Being an avid motorcyclist and speed counter measure geek I’ve outfitted my “Stealth Hog” with virtually every radar detector and laser jammer that was either designed for motorcycle use or could be customized with other accessories.
Packages such as the Escort/Beltronics units coupled with the H.A.R.D system worked great until it rained and the electronics became waterlogged. Units developed for use on motorcycles, such as the Whistler Cruisader and the Beltronics 946 units were designed by engineers whom I feel never took an “iron butt” cross country tour, thus failing in areas of usability.
Therefore I was ecstatic when I first learned about the new Adaptiv Technology TPX motorcycle radar detector system that was actually developed by motorcycle enthusiasts from the ground up.
Over the past two months I have been the recipient of several prototypes of their new radar detector system and one thing that really stands out to me is that they took constructive criticism seriously as they have implemented several of my suggestions to enhance their system for the motorcycle market.
Monday, after personally testing each of their final production units in New Jersey the owners/engineers Wayne and Adam, hopped on a flight to Arizona to personally meet with me and hand over one of their final production units for review.
Wasting no time, I installed it on my Harley Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Ultra Classic.
The TPX system has several mounting options and I chose the control mount system that allowed me to replace the two screws on my hand brake installing the mount/detector on the left side of my handlebars.
The power cord was tied off at the mount and ran under the fairing to the battery. I then connected the external LED display running this wire under my fairing to the bottom of the windscreen. The wireless helmet speaker was then attached to my helmet with supplied double sided tape.
The entire install was just under thirty minutes and it was by far the cleanest install of any radar detector system that I have ever seen on any bike! I fired up my V-Twin and headed north for a short 120 mile cruise through the “twisties” of the Bradshaw Mountains to Prescott then east to I-17 heading to Phoenix, returning home on the Carefree Highway.
I found that pressing the oversized buttons on top of the unit for programming was very easy, even with insulated leather gloves. Hearing the detector alerts with the wireless headset was not a problem, even while listening to tunes from my Ipod. The external LED light was also an eye catcher even in the Arizona sun. On the evening ride home the blue backlit buttons were easy to see and control.
The entire TPX system is water proof so having to carry zip lock baggies or a child size shower cap to wrap your detector during a rain storm is no longer required.
Performance wise the TPX system alerted to several Ka alerts and K band alerts in a timely basis, even while I was riding through the mountain curves and encountered an “off axis” ambush.
Downside during this ride and subsequent tests of the TPX was the overabundance of false alerts. The Adaptiv system presently has three sensitivity settings; highway, city and city no X. Being a “road warrior” I always keep my detector on the highway setting. But because this setting also allows the dirty X band signal through unfiltered, I was alerting to every supermarket and gas station along my route. I also found that the TPX also alerted Ka to any vehicle equipped with one of those leaky Cobra radar detectors within my vicinity.
Switching over to City no X band, the false alerts did subside however I found that the K and Ka sensitivity also dropped off by almost 50%.
I suspect that after reading this review, that the engineers at Adaptiv will place “improved filtering capabilities” high on their priority list and work on a solution.
Overall I felt that the TPX system was on par with a higher ended Whistler system and able to outperform any Cobra on the market. But can it match up to the higher ended Escort/Beltronics units, sorry to say no. But remember to properly accessorize one of those detectors to your motorcycle will cost you hundreds of dollars more.
If you’re an “Easy Rider” wanting a reasonably priced detector for your motorcycle without going for broke, then this unit is definitely the right unit for you. However if you’re strapping on a BUSA, GSXR or any other high performance bike then hold on to those zip lock baggies, because you’ll be using them to cover up your Escort/Bel/Valentine 1 during the next rainstorm.
Look for the TPX system coming soon to www.RadarBusters.com
Radar Roy’s Rating - Four Stars
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7 users responded in this post
I’m on two wheels much more than I’m on four as I ride 12 months out of the year. I’ve attempted to adapt a number of things from autos to bikes over the years, but it’s always an effort as a bike is just a different environment.
