Valentine 1 on a 929.

Fig · 07-25-2008, 11:35 PM

Anyone using a V1 on their bike? I don't care to discuss speeding or whether or not the use of a detector is worth it. My dad just out of the blue told me to stick around the house one day, and lo and behold a package arrived with a brand new V1 inside.

I want to mount it on the 929, but have been riding around for a week wondering where in the world I can accomplish this. I have a RAM mount for my Garmin Nuvi 200W, and it's attached to the right hand brake assy. It works great and am happy with that.

I just don't see any kind of real mounting solution for the V1. I looked at the legal speeding site, and frankly the clear plastic housing just looks like they heated up some two liter bottles. It doesn't look that sturdy, and you would still have to mount it to some sort of device. I would like to maybe mount it outboard under the left mirror, kind of hugging the mirror so that it's not like a wart hanging off. Anyone have any ideas so that I can have the full 'front and rear' ability the V1 is known for?

ND4SPD · 07-25-2008, 11:41 PM

Take a look here, third from the bottom:

RAM Mount System

seamus · 07-26-2008, 12:30 AM

Speeding is bad and you'll save money by just slowing down.

Just kidding. Different bikes but good for ideas:

Valentine-1 Mount - VFRD
Radar Detector Mount For A Valentine 1 - VFRD

RAM mounts are probably easiest to work with but a custom, home-built dash shelf might be the asnwer you're looking for.

RedRider · 07-26-2008, 10:33 AM

I mounted my V1 directly to the ZeroGravity double bubble (I have 3 of them) windscreen. I used the suction cup mount, removed the suction cups, and drilled two holes through the screen and used rubber washers. The placement is perfect for seeing the dash and picking up radar.

Fig · 07-26-2008, 01:15 PM

ND4SPD - I do think I am going to end up with some kind of RAM mount configuration.

Seamus - I like those links, but see one common theme. The rear is obstructed by the rider.

RedRider - Have you noticed diminished effectiveness by having it right in the middle of the bike with the rear blocked?

I really want to mount this outboard on maybe the left mirror post. I am thinking about just fabricating the mount with some clamps and some sheet metal. I also have some plexiglass that I am wondering if I can bend into a housing. I have had plexiglass bent before, but the guy had a machine that was built for that. I don't know if I will be able to make perfect bends like he did since I can't heat up just the line.

The bad part is, work has me driving about 40 miles each way to train some new employees. By the time I get this done, I will be done with the driving. Figures. I am thinking about doing it like RedRider. I can have that done this afternoon.

G-ForceJunkie · 07-26-2008, 01:21 PM

Ahhhhh! A couple of years ago I posted on Fireblades I was giving away my mount I made for my 929. I spent 15 hours machining the sucker and no takers so it went in the trash! Oh well. That said, today I would probaly go with the RAM mounts as well.

jose_jimenez · 07-26-2008, 01:34 PM

Mine is mounted via stem stand

maxib · 07-26-2008, 05:02 PM

My V1 is on a Ram mount with remote and I am using lots of Velcro as well as a H.A.R.D. system. No problems front or back. I really don't know why, because I never speed over the posted limit!!! But it's a 954! So I don't know if that works for you!!!!

RedRider · 07-26-2008, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fig

RedRider - Have you noticed diminished effectiveness by having it right in the middle of the bike with the rear blocked?

For radar...no. For rear laser...possibly, but you're toast if they're shooting you with laser from the rear no matter what. The V1 doesn't need perfect line of site to be effective with radar. I've used one in my car and bike for many years and can attest to their effectiveness.

Fig · 07-27-2008, 03:18 AM

Thanks. Well, GForce, had I known... It does look awesome, and now what I have come up with looks even, well how do you say 'more worse.'

I am fabricating, and I use that term very loosely a mount where it will be outboard off the righthand mirror. I got it mocked up, and will probably work on it more tomorrow night. My wife looked at it, and just went silent, so I am probably going to trash this, but I will give it a complete try first. I have to let paint dry and all.

seamus · 07-27-2008, 12:24 PM

Got any pics of the mockup?

In my mind I'm picturing a mount attached to the bottom portion of the mirror so it's directly below it. The picture in my head isn't actually bad looking or too bulky either.

Fig · 07-27-2008, 11:23 PM

I have been waiting for paint to dry, and really didn't want to let out these since there is no paint, and well, I am not sure this is what I am going to end up with. Keep in mind, I am not a mechanical engineer. Also, I am painting the steel, ubolt, and parts of the plexiglass black. Oh, and yes, I know I have a left side mirror on the right side. It's just another little reminder from my meeting with the pavement years ago. That and the scratch on the tank remind me every time I get on that you know what can happen..

