the TPX came through again.  I had just crossed into California and was going at a pretty good pace, when all of a sudden the TPX went off again.  It started as a weak Ka and stayed there for a while.  As always, I backed off on the throttle.  After receiving the weak signal for a bit, the signal quickly ramped up and I could see a CHP coming from the opposite direction.  I'm not sure if the CHP was catching people going in his direction or my direction, but I've seen cops making a quick U turn across the median to pull people over for speeding, so I would consider this as a save as well.


I made it back to the office in the mid afternoon safe and sound, and after over 1,800 miles, still no ticket!  And the best part is we are that much closer to having the Jammer available!

Friday, June 18, 2010

New Stuff for Old Bikes

Our new AdaptivMount got a brief mention in the July/August issue of Motorcycle Classics magazine.  Check it out!












Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Go Fast Gadgets

Got some love from Super Streetbike Magazine, as they reviewed the TPX in their "Go-Fast Gadgets" article in the June issue.  Check it out!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Thursday, June 3, 2010

A Very Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

Man oh man, what a Memorial Day Weekend I had.  Definitely one of the most interesting and memorable weekends in recent years.  Riding from LA to Tooele, UT for the SBK races and back, a lot of time on two wheels!

I left on Saturday morning and took the boring route of I-15.  Before I even got to my first gas break I saw 6 CHP's.  I knew it was going to be a tough weekend, police wise, as cops are usually out in force on Memorial Day weekend, but 6 in less than 125 miles?

My first gas break came at Barstow, CA.  After a quick fill up, I got back onto I-15.  Traffic was a bit on the heavy side, but still flowing pretty well.  As soon as I merged onto the freeway, I made my way over to the leftmost lane and just as I was about to open up the throttle a bit, my trusty TPX went off.  Ka band, about two bars.  Immediately I backed off on the throttle and settled into the same pace as the surrounding traffic.  In less than a couple of seconds, the two bars quickly jumped to full six bars and sure enough, there was a CHP parked underneath an overpass just ahead, hunting for speedsters.  Count that as a save.

I would see two more CHP's before I cross the state line into Nevada, where I took a quick lunch in Las Vegas before hitting the road again.  It was pretty uneventful riding through Nevada, Arizona, and Utah on the interstate, and the cops were not as abundant in those states as in California; I only saw one cop in each of the three states.

I finished the day in Draper, UT after about 700 miles.  I could have made it into Salt Lake City, but decided to stop a bit earlier so that I could catch the last few minutes of the Stanley Cup game.

The next day I headed over to Tooele for the SBK races.  It was a gorgeous day with some awesome racing.  During the down times between the races, I would venture out to the parking lot to see other people's bikes.  I'm particularly interested in seeing what other gadgets people put on their bikes and how they do it; it's where I get some of my inspirations.  Anyway, while I was checking out the bikes, I met Mark from Washington, who rides a FJR1300.  He had just got to the track after leaving the Seattle area earlier in the day, and he went on to show me one of the most ingenious radar detector mounting methods I've ever seen:















Yes, that's right, he strapped his cordless radar detector to his forearm and would "wear" his radar detector on his rides.  He runs earphones up to his ears so that he could hear the detector going off.  Pretty clever!  While clever, I still think the TPX set up is much better than his!

After the race was over, I hit the road again.  My original plan was to take the back roads back to LA, but after a few hours of riding, I had to change my plan.  I was filling up in the town of Ely, NV and getting ready to cut across the state on US6.  Just as I got out of town, a sign posted on the side of the road said the next gas station is 167 miles away.  Crap.  Time for a detour because my Gixxer Wannabe can go about 145 miles or so on a full tank.  167 is a bit out of reach.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to take US93 instead.  Oh, and by the way, as I was leaving town on US6, my TPX went off.  I wasn't speeding at all as I knew full well to always obey the posted speed limit in little towns, and sure enough, right up the road was a cop trying to catch people speeding through town.

US93 is literally in the middle of no where.  It runs north and south along eastern Nevada and it's both scenic and desolate.  Traffic was extremely light, and I decided to take the opportunity to find out the top speed of my Gixxer Wannabe.  As it turned out, the Gixxer Wannabe's top speed is 129 mph according to the Zumo, and I've tried several times to verify it.  On the speedometer, the top speed registered 142... how generous.

