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Hey there, fellow Super Tenere fans...
Do you occasionally exceed the posted speed limit? And have you thought about a GPS for your bike from time to time? Wouldn't it be nice if you could have one of the best GPS units around *AND* one of the finest radar detectors made all in one neat, tidy, stealthy package?
Well, oddly enough, you can get such a wonderful device - right here:
http://www.escortradar.com/iq/
Been doing some homework on this unit, and the GPS half of the Escort IQ is sourced from Garmin, with much the same functionality as their Nuvi line-up. Slightly different screen graphics, not quite as many features, etc. to distinguish it from the parent Garmin devices, but still all the good and useful stuff there. From what I can gather the radar detector half of the unit is basically the same detection antenna set-up as the 8500 but uses the software from the 9500. I've been using Escort 8500's on bikes for years and they are more than adequate for the small radar profile of a motorcycle.
Take a look at the info on Escort's web page, especially the shots of the various screens. This could be an ideal unit for motorcycle, and not only that it kills two technological birds on the bars with one stone, but also because it is essentially "stealthy" in a certain way... i.e. that if somehow the honorable member of the constabulary still tagged and bagged you. despite you having some electronic countermeasures, when he walks up to *chat* with you about a citation he wouldn't see anything that looks like a radar detector perched up in your cockpit - just an innocent ol' GPS.
There is one major fly in the ointment here, though... The unit is *NOT* waterproof, nor optimized for motorcycle use in any way, though it would conveniently plug right into the Super Tenere's power outlet. Now I have not had any trouble using the same Escort 8500 on a motorcycle, in all sorts of weather including rain, in the past 7 or 8 years. I did accidentally wash it with the bike once and had it freak out, but it was fine once it dried out. Still, I'm not sure about the weather capabilities of this new Escort IQ GPS/detector combo...
However, I did write Escort an e-mail and tell them that I thought they had a captive, ready, and waiting market out there if they could simply sell these with waterproofing and louder radar alerts. Their reply was that they had no plans for such a motorcycle-specific unit at this time. Perhaps if they got enough folks writing in then maybe they might change that assessment... Couldn't hurt to drop them a line if you're interested. After all, that's how the Yamaha FJR1300 and the Yamaha Super Tenere made it to US shores...
Anyway, just an FYI for some of you out there who might like such a device.
Dallara
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Hey there, fellow Super Tenere fans...
Do you occasionally exceed the posted speed limit? And have you thought about a GPS for your bike from time to time? Wouldn't it be nice if you could have one of the best GPS units around *AND* one of the finest radar detectors made all in one neat, tidy, stealthy package?
Well, oddly enough, you can get such a wonderful device - right here:
http://www.escortradar.com/iq/
Been doing some homework on this unit, and the GPS half of the Escort IQ is sourced from Garmin, with much the same functionality as their Nuvi line-up. Slightly different screen graphics, not quite as many features, etc. to distinguish it from the parent Garmin devices, but still all the good and useful stuff there. From what I can gather the radar detector half of the unit is basically the same detection antenna set-up as the 8500 but uses the software from the 9500. I've been using Escort 8500's on bikes for years and they are more than adequate for the small radar profile of a motorcycle.
Take a look at the info on Escort's web page, especially the shots of the various screens. This could be an ideal unit for motorcycle, and not only that it kills two technological birds on the bars with one stone, but also because it is essentially "stealthy" in a certain way... i.e. that if somehow the honorable member of the constabulary still tagged and bagged you. despite you having some electronic countermeasures, when he walks up to *chat* with you about a citation he wouldn't see anything that looks like a radar detector perched up in your cockpit - just an innocent ol' GPS.
There is one major fly in the ointment here, though... The unit is *NOT* waterproof, nor optimized for motorcycle use in any way, though it would conveniently plug right into the Super Tenere's power outlet. Now I have not had any trouble using the same Escort 8500 on a motorcycle, in all sorts of weather including rain, in the past 7 or 8 years. I did accidentally wash it with the bike once and had it freak out, but it was fine once it dried out. Still, I'm not sure about the weather capabilities of this new Escort IQ GPS/detector combo...
However, I did write Escort an e-mail and tell them that I thought they had a captive, ready, and waiting market out there if they could simply sell these with waterproofing and louder radar alerts. Their reply was that they had no plans for such a motorcycle-specific unit at this time. Perhaps if they got enough folks writing in then maybe they might change that assessment... Couldn't hurt to drop them a line if you're interested. After all, that's how the Yamaha FJR1300 and the Yamaha Super Tenere made it to US shores...
Anyway, just an FYI for some of you out there who might like such a device.
Dallara
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