The bike-friendly touches on the TPX definitely have my attention. They’ve already worked out the waterproofing, getting the signal to the rider, use with gloves, mounting options, and more.
I’m interested to see if the performance/falsing logic can be smoothed out. I live in a area where X-band isn’t used, so the NoX feature is a plus. I would also like to see an interface between the wireless helmet display and laser jammer units on the market.
Hi Roy,
Thank you for your thorough evaluation and taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us.
We appreciate your comments and advice and will use your suggestions and recommendations to further improve our products.
We look forward to continue to have you evaluate our products, and as always, we welcome your positive comments as well as your constructive criticisms so that we can better our products!
Wayne,
CEO, Adaptiv Technologies
So was this still then only a prototype model you were testing or was this to be the actual production model? Also, is switching from Highway to City NoX on it that difficult while riding the main problem you had with this? Seems like making it an option to just hit a button and switch modes quickly would solve that issue rather easily.
My only current bikes are dirt bikes at the moment, but I’m looking for a great deal on a street bike this year. Our local very large Honda shop is one of my MX sponsors so I can get a great deal from them, making the plans to get a street bike this summer even more desirable (not to mention gas prices), but I am still favoring the Hayabusa. I’ve certainly had my eye on this specific purpose detector since I first heard mention of it several months ago, and still do. I’m trying to understand the difference mentioned as a need for “better filtering” due to excessive false alerts, and this same scenario in the V1 but referred to often as “better sensitivity”. Isn’t both “better sensitivity” and a need for “better filtering” both one in the same and both going to equal excessive false alerts in the same way? I already use the 9500i in my daily driving and absence of annoying false alerts has been heaven sent. My street bike wouldn’t be a daily driver, but a open highway, mountain pass pleasure vehicle in rural areas where false alerts would be of little concern to me. Maybe that’s what I find somewhat confusing in this review and I’m wondering if maybe I should be reading between the lines more and the comments at the end of the review is just a nice way of saying the detection capabilities are limited? Ignoring the false alert aspects mentioned, would you say the actual detection capabilities of the TPX are at least within close range of the high end detectors? I hate to put you on the spot like that since you seemed to of specifically not mentioned this, but this is important to me, particularly for a new product the rest of us no little about in regards to actual performance. Even if its within close range of detecting radar I thing the advantages of the purpose specific build of this detector make for a significant difference. The only thing it seems like it could be improved with is maybe a mounting mechanism which could be somehow key locked for anti theft safe short runs into a store, yet a quick release at the same time for those times when you’re going to be away a little longer and can simply unlock it and take it with you. The brake reservoir two screw mounting sounds like a great idea, but I’d fear it could leave me without front brakes if a thief were to without care attempt prying it off my bike. A quick release key type locking mechanism would certainly be a plus. It would be even cooler if you could have a locksmith key the cylinder for it so your bike key would work to unlock it.
This was the final production model we tested for the review.
The filtering issue is allot worse then the V1. I found that other detectors would set off the TPX and when activating city the performance dropped off.
In speaking with the engineers at TPX I know that this is a high on their list to address.
After reading your review and doing some research on the internet, I decided to give TPX a try, and I have to say, it’s a great product. I used to run a V1 and the sensitivity seems to be on par with it. Keep up the good work Roy, your reviews are great!
I got a unit and the false doesn’t seem to be any worse than the Escort that I run in my car. The only thing is that it picks up other radar detectors on the road when I go by cars using radar detectors, mostly Cobras and Whistlers because I can tell the general shape of the detectors in other cars when I ride by them. Which leads to a question: do all radar detectors leak, just some more than the other? Because it seems like when I ride by V1s or Bels or Escorts the TPX stays quiet, and I checked to see if my Escort would interfere with the TPX and vice versa and neither one went off in the presence of the other.
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