Right before it got dark, I ended up in the town of Pioche, NV for a gas break.  I had thought about calling it a day since it was starting to get dark, but I was feeling good and figured there's still some daylight left, so I decided to trek on to the next town of Caliente.  By the time I got to Caliente, it was dark and I'm starting to get tired and hungry.  I decided to look for a place to stay.  First motel that I rode by was closed.  Next one, no vacancy.  Third and last one, same thing, no vacancy.  With no vacancy at all the motels, I had no choice but to ride on.  Now, the speed limit in Caliente is 25 mph and I was going pretty much at 25 or maybe just a tad faster.  As I approached the end of town, I see two sets of headlights coming from the opposite direction.  First vehicle went by me... and as the second vehicle got pretty close to me, my TPX went off with Ka on full tilt.  That's gotta be a cop, I thought to myself.  Sure enough, it was.  Since I thought I was going right around 30, I didn't think I would be in trouble at all.  Wrong!  The cop flipped on his lights and made an U-turn.  I thought to myself there is no way that the cop was pulling me over for speeding; I wasn't going fast enough!  Plus, I was close enough to the edge of the town that the next posted speed limit sign of 40 is only about 20 yards in front of me!  Maybe the cop just want to run my plate and make sure I'm not trouble.

I pulled over, the cop came up to me and asked me for my license.  He asked me if I knew how fast I was going and I told him I was probably going around 30 or 35, admitting that I was going faster than the posted speed limit of 25.  He said he got me at 42!  I was shocked, but I didn't argue with him, I was just being polite and told him that I'm really surprised that I was going that fast.  He asked for my license and I gave it to him, he then asked me if all my paperwork is underneath my seat.  I said "yes", and he told me to sit tight while he runs my license.  A few moments later he came back, handed my license back to me and asked me to ride careful in the dark.  I was thrilled.  On one hand, I couldn't believe that he didn't give me a ticket, on the other, I figured that he couldn't have possibly issued me a ticket because I wasn't going that fast and even if I was going at 42, the speed limit sign of 40 is just in front of me and I was probably close enough to be justified for going at my speed.  Plus, being polite to the cop probably had something to do with it also.

Regardless, this just shows that no matter if you have a radar detector or not, there isn't much you can do if the cop uses instant on and you are the only vehicle on the road.  Three years of riding with the TPX with thousands of miles underneath my belt, it finally happened... me getting pulled over.  But still no ticket yet!

I ended up spending that night in Las Vegas, and for the day, spotted 6 cops, with one memorable encounter.

The following day I had the pleasure of splitting lanes for a good part of the ride getting back to LA from Las Vegas, but made it safe and sound.

For the weekend, 1,588 miles, close to 24 hours on the bike, 23 cops spotted, getting pulled over once, and still no ticket!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

AdaptivMount Installation on a Suzuki GSX-R 750

A few weeks ago I met up with Nick of 2WheelTuner Magazine to install our new AdaptivMount and the TPX Radar and Laser Detection System on his pimped out Gixxer 750.  We got the mount installation video done and here it is:



AdaptivMount will be available real soon... stay tuned!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Radar Roy Revisits the TPX

Radar Roy, arguably the leading real life radar detector evaluator, had another post on the TPX Radar and Laser Detection System on his blog.

He said the TPX is "very good on range, very good on sensitivity, very good on price." Couldn't have said it better myself.

He also posted a video on it. Check it out!

So Cal Motorcycles' Open House and Major Announcements Coming!

Originally posted 4/12/2010

We had a blast at So Cal Motorcycles' Open House last Saturday! Great crowd, free food, fantastic prizes, and a bikini bike wash to top it all off!

Also, just want to let everyone know, we've got a couple of announcements coming in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!


Bikini bike wash girls striking a pose with our booth.

IMS, Dealer Expo, and Daytona!

Originally posted 2/22/2010

It's been a hectic winter here at Adaptiv. We've just got done with our fifth and last IMS event in Chicago, and now it's time to head out to Daytona Bike Week!

Happy New Year!

Originally posted 1/11/2010

Boy o' boy, this year is going to be great. We've got a few new products coming this year that everyone's been asking for... just wait!

Have a great 2010, and as always, ride safe!

Seasons Greetings!

Originally posted 12/11/2009


Adam at IMS Long Beach.

