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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
We were at Speed Measurement Laboratory's2009 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!
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.
After a year of use and abuse with the TPX, the editors at Motorcyclist magazine finally published their thoughts on it this month and gave it a 4.5 star rating!
Editor Aaron Frank wrote: "Finally, a radar/laser detector that works well on a motorcycle!" He added: "More importantly, I didn't get a single speeding ticket during the entire test!"
To read the entire review, click on the page below or pickup a copy of this month's issue of Motorcyclist!
I just did an interview with Shawn King of YourBikeLife.com, a website dedicated to all things on two wheels with a bunch of cool interviews and information. Shawn had found out about the TPX on the internet and thought his listeners would be interested in our products and wanted to get an interview on us. Initially, Adam was going to be interviewed, but after chipping a tooth playing hockey the night before the interview, he had to miss it in exchange for a dentist visit. So instead of him, you get to hear me!
We set a record for the longest interview to date on YourBikeLife.com, and after listening to myself on the interview, no wonder. Waaaaay too many "um's" and dead pauses. I took a communications class when I was in college and part of the course was to be a better speaker and learn to cut down on the "um's" when speaking. My professor would've not been pleased had she heard the interview.
We were at Southern California Motorcycles in Brea last weekend for their annual open house. Anytime you mix in a bunch of riders with free food, demo rides, bike show, and raffle drawings you know it's going to be fun, and it was.
We had a great turn out, had a bunch of people stopping by to check us out, and I had a great time. I even got away for a bit to demo ride a Triumph Speed Triple!
Thanks to all the guys at So Cal Motorcycles for the fun filled day!
We've got a new install video up on YouTube, this time, it's on a 2006 Ducati Monster 620. I picked up the bike earlier this year and, man, what a great bike it is! Super fun to ride and manueverable. Looking forward to spending lot of time on it!
The editors at Super Streetbike Magazine came to us at the Indy Show last month and said that they wanted to get the TPX installed on their brand new Ducati 848. They probably figured that they'll have a hard time going slow on that bike and wanted something to cover their butt. So last Friday, I rode over to their office to help them install the TPX on the 848.
The install was fairly straight forward on the 848. We removed the panels on the left side of the bike to access the battery and hid the excess wiring within the fairing.
The bike looked great with the TPX on it, and we'll see what Super Streetbike has to say about the TPX soon!
We were at Daytona Bike Week a couple of weeks ago for some sun, fun, and a lot of bike racing. The place was packed all week and it kept us busy.
Fortunately, I was able to sneak away to demo ride a few bikes. I rode the Spyder, which initially didn't think that I would like much, but I was wrong. I didn't think a three wheeler could be as fun as a two wheeler, but it came close. The next bike that I rode was a Buell Lightening. The Lightening was probably one of the most comfortable bikes that I've ever been on, and now I will seriously consider it for my next bike. The last bike that I demoed was Kawasaki's ZX-6... wow! What a great bike! The bike's got ample power, super maneuverable, and fun! It was, by far, the funnest bike that I've been on since the R6 that I had back in the day.
All and all, it was a tiring but exciting week. Looking forward to the next bike week!
"We feel that one silly mistake shouldn't end up costing you dearly in attorney fees, insurance hikes, court costs, and a whole bunch of valuable time." Amen, we feel exactly the same, and that's why they think (and us too) that having the TPX on your bike is a good idea.
The full review can be found in the February issue of RoadRunner, available on newsstands now.
We were at the Dealer Expo in Indianapolis this past weekend. It was both busy... and fun! Got to see a lot of old friends and made new ones as well. At the show, we made the grand announcement to the dealers that Western Power Sports is now our distributor for the TPX products, and what this means for you is that you can pretty much get the TPX from any of your local brick and mortar motorcycle dealership! We are excited about our partnership with WPS and the fact that you, the consumers, now have greater access to our products!
While 2008 had been a great year for us and we are sad to see it come to an end, we are excited about 2009! This year, we plan on going to more events and hopefully see more of you more often!
One of things that I'd like to do this year is to do more "fun" rides. One of my resolutions for this year is to go on at least one fun ride a month. Hopefully I'll find time to do this.
