HOW TO Wire Radar Detector For Dummies? (need How To)

OK, I've got all the goodies, (V1, stemstand, remote audio adaptor), but now I need some good How To wiring tips for my 02 R1. I'm hoping to avoid wires running all over the place. Ideally, I'd like to tap into a power source that's only on when ignition is on near the front of the bike. I'm a picky bastard so I'm hoping that I can minimize the appearance of the wires. I did multiple searches on this site and didn't quite find what I was looking for. Any help and pictures much appreciated. I'll commit to creating a full blown How To, with pictures, if I can get some good tips from someone. THANKS!

I use a stemstand on my R1. I have an Passport 8500 mounted on it with velcro, so when I park, I unplug it and put in the "trunk." If you're not familiar with the 8500, it has what Escort calls a "Smartcord" which is a separate indicator module. here's a link: http://www.escortstore.com/smcord.htm A green LED lights to indicate power status and a flashing red LED to indicate a recieved radar signal. It also has a mute button. I found a fairly convenient place to tap for power that is on only with the key in the "on" position. Soldering and heat shrink insulation is the ONLY acceptable means of splicing electrical wires in this kind of application. The "crimp downs" or butt splices have no place on the R1. I managed to mount the direct wire smartcord in the dash for viewing at about any riding position. Pretty handy, since you can't see much of the actual radar detector's display on the front anyhow, especially with a tank bag on. Not that it would be too safe anyhow, since if your detector goes off you should be primed to slow down fast. I can snap some pics and post more details if you like, epecially for a fellow Minnesota rider. I'm orig. from St Paul. I picked up an Aerostitch suit in Duluth last summer and almost always ride with it. Lay-ta!

I got my passport 8500 from motorcycleradar.com. It came with a remote speaker system called the "screamer", and let me tell you, it does scream! Guys riding on other bikes hear this thing rip, and they are not always right near me. Good thing it has a silencing switch for around town. I mounted the detector itslf in the nose of my 02 R1 at the base of the windscreen, behind the tach and speedo. There is a small amount of room in there, and all I had to do was make a small shelf out of some scrap aluminum. The screamer pezio speaker mounts to the top of the front fairing stay, so it blasts directly at me. For power, I tapped into the low beam wire on one of the head lights. Thus, the detector only comes on went the motor is running. I have no exposed wires, nothing out in the open for people to see and steal (speaker looks like an alarm actually) and it works like you cannot believe. Saved from several tickets so far. Only draw back is that the detector does not operate when the high beam is on. But, I never ride at night so it is no loss to me. It is so great to just turn the bike on and go, protection always on, and nothing to pulg in or remove. The best detector set up I've ever had, and I've had a bunch of them.

ZoomNewm.... I wanted to do exactly what you did, mount the radar detector in the nose but I have the V1 and it doesn't fit. Thanks for the info though. I do right at night so I probably wont tap into the headlight.

Correct, the V1 will not fit. But I thought I would pass on my set up for anyone who might be looking to do an installation. Each method has it's good and bad points I guess. Pick your poison and know your limitations. Have fun out there.....

I use a bel 980 which has now been replaced by the 985, in my car and i live by it out here in california. after i realized how good it and relable it is i stopped reading posted speed signs. I too want to put one on my r1 because i have only had mine for 3 weeks and i have gotten tagged 3 times by the CHP (once my first hour ever riding a bike). if your guys got photos of your set ups i would like to take a peek. shaun

Do not mount Radar in the nose. If you know anything about Radar, it has to be mounted level to work correctly and have a full view of the roadway. Use a stemstand, and if you have a detector that has an RJ45 (phone) type jack like the 8500 they have a 10cord with fuse that goes right to the battery. I wired mine in about 15min. I also used velcro for easy removal to the car and for carying.

I plan on using mine only on really great days(8500)and I may well be installing it under the nose of the bike;there are no rocks that goes there...hell,this place is never dirty when I ride in the rain. I already have a bracket idea in mind using the stock ratcheting device and some velcro,with the power cord used as a tethering device in case.

Geez,I forgot the whole essence of that thread...lol On my 99,the red with white stripe wire that goes out under the fuse box is a switched source. If the idea of using the blue signal wire is not good for you,check this out...use a voltmeter,hook one lead to a good ground and remove the fuse box from its space and find a switched connection by first hooking the other lead to one wire,then switch the ignition on. 12V should appear and you just found your switched source. Depending on the amount of current your device is drawing or the fuse that is needed in line,choose the circuit which uses the appropriate fuse value;in mine,I have 7.5/10/15/20amps.