It's winter time, that means it's Cycle World International Motorcycle Show time for us! It's been Dallas, San Mateo, and Long Beach, and we still got New York and Chicago to go! I'm definitely looking forward to the upcoming winter break, a little time off and hopefully get some rides in.

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a great 2010!

Vegas Baby, Vegas!

Originally posted 11/11/2009


Vegas cops having fun on the job.

We have recently acquired a 2008 Suzuki GSX 650F (I call it a Gixxer Wanna Be) to test some of the new products that we'll be introducing in the near future. I've been spending a good amount of time on it and last week I took it out to SEMA in Las Vegas, my first long trip on it.

The bike is a fantastic bike for long distance rides. It is extremely comfortable with ample power; rides like a tourer with the feel of a sport bike.

I headed out the door on early Tuesday afternoon, hoping to avoid some of the rush hour traffic. I did for the most part, but still had to split lanes as I was riding through the downtown area. Once I got out of the LA city limits, it was time to fly. The bike cruises at 100 very comfortably, and I had to constantly remind myself to keep it below 100. Yes, I do have the TPX System protecting me, but my days of speeding excessively is way behind me. The ride went by in a hurry and aside from a couple of cops pulling people over on the side of the road, no threats whatsoever.

After a day of SEMA, I left Vegas on Thursday morning. On the way back, there were cops everywhere. So much so that I lost count. There were at least 12 encounters, and again, the TPX saved my butt. There were an instance of an almost definite save, two maybes, and one where I was just being alert.

The first maybe came shortly after I had just crossed the state line into California. Traffic was light in my direction and I was cruising at around 100. The TPX went off with a very weak Ka, and I instinctively let go of the throttle and started looking around to see if there were other sources that could have caused a false positive. No semi trucks around, doesn't look like any car around me is using a radar detector, no commercial buildings nearby (in the middle of nowhere, actually). Hmmm, high chance of a real signal. I continue to let my speed drop and kept an eye on the TPX. The signal stayed weak for a few more seconds, then it started to ramp up in a hurry. Yep, there is definitely something out there. Sure enough, a few more seconds later, a CHP going in the opposite direction zoomed right by me. I couldn't make out the CHP from a distance, but the TPX sure did. I've seen instances where CHP would make a quick U turn to catch speedsters going the opposite direction once they've locked an oncoming vehicle's speed on their radar gun, but not all the time, that's why I counted this one as a "maybe".

The next encounter was a sure save, at least in my mind. I was about 6 or 7 miles out of Baker, and at that point it's a long down hill to get into Baker. Again, I was zooming along at around 100 when the TPX went off. A weak Ka. I looked around and didn't find any potential false positive source. Since I'm on top of this long hill, I can see far ahead and I don't see any cop on my side of the road, and I thought to myself it's probably a cop in the opposite direction again. I've already let go of the throttle and continued to let my speed drop. The Ka signal then went away. Then came on again. Then away again. The weak Ka would come on and off sporadically for a while, and I'm baffled. I'm thinking to myself that if it's a cop coming from the opposite direction, the signal should increase, but it's not, and the fact that the signal is coming and going probably means that a cop is turning its radar gun on and off as vehicles pass. I'm very confused, but regardless, decided to keep my speed at around 75, just to be safe. A short while later, the TPX went off again, and the signal got a bit stronger, and now I'm really confused. If there is a cop up the road I would've surely seen it already. The TPX would continue to go on and off with increasing signal strength, and finally, as I was approaching probably the only tree/bush on my side of the road, the TPX went full tilt, and guess who was hiding right behind the tree/bush? That's right, a cop. I'm sure that had I been speeding I would've been toast. The cop was taking advantage of the perfect hiding spot on the road where any motorists would probably have missed and turning his radar gun on as vehicles pass. Good thing that I had my TPX with me!

The second maybe was a classic scenario. I was in Victorville, traffic was a bit heavier but still flowing pretty well. I was going just a tad faster than the flow of traffic. The TPX went off and I immediately slowed down to the flow of traffic, and sure enough, as I approached the next on/off ramp, a cop was sitting there. I wasn't going that fast when I detected the cop, so I don't think that the cop would've really pulled me over, but you never know.