AND NO LAUGHING!

seamus · 07-28-2008, 08:50 AM

That's not much different than what I pictured in my head.

Do some part number comparing, I think I have an extra right side mirror for a 1000RR that looks like it would fit

Fig · 08-01-2008, 02:18 PM

So I have been riding with this setup all week, and here's a report. It's awesome. I did paint the mount, and masked off parts of the plexi so the front and rear are still clear. The rest of the plexi is black like the mount. I got a sheet of moleskin and put it on the bottom and sides of the plexi to help with rubbing. The V1 was rubbing on the plexi due to it's unusual shape. It rides just fine, and seems to be working well. I did have two laser hits going to class last night, and while I wasn't concerned as I wasn't speeding, I just couldn't figure out where he was. No telling.

I might be able to get pictures next week. So far this week it's been get up early, drive to my temp work location, get home, switch backpacks and get to school. No time to even grab pictures, much less get them off the camera.

Anyway, it might not look great, but it's working just fine. I actually like it.

RedRider · 08-01-2008, 03:57 PM

Sounds like a good set up.

The laser hits could be from the LED center mount brake lights on cars. If they hit the V1 just right they'll trigger an alert.

Fig · 08-07-2008, 12:40 PM

Time for another update. The way I had bent the acrylic meant I had to flex the top to get the V1 inside and it slide in from the rear, under the mirror. I was putting it in Monday night, and my mind was elsewhere. With my overly powerful, frankly massive arms I broke the housing. So I redesigned the housing to have the V1 insert from the front. I also removed more of the top so that it wouldn't require bending the acrylic so much to get the V1 inside. I figured a little insurance would be good so I placed a square of velcro on the bottom of the housing, and on the bottom of the V1. Well, again I guess I was a little overzealous, and while removing the detector caused the housing to crack on the base this time. The velcro held a little too well, and caused the base to flex as I was trying to unhook the detector.

Since I have a final today, and not much time to mess with this, I put some Gorilla Glue(tm) to the task. Seems to be holding well, and I trimmed the amount of velcro I have holding this baby in place. The ride to work this morning was pretty uneventful, and I managed to tame the incredible strength I posses and got the V1 out of the housing without destroying anything. I guess I just need to work on controlling my power. It's a gift, but I must use it wisely.

I do think I will make another housing as I am getting better at making bends in the acrylic. Like my finely tuned muscles, it's a fine line between melted enough to bend, and just melted.

RedRider · 08-07-2008, 10:52 PM

Where's da' pics man?

Fig · 09-03-2008, 12:36 PM

Well it looks like I have a setup I am happy with. My Dad flew into town, and like Santa brought a present. He picked up a couple of the housings from legalspeeding.com and brought one with him. We then took a look at the mount that I had made, and decided that we would start looking for a new mount. Surprisingly enough, we ended up at Bass Pro Shop this weekend, and there was an entire aisle full of RAM mounts. They had the fairly generic rail-base plate mount, and we picked up a couple of those. I drilled out the holes on the housing, and it was a perfect fit. I spent a couple of hours yesterday placing the mount, and rewiring everything since I now have the remote audio adapter, and a remote display so that the detector in the box is blacked out. The remote audio is down on the tank so I can connect to my helmet, and the remote display is up above the speedo and next to the tach.

The nice part is I am just leaving the V1 in th box. To detach, I just unplug right next to the mirror, and take off the whole RAM arm with the box. It fits right in the trunk. No need to continue opening and closing the housing.

I took it out for a ride last night, and it seems to be working just perfectly. Went off in all the usual spots, so all is good. My wife just shook her head and mumbled something about go go gadget bike...

07-25-2008, 11:35 PM	#1
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	Valentine 1 on a 929. Anyone using a V1 on their bike? I don't care to discuss speeding or whether or not the use of a detector is worth it. My dad just out of the blue told me to stick around the house one day, and lo and behold a package arrived with a brand new V1 inside. I want to mount it on the 929, but have been riding around for a week wondering where in the world I can accomplish this. I have a RAM mount for my Garmin Nuvi 200W, and it's attached to the right hand brake assy. It works great and am happy with that. I just don't see any kind of real mounting solution for the V1. I looked at the legal speeding site, and frankly the clear plastic housing just looks like they heated up some two liter bottles. It doesn't look that sturdy, and you would still have to mount it to some sort of device. I would like to maybe mount it outboard under the left mirror, kind of hugging the mirror so that it's not like a wart hanging off. Anyone have any ideas so that I can have the full 'front and rear' ability the V1 is known for?