My dear Lokes- Mounting the radar detector in the nose of the R1 is just fine. It is level with the horizon, as I made a small mounting plate from scrap aluminum to insure this position. Microwaves go through anything that is not metal, so the ABS plastic nose does not interfere with receiving radar signals. This setup has been in place for almost a year now on my R1 and it works perfectly. And don't even mention that the laser antenna might not work as effectively in this mounting position. Of course it doesn't...who cares? An alert from the lasar detector only tells you that you are about to get a ticket. It is not reasonable to expect to react fast enough to beat the speed of light, which is 146,000 miles an hour. You may get a "sniff" of a stray lasar beam if the cop is sloppy with his aim, but here in New Jersey they wait till you're pretty close before they fire a beam. Good thing they sit right out in the open when they do use lasar. You can see a white Crown Vic police cruiser from way off, easily out of range of the lasar. Good luck with your set up. Remember, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Oh and Lokes- If you know anything about radar, you would know that radar waves fired from a radar gun bounce down the highways reflecting off all types of things. Guard rails, signs, walls, just about anything solid. That is why it is easy to pick up stray waves very far off from the source, long before the source can "see" you. Sure, perfect aiming of a detector would help receive these signals better. But when exactly is your vehicle traveling at exactly right angles to the microwave source. Answer, hardly ever. Unless you live in a perfectly flat world. Mine has hills and valleys, and bends and stuff. Lasars are line of sight with a very small amount of signal spread. Microwaves on the other hand spread out wider as they travel out from the source. Causing them to bounce, change direction, go around corners for short distances and pretty much fill almost the whole road in front of you if you are far enough away from the source. I guess I might know a little about radar detectors after researching, experimenting and using them in various vehicles over the past 27 years. Just setting the record straight.....Best of Luck.

So then, I would be able to mount a radar detector behind my windscreen even if it's painted ?? (I sprayed the inside as a cheap & easy mod) Matt

Yean,Roy at radarbusters told me the same thing......it goes through carbon fiber,ABS,name it as long as its not hitting anything metal on the way......in that case,the signal just doesnt go through..no harm done,but nothing much else either. On earlier model R1,I think it may be possible to mount it between the light cluster and the bottom of the top fairing......there is space there,but enough,I"ll know for sure as soon as THE FREAKIN RAIN STOPS. Of course,hitting the highways where there are cops all the time afterward to test will be in the program... P.S. Mounting it under a headlamp might give us the ability to see the display too,so I wish it will work.....maybe with some foam(1/8")to quell vibes in case its to cramped in there...

R1Matty....Mount your detector. Don't worry about the paint.

I found a nice place to wire in my radar detector and gps power. Remove the small fairing section (2 screws) that covers the OEM wiring harness on the left, by the left fork tube. On the 2000 R1, there is a white wiring connector with a red wire, a blue/yellow stripe, blue, and brown/blue stripe. The brown/blue stripe wire is hot with the ignition key ON. Next to this white connector is a black connector, with a blue wire and a black wire. The black wire is ground. In the pic, you can see where I had heat-shrink insulated my wire splices. I recommend that you test the wires with a volt-meter and verify first. Use an in-line fuse holder on the +12v connection side, with fuse that your radar detector (or other accessory) calls for. Someday I might figure out how to have the image just show up in my post rather than just a link to the image. http://www.r1-forum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7049

here's the pic of the wiring tap: :iamwithst

Originally posted by ZoomNewm I mounted the detector itslf in the nose of my 02 R1 at the base of the windscreen, behind the tach and speedo. There is a small amount of room in there, and all I had to do was make a small shelf out of some scrap aluminum. The screamer pezio speaker mounts to the top of the front fairing stay, so it blasts directly at me. Would you be able to post any pic? I am thinking about getting one but not sure where to mount it.

Originally posted by ZoomNewm Correct, the V1 will not fit. \ It looked to me like the V1 would fit in the nose if you dremelled just a little bit of metal off of the fairing stay. (Because the V1's display sticks out and hits the stay) But I think it's a waste to put the V1 in there, because the rear detection wouldn't work too well. I was going to try the Bell remote instead.

Isvtec (hey, Jersey guy) and red-leader: Sorry, but I don't have photo capabilities. But if you remove the windscreen,you'll see exactly where I placed my Escort. There is a small area at the rear of the instrament cluster, facing forward. An Escort 8500 fits snuggly right in there if you make a small shelf out of aluminum to support the front of the detector ( this also gives more surface area for the velcro to hold the detector). Go to motorcycleradar.com and get one of their screamer packages. You'll hear that pizeo speaker over any road noise at any speed. I know I do, and I even wear ear plugs when I ride. As for a V1...I've been told it would not fit. If you think a little Dremel work will make it fit, measure carefully and be brave. Give it a shot. Others may have said it would not fit, but they may have not considered your exact location or method. Best of luck whatever you choose.

HEy everyone, I just wired my chaterbox and passport 8500 directly to the bike using their accesory cables. I thought the headlight would be a good spot since it has power on with the key. I cut the ground and power and soldered in my accesory cables. Everything is working, but when I plug the headset from the passport into my chatterbox I get engine noise that increases w/ rpms and cannot hear the passport at all. Should I have wired them directly to the battery posts? Any ideas. If I plug in my MP3 player it sounds fine, but if I use the same audio cable and plug in my radar detector the above problem occurs. Thanks for any help, -Eric

I have the same idea of using a chatterbox.....definitely don't wnat the noise thought...any tapping ideas for the 02

The problem w/ the auxillary input jack on the chatter box is that it is a grounded audio, or ungrounded I forgot which one. In either case it is opposite of what the headphone jack on the Passport is so it doesn't work. I called Passport and they explained all this to me. They rigged up some transformer for free and sent it out, but I still had the engine noise, it was just louder. I ended up getting the H.A.R.D system and that works awesome. It is removable from the helmet so I just put it in on the weekends when I go raise :rock

I just got a 03 R1 and i dont want to cut any wires also can some post installed pics of there radar and what sould i get passport ?