And finally, the last save was because of my awareness, not the TPX. This was also in Victorville after my second maybe, and again, I was going just a bit faster than the flow of traffic. All of a sudden I noticed brake lights flashing from the vehicles ahead, and I immediately dropped my speed. Sure enough, at the next on/off ramp, a cop was sitting there. My TPX didn't go off at all, and I'm thinking to myself, the cop's got to be using laser, and I'm pretty sure that's what it was.

I'm very grateful that I escaped the ride back without any ticket and thoroughly enjoyed our new bike. Can't wait till the next trip!

Burnout Time!

Originally posted 10/9/2009



What is the sensible thing to do when you have a worn out rear tire? Burnouts!

Clutch Control 09

Originally posted 10/2/2009


Philly cops get to ride these awesome F650GS!

We were back in Philly again last weekend for Clutch Control. Again, great turn out for the event. This year, a lot more stunters participated in the various competitions held at the event, and throughout the day, you see stunters practicing their latest tricks in the parking lot.

We had great fun there, not to mention the great food as well... mmmmmm, philly cheese steaks... We'll be back again next year!

Boise and Back

Originally posted 8/19/2009


The Duc in Yosemite.

Last week I rode up to Boise for WPS' National Sales Meeting. Since the shortest route to get there is around 850 miles, I decided to break the ride into two days instead of trying to cover that distance in a day. Then I figured, since 2 days is plenty of time to cover 850 miles, why not take the scenic route? So I did.

I left Sunday afternoon, got onto Angeles Crest Highway and ended the day in North Las Vegas. In case you've never heard of Angeles Crest Highway, it's one of the better and longer intermediate-level twisties here in So Cal. I couldn't have as much fun as I wanted as traffic was relatively heavy, but I still enjoyed the beautiful ride.

The next day I took the scenic route up to Boise via eastern Nevada, going through US93, Nevada318, US6, back onto US93 before finally hitting Interstate 84 and arriving at Boise. Eastern Nevada is way more scenic than I had expected, and I thoroughly enjoyed the open roads.

After three days of meeting, I hit the road again on Thursday afternoon. I started the ride by cutting through southeastern Oregon on US95. While in Oregon, the TPX scored another save for me. The posted speed limit on all the highways in Oregon is 55. I was doing around 90-95 for the most part. At one point, I was riding on a long gradual incline, and I could see the road going into a decline ahead, but I couldn't see past the crest of the incline. As I got close to the crest, the TPX started going off with a weak K alert, then it really quickly ramped up. I knew something was up. I had already let go of the throttle at first warning so I've slowed down a bit, but I was still a good 15-20 or so over the posted speed limit, so I decided to apply the brakes. Good move on my part because as soon as I got to the top of the crest, the road goes into a pretty sharp decline for about a quarter of a mile and then shoots straight back up into a pretty steep incline, creating a mini-valley. And you guessed it, right at the bottom of the valley is a cop. It was a perfect spot for the cop. His radar signals are trapped by the valley and if you are a motorist not abiding the speed limit, it's easy to get caught. I was probably still a bit over 55 when I started the decline, but it wasn't fast enough to warrant the cop pulling me over. If it weren't for the TPX, I would've probably still be going at around 90 heading into the decline and probably would've gotten a ticket. I ended the day in Fallon, NV.

The next day I continued on US95, then cut over to California via Nevada359/CA167. I then made a pit stop at the world famous Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining before cutting through Yosemite on Tioga Pass, probably one of the most scenic rides in California. After getting out of Yosemite, I then cut over to Ben Hur Road.

Oh man, do I have a story to tell about my ride on Ben Hur Road. First of all, the road is awesome. Very light traffic, in fact, I only saw one vehicle the entire time I was on it. The road is very fun, with plenty of twisties. About the only down side is that part of the road is in not-so-good condition, pot holes, bad patch jobs, and loose gravels here and there. But overall, fun.

