Road Angel

http://www.new-road-angel-gps.co.uk/

Seen the advert of this and thought to check out the detail of the product. Does anyone own and use such a device? Is it legal to use it in UK?
In the spec, it says it is motorbike compatible, does that only mean it can operate on bike voltage because I certainly don’t think I’ve seen a cigarette DC plug on most bikes.

Does anyone know any other device like road angel designed specifically for bikes?

Originally Posted by KrZ

http://www.new-road-angel-gps.co.uk/

Seen the advert of this and thought to check out the detail of the product. Does anyone own and use such a device? Is it legal to use it in UK?
In the spec, it says it is motorbike compatible, does that only mean it can operate on bike voltage because I certainly don’t think I’ve seen a cigarette DC plug on most bikes.

Does anyone know any other device like road angel designed specifically for bikes?

Legal? Yes. There's talk of the government banning (currently legal) radar detectors, but this is a GPS device - tells you where you are. It doesn't detect radar - it won't work with mobile radar traps. The GPS-based devices, being passive, usually need a subscription to keep their internal database of 'hazards', ie cameras, up to date.

Not exactly cheap, is it

don't know how it works with mobile speed guns, and mobile camera units. it seems also have front and rear lazer detectors. maybe the gps is just added to make it legal.
Does anyone know of system that does radar as well as lazer detection and still legal to use for bikes?

Interesting they call cameras "hazzards"

Originally Posted by KrZ

don't know how it works with mobile speed guns, and mobile camera units. it seems also have front and rear lazer detectors. maybe the gps is just added to make it legal.
Does anyone know of system that does radar as well as lazer detection and still legal to use for bikes?

Interesting they call cameras "hazzards"

Ahhh well you see cameras are all at hazard sites, so it should be perfectly alright to warn you of them

i dont know why things that detect cameras should be illegal. ull slow down for them and therefore do what they are there to do.

they seemed to have long since changed from a measure to stop people speeding to actually catch people speeding.

if you click on the "click to buy" button it comes up with a list of options one of which is for fitting to a motorbike. Consists of bracket and hard wiring kit, and costs £20.

Originally Posted by Wiltshire7

i dont know why things that detect cameras should be illegal....

Funny you should mention that. I happen to know that the next Queen's speech will refer to legislation making the wearing of blindfolds by all drivers, riders and front seat passengers compulsory!

There will be an additional clause for bikes requiring pillion passengers to also be blindfolded in the event that any type of rider/pillion intercom is in use. This is in response to pressure from the road safety lobby and reflects growing concern that drivers are using their eyes to spot safety cameras and have been observed on many occasions to slow down thus unfairly evading prosecution for speeding offences.

Road transport groups have reviewed the draft proposals and have suggested that the widespread introduction of blindfolds is likely to have a negative impact on the ability of drivers and riders to efficiently use the public road system but a DfT spokesperson dismissed these claims as being unnecessarily alarmist...

Just to add my 2 penn'th

I use a Bel 550i Euro Radar & Laser detector in my car (Alfa147GTA) and have done for about 4 years. They were once illegal based upon an interpretation of 'misuse of police communications' but this was thrown out years ago and they've been legal for ages. The govt. keeps threatening to make them illegal again but the manufacturers are smart and now sell them as 'accident blackspot detectors' rather than 'speed trap detectors'. This uses the govt's argument that cameras are only used at accident balckspots (yeh right!) against them and says that surely it would be safer to inform road users when they are approaching a 'blackspot' so that they can take extra care!

There are many different versions of these detectors, mine is quite old now and so does not detect the latest Truvelo's and SPECS systems, but it gets GATSOs and laser devices. The GPS ones use a database (with an annual subscription to download form the web) plotting GPS co-ordinates of each camera (so it can warn you as you get close) but do not tell you if they are actually armed (most GATSOs are actually empty boxes). The Road Angel also has laser detection to get handheld laser guns. Nothing will currently detect the latest generation of mobile SPECS systems (you see these sat on m'way bridges - a white van with 2 camera poles stuck out the roof!).

There's a lot of good info on the Association of British Drivers website about the different cameras and detectors that exist too!