07-25-2008, 11:41 PM	#2
ND4SPD I'm BATMAN!!! Join Date: 12-12-2006 Bike(s): Trek Posts: 8,055 Images: 25	Take a look here, third from the bottom: RAM Mount System __________________ "This is your life - are you who you want to be?" Learn all you need to know about Mac OS X

07-26-2008, 12:30 AM	#3
seamus is feelin alright Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Rocket City Age: 34 Bike(s): 1KRR; VFR; FMX650 Posts: 5,469	Speeding is bad and you'll save money by just slowing down. Just kidding. Different bikes but good for ideas: Valentine-1 Mount - VFRD Radar Detector Mount For A Valentine 1 - VFRD RAM mounts are probably easiest to work with but a custom, home-built dash shelf might be the asnwer you're looking for. __________________ Ducit Amor Patriae Richard Herald, The Gentle Giant The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. --- Thucydides

07-26-2008, 10:33 AM	#4
RedRider Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 49 Bike(s): 929 Posts: 2,386	I mounted my V1 directly to the ZeroGravity double bubble (I have 3 of them) windscreen. I used the suction cup mount, removed the suction cups, and drilled two holes through the screen and used rubber washers. The placement is perfect for seeing the dash and picking up radar. Attached Thumbnails

07-26-2008, 01:21 PM	#6
G-ForceJunkie Who's driving? Join Date: 12-15-2006 Location: Valencia, CA Bike(s): BMW GS1150 ADV, DRZ400 Posts: 625	Ahhhhh! A couple of years ago I posted on Fireblades I was giving away my mount I made for my 929. I spent 15 hours machining the sucker and no takers so it went in the trash! Oh well. That said, today I would probaly go with the RAM mounts as well. Attached Thumbnails

07-26-2008, 01:15 PM	#5
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	ND4SPD - I do think I am going to end up with some kind of RAM mount configuration. Seamus - I like those links, but see one common theme. The rear is obstructed by the rider. RedRider - Have you noticed diminished effectiveness by having it right in the middle of the bike with the rear blocked? I really want to mount this outboard on maybe the left mirror post. I am thinking about just fabricating the mount with some clamps and some sheet metal. I also have some plexiglass that I am wondering if I can bend into a housing. I have had plexiglass bent before, but the guy had a machine that was built for that. I don't know if I will be able to make perfect bends like he did since I can't heat up just the line. The bad part is, work has me driving about 40 miles each way to train some new employees. By the time I get this done, I will be done with the driving. Figures. I am thinking about doing it like RedRider. I can have that done this afternoon.

07-26-2008, 01:34 PM	#7
jose_jimenez Not Sure's Legal Representation Join Date: 01-05-2007 Bike(s): Hurricane Posts: 1,977	Mine is mounted via stem stand

07-26-2008, 05:02 PM	#8
maxib Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: MN Age: 57 Bike(s): 02 CBR954RR 05 ST1300 Posts: 1,008	My V1 is on a Ram mount with remote and I am using lots of Velcro as well as a H.A.R.D. system. No problems front or back. I really don't know why, because I never speed over the posted limit!!! But it's a 954! So I don't know if that works for you!!!! Attached Thumbnails

07-27-2008, 03:18 AM	#10
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	Thanks. Well, GForce, had I known... It does look awesome, and now what I have come up with looks even, well how do you say 'more worse.' I am fabricating, and I use that term very loosely a mount where it will be outboard off the righthand mirror. I got it mocked up, and will probably work on it more tomorrow night. My wife looked at it, and just went silent, so I am probably going to trash this, but I will give it a complete try first. I have to let paint dry and all.