I got into it immediately and was having fun with the twisties. Then, about 10 minutes into it, I got into trouble. Now, I've been riding consistently for about 8 years now, and if you want to count messing around on friends' bikes as riding, about 15 years. In these past 8 years, I've never really made any gross mis-judgments while riding. I've never gotten myself into situations where I'm thinking to myself "oh shit, I'm f'd". I've always rode within my abilities, and when I'm on the twisties, I push my limits but always knew when to back off. So, back to Ben Hur. I was coming up on a right turn. The right side of the road is a hill so I couldn't see the other end of the turn, but I was slowing down going into the turn, getting ready for it. As soon as I got into the turn, I realized that I was going in too hot. The turn turned out to be an almost u-turn, and it was much tighter than I had expected. Immediately I leaned down even more, but realized I was still too hot. The next thought went through my mind was: "shit, I'm going down", and I can feel myself starting to low side. I then decided to apply my back brake. By now, I've already drifted into the oncoming lane and I can feel my right foot dragging on asphalt. I thought I was going down for sure. All of a sudden, I realized that my bike was aligned perfectly straight with the other side of the almost u-turn, and I must have hit my front brake a bit because I felt like my bike was a bit more upright then where it was just a fraction of a second ago, so I punched it on the throttle. I could feel the back wheel spinning out as it was on the loose-dirt shoulder, but it regained traction real quickly and somehow, miraculously, I got out of the low side and got back on the road.

I couldn't believed what had happened. I was certain that I was going down but somehow I got out of it. After gathering myself, I started to try to analyze what had happened, and realized that it was my instincts (and probably luck) that got me out of it. There is no way that I could've figured out what I needed to do to get out of that situation if we were to freeze frame each split second and ask me what I should do then and there. I knew that had I gone down, I probably wouldn't have killed myself as I knew that I wasn't going that fast, and worst case scenario would be the bike landing on me and dragging me down the ditch. Probably a broken foot (or two). It would've been a bitch to try to get the bike out of the ditch, and I'm out in the middle of nowhere. It took me another 20 minutes or so after the close call to see any sign of civilization; a house on the side of the road. It was a blessing that the road had almost no traffic, as I had drifted into oncoming lane, but it would've been a curse had I gone down.

Needless to say, I went easy on Ben Hur the rest of the way, and after getting out of the back roads, I took CA99 back to LA.

All and all, it was a memorable four days of riding for sure. 1,883 miles when it's all said and done, and overall moving average of 68 with top speed of 116 (trust me, the Duc wouldn't go any faster) according to the GPS. I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and gained new perspective on my riding abilities. I realized that I was probably a bit tired before I hit Ben Hur, and I'm almost certain that it had some effect on my judgment, and it was a good reminder to myself to always be alert with my riding, and never get careless with it.

BMW MOA Rally

Originally posted 7/31/2009

We were at the BMW MOA Rally in Johnson City, TN a couple of weeks ago. The rally was great, with a good turn out and good weather for the most part.

At the rally, I met up with Shahram Shiva of BMWSuperBIkes.com again, and shot shot a couple of videos with or his website. One was an update on what's going on with us, and the other one was to show the speed-shift system on the new BMW K1300S. Check them out here!




Super Streetbike Love!

Originally posted 7/30/2009

We got some love from Super Streetbike! One of their editors, John Zamora, had the TPX on his Ducati 848 for a while now and he mentioned the TPX in the bike's longterm test. Check out the July issue of Super Streetbike, available on newstands nationwide!



Moto GP at Laguna Seca!

Originally posted 7/19/2009


Monterey's finest...

We were at Laguna Seca two weeks ago for Moto GP and AMA races. It was awesome! Beautiful weather, great races, and a fantastic crowd... what more could I ask for!

Needless to say, we had a great time there. The only down side out of the entire weekend is that I didn't get to ride my bike up. I wish I could, but I had to haul all of our displays and stuff with my truck. Maybe next year.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who stopped by our booth, especially those of you that shared your TPX stories with us. It's always great to hear your stories of how the TPX prevented you from getting that ticket!


Hmmm, maybe I should look into being a CHP... Nah!

2009 SML Radar Detector Shootout

Originally posted 6/23/2009


The Duc at SML.

We were at Speed Measurement Laboratory's 2009 Radar Detector Shootout in El Paso, TX last week. We were there to test a few prototypes, and I'm happy to report that things went well and we are very hopeful that our "Remote Laser Unit" that we've been promising for a while will be ready by the end of this year. That's about as much as I can reveal at this time.

We also saw some cool new stuff (but not so cool from a motorist's point of view) from radar gun manufacturers. Stalker had this new slick radar set up for patrol cars that is being used by law enforcement agencies throughout the country as we speak. It is capable of picking up the fastest vehicle and the speed of the largest vehicle at the same time in both directions! I've never seen anything like this before and the capability of being able to pick out the speed of the fastest vehicle in a pack is a great arsenal for them. Drivers beware!