07-27-2008, 12:24 PM	#11
seamus is feelin alright Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Rocket City Age: 34 Bike(s): 1KRR; VFR; FMX650 Posts: 5,469	Got any pics of the mockup? In my mind I'm picturing a mount attached to the bottom portion of the mirror so it's directly below it. The picture in my head isn't actually bad looking or too bulky either. __________________ Ducit Amor Patriae Richard Herald, The Gentle Giant The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. --- Thucydides

07-27-2008, 11:23 PM	#12
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	I have been waiting for paint to dry, and really didn't want to let out these since there is no paint, and well, I am not sure this is what I am going to end up with. Keep in mind, I am not a mechanical engineer. Also, I am painting the steel, ubolt, and parts of the plexiglass black. Oh, and yes, I know I have a left side mirror on the right side. It's just another little reminder from my meeting with the pavement years ago. That and the scratch on the tank remind me every time I get on that you know what can happen.. AND NO LAUGHING! Attached Thumbnails

07-28-2008, 08:50 AM	#13
seamus is feelin alright Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Rocket City Age: 34 Bike(s): 1KRR; VFR; FMX650 Posts: 5,469	That's not much different than what I pictured in my head. Do some part number comparing, I think I have an extra right side mirror for a 1000RR that looks like it would fit __________________ Ducit Amor Patriae Richard Herald, The Gentle Giant The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. --- Thucydides

08-01-2008, 02:18 PM	#14
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	So I have been riding with this setup all week, and here's a report. It's awesome. I did paint the mount, and masked off parts of the plexi so the front and rear are still clear. The rest of the plexi is black like the mount. I got a sheet of moleskin and put it on the bottom and sides of the plexi to help with rubbing. The V1 was rubbing on the plexi due to it's unusual shape. It rides just fine, and seems to be working well. I did have two laser hits going to class last night, and while I wasn't concerned as I wasn't speeding, I just couldn't figure out where he was. No telling. I might be able to get pictures next week. So far this week it's been get up early, drive to my temp work location, get home, switch backpacks and get to school. No time to even grab pictures, much less get them off the camera. Anyway, it might not look great, but it's working just fine. I actually like it.

08-01-2008, 03:57 PM	#15
RedRider Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 49 Bike(s): 929 Posts: 2,386	Sounds like a good set up. The laser hits could be from the LED center mount brake lights on cars. If they hit the V1 just right they'll trigger an alert.

08-07-2008, 12:40 PM	#16
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	Time for another update. The way I had bent the acrylic meant I had to flex the top to get the V1 inside and it slide in from the rear, under the mirror. I was putting it in Monday night, and my mind was elsewhere. With my overly powerful, frankly massive arms I broke the housing. So I redesigned the housing to have the V1 insert from the front. I also removed more of the top so that it wouldn't require bending the acrylic so much to get the V1 inside. I figured a little insurance would be good so I placed a square of velcro on the bottom of the housing, and on the bottom of the V1. Well, again I guess I was a little overzealous, and while removing the detector caused the housing to crack on the base this time. The velcro held a little too well, and caused the base to flex as I was trying to unhook the detector. Since I have a final today, and not much time to mess with this, I put some Gorilla Glue(tm) to the task. Seems to be holding well, and I trimmed the amount of velcro I have holding this baby in place. The ride to work this morning was pretty uneventful, and I managed to tame the incredible strength I posses and got the V1 out of the housing without destroying anything. I guess I just need to work on controlling my power. It's a gift, but I must use it wisely. I do think I will make another housing as I am getting better at making bends in the acrylic. Like my finely tuned muscles, it's a fine line between melted enough to bend, and just melted.

08-07-2008, 10:52 PM	#17
RedRider Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 49 Bike(s): 929 Posts: 2,386	Where's da' pics man?

09-03-2008, 12:36 PM	#18
Fig Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Saugus, Ca. Age: 40 Bike(s): 01 929 Posts: 74	Well it looks like I have a setup I am happy with. My Dad flew into town, and like Santa brought a present. He picked up a couple of the housings from legalspeeding.com and brought one with him. We then took a look at the mount that I had made, and decided that we would start looking for a new mount. Surprisingly enough, we ended up at Bass Pro Shop this weekend, and there was an entire aisle full of RAM mounts. They had the fairly generic rail-base plate mount, and we picked up a couple of those. I drilled out the holes on the housing, and it was a perfect fit. I spent a couple of hours yesterday placing the mount, and rewiring everything since I now have the remote audio adapter, and a remote display so that the detector in the box is blacked out. The remote audio is down on the tank so I can connect to my helmet, and the remote display is up above the speedo and next to the tach. The nice part is I am just leaving the V1 in th box. To detach, I just unplug right next to the mirror, and take off the whole RAM arm with the box. It fits right in the trunk. No need to continue opening and closing the housing. I took it out for a ride last night, and it seems to be working just perfectly. Went off in all the usual spots, so all is good. My wife just shook her head and mumbled something about go go gadget bike... Attached Thumbnails