As for the trip out there, I rode the Little Monster out to El Paso from Los Angeles. Unlike last year, I didn't hit any bad weather, that is if you don't count scortching heat as "bad". This is my first long trip with the Monster and found the Monster to be a pleasant long trip bike. A bit buzzy, a bit under powered, and a small tank, but othen that, not bad at all. Would be nice if the bike can go a bit faster, as I found the top speed for the Monster is at about 120mph and it cruises comfortably at around 90mph. And it would definitely be nice if it had a bigger tank, as I got stranded near the Arizona-New Mexico border because I ran out of gas. A full tank of gas gets me about 125 miles before the fuel light comes on, and from my experience, I was able to get about 25 more miles before the tank is completely dry. My fuel light came on just as I had passed the last gas station in Arizona. I didn't think it was a big deal because usually if there is an extended stretch without gas stations, there would be a sign informing motorists. I didn't see it so I just assumed that the next gas station can't be more than 15 miles or so away. So I rode. About 15 miles later I came to an exit in New Mexico with a couple of gas station signs, but only to find both gas stations to be closed as I pulled up to them. To my despair, there wasn't anything else at the exit except for a Motel and a closed tire repair shop. I went into the Motel and asked where the nearest gas station is and the guy at the motel told me about 15 miles either way on the interstate. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. I told him that it's unlikely that my bike can go another 15 miles and asked if anyone in town might have some spare gas, and he told me that the owner of the closed tire shop might have some. So I went over to the tire shop. The owner lived right across from his shop in a RV and after waiting around for about half an hour, I finally got about 3/4 gallon of gas into the bike. Paid $10 for it but it was well worth it.

As always, I had the TPX with me. I was expecting the TPX to get a real good workout going through Arizona, but to my surprise, I didn't encounter as many DPS as last year. The state of Arizona have installed portable and permenant camera traps to catch speedsters, and they are all over the place once you get into Phoenix and Tucson. The portable traps does use radar, but the radar signal that they emit are so low that you won't be able to pick it up until you get real close. Bad news for radar detector users but the good thing is that they have to put up warning signs about a quarter mile out to let you know that you are approaching the trap, so you can just slow down when you see the sign to avoid getting a ticket. The permenant ones use sensors inbedded in the road. Same as the portable speed traps, warning signs are also posted a quarter mile out.

The TPX, however, did save me twice. Both on the way back. The first time was in New Mexico. I was cruising along at about 95 in a 70 when K band started to go off. As always, I backed off on the throttle and looked around for patrols. I didn't see anything and thought it might've been a false positive. I wanted to pick it up again but the signal stayed at 3 bars for a few more seconds and then started to go up, so I decided to stay at 70 for a bit longer. Sure enough, as I came over a little crest in the road a few seconds later, a trooper was parked in the median. Good thing I didn't speed up at all or else I would've been toast for sure. The second time was in Arizona, just past Tucson. I was riding along, around 95 again, when the TPX picked up a weak Ka. The traffice was relatively busy and there were numerous trucks, so I thought it might've been a fase positives from one of the trucks around me either using a radar detector or with their garage door openers. But unlike the usual false positives, the weak Ka signal didn't go away. It stayed. So I kept my speed legal and sure enough, a few seconds later, there was a DPS trooper traveling on the access road! If I hadn't been using a radar detector and paying attention, there was no way that I would've noticed the DPS and I'm sure that the DPS was trying to catch speedsters from the access road.

1,856 miles and two sure saves thanks to the TPX! Can't wait for the next trip!

Americade

Originally posted 6/12/2009


Twisted Throttle's "KLR 650GS".

We were at Americade last week in beautiful upstate New York. Unlike the previous years, the weather cooperated and we didn't get a single drop of rain the entire week. We partnered up with our pals at Twisted Throttle and had a great time meeting the Americade-goers. Too bad I was busy working and didn't get a chance to go on a ride... Next year, I'll make sure I make time for a ride or two.

Motorcyclist Review Online

Originally posted 5/20/2009



Motorcyclist magazine's review of the TPX is now online. Check it out:

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/122_0905_adaptiv_radar_detector_system/index.html

Hey BMW Dude...

Originally posted 5/19/2009

... we feel the same.