Adaptive Technologies TPX 2.0 Radar & Laser Detector

Here's my new review of Adaptiv Technology's TPX 2.0 Radar and Laser Detector for motorcycles. Viable protection from the state's predatory revenue generation? Tune in and find out!

-MKL

I've been running one for several years now. Ironically, I received my first speeding ticket in over twenty years shortly after purchasing it. It was entirely my fault...the TPX worked perfectly. My mistake was mounting the LED too low...I didn't see it go off. After the citation I mounted it top center above the Nav V. The other change I made was to pipe the audio into the helmet. My music is only interrupted when the detector goes off. Now it's more like what I'm accustomed to in the truck...sight and sound. I've been pretty happy with the unit and have rode in heavy rain with no problems.

Great review, but I rarely speed, and we do not have the speed traps here like you do there.

James L

Thank you. Here in NJ, it's a different world!

-MKL

MKL, Wondering if you've experienced a Valentine One?

I have - in a car. It's a superior detector. What's not superior is the ergonomics of using an automotive detector on a bike, as I discussed in the video. Until someone else steps into the game, this TPX is the only choice we have for moto-specific detector. Can be actuated with gloves, water resistant, etc. etc.

-MKL

I have - in a car. It's a superior detector. What's not superior is the ergonomics of using an automotive detector on a bike, as I discussed in the video. Until someone else steps into the game, this TPX is the only choice we have for moto-specific detector. Can be actuated with gloves, water resistant, etc. etc.

 

-MKL

Moshe and I have exchanged thoughts on this in the past. He's absolutely right--there's no real competition for the TPX. They've hit all the marks in terms of design.

I personally run a Valentine One, but to achieve a similar level of functionality, I run the V1 inside a Legal Speeding box, wired through a PDM 60, with a Valentine bluetooth dongle that permits me to control the programming of the detector through my SmartPhone, all hooked up to a Marc Parnes Visual Alert (LED array) that he customized for me.

It's a good setup and provides as much protection as I need, but the overall cost is significantly more than the TPX and it required quite a bit of effort to set it up to meet my needs.

The calibrated tests I've seen of the TPX indicate that it's not super sensitive, but if it's sufficient to do the job, then it's certainly worth the cost. I'd love to see one of the companies that sells leading edge automotive detectors get into the mix, but absent that the TPX is a viable choice . . . and certainly much easier to set up than something like what I did.

Precisely. You have to jump through many hoops to get an automotive detector to work (and survive!) on a motorcycle. Here I wire up and go - 1-2 hours, tops, with nothing else necessary at all except the RAM mount of my choosing.

The "calibrated tests" I've seen online are all from vendors, who naturally have a vested interest in selling something much more elaborate and expensive. (If you have something else, please share.) I couldn't say it in the video but if you read between the lines - I absolutely deserved many tickets, and I didn't get one. Anecdotal, but convincing nonetheless.

They're already working on TPX 3.0 so I hear. Many functional upgrades - if and when I get my hands on one, an updated test will be forthcoming....

-MKL

Precisely. You have to jump through many hoops to get an automotive detector to work (and survive!) on a motorcycle. Here I wire up and go - 1-2 hours, tops, with nothing else necessary at all except the RAM mount of my choosing.

 

The "calibrated tests" I've seen online are all from vendors, who naturally have a vested interest in selling something much more elaborate and expensive. (If you have something else, please share.) I couldn't say it in the video but if you read between the lines - I absolutely deserved many tickets, and I didn't get one. Anecdotal, but convincing nonetheless.

 

They're already working on TPX 3.0 so I hear. Many functional upgrades - if and when I get my hands on one, an updated test will be forthcoming....

 

-MKL

Great to hear an upgrade is on the way. If I had to offer what I see as one significant downside it would be the lack of waterproofing. I've checked out the reviews on Amazon and, while they're generally good to excellent, a few people have noted that their TPX was toast after rain exposure.

As far as the tests go, I agree. When you get into some of the discussion boards dedicated to radar and LIDAR countermeasures, you do see that there are some geeks out there that do pretty credible tests, but they're hard to come by and some of those boards have walls you have to jump over to get to the more interesting stuff.

Has anyone talked to TPX about when there new version might be available?

GT

Precisely. You have to jump through many hoops to get an automotive detector to work (and survive!) on a motorcycle. Here I wire up and go - 1-2 hours, tops, with nothing else necessary at all except the RAM mount of my choosing.

 

The "calibrated tests" I've seen online are all from vendors, who naturally have a vested interest in selling something much more elaborate and expensive. (If you have something else, please share.) I couldn't say it in the video but if you read between the lines - I absolutely deserved many tickets, and I didn't get one. Anecdotal, but convincing nonetheless.

 

They're already working on TPX 3.0 so I hear. Many functional upgrades - if and when I get my hands on one, an updated test will be forthcoming....

 

-MKL

 

Great to hear an upgrade is on the way. If I had to offer what I see as one significant downside it would be the lack of waterproofing. I've checked out the reviews on Amazon and, while they're generally good to excellent, a few people have noted that their TPX was toast after rain exposure.

 

As far as the tests go, I agree. When you get into some of the discussion boards dedicated to radar and LIDAR countermeasures, you do see that there are some geeks out there that do pretty credible tests, but they're hard to come by and some of those boards have walls you have to jump over to get to the more interesting stuff.

Thanks for the insights. The TPX does look more user friendly, but does it get the job done as well as the Valentine?

One person who comments on my vids has an old TPX and was in contact with Adaptiv. v3.0, according to him, will be out next year.

-MKL

Thanks for the insights. The TPX does look more user friendly, but does it get the job done as well as the Valentine?

As Moshe mentioned, it's hard to find wholly objective information. RadarTest.com reported this hill/curve performance, and the TPX rated lower than the other detectors against it was compared:

But, the Radarbusters test (and note that they sell the TPX), rated the detector highly in Ka band tests, certainly in the range of the best units from Valentine and Escort. Test Results Here.

I haven't come across any LIDAR tests of the TPX, but the best you can hope for with LIDAR is that you pick up a reflected signal as vehicles traveling ahead of you are targeted. I've actually had that happen many times with my Valentine, but it's a matter of luck. Without some other form of advance warning (like Waze) or a laser jammer (illegal in some states), you're rolling the dice.

The one area that Valentine pioneered and which tends to be better implemented than any others, including the latest entry from Escort, is in its "locator" function, which tells you if a radar source is ahead, behind, or to your side. This is extremely useful information, but to be honest, it's difficult to implement that functionality into a motorcycle application. I run a Valentine on my iPhone that's linked to the V1, but the display often washes out in sunlight, and I don't feel as though it's prudent to spent a lot of time while astride a motorcycle trying to look at the V1's display and decipher what's going on.

So, from the perspective of this V1 user, the TPX makes a lot of sense. I suspect that it's not as good at filtering out errant signals from other sources like collision avoidance systems that are on an increasing number of cars, but it looks to me like you get enough detection capability to be genuinely useful. Valentine's patent on the "locator" functionality of its detectors has expired, and if TPX 3.0 implements something like that--or even if they continue to advance as quickly as they have--I'd be mightily tempted to switch over.

The only qualms I have are related to how water resistant it is. They advertise the unit as highly resistant to weather, but, as I noted, some Amazon customers have experienced failures after rain exposure. It is possible, though, that these people are erroneously reporting their TPX 1.0 experiences on the page for the 2.0.

So, from the perspective of this V1 user, I'm intrigued. I'm not going to dump my current setup yet, but if the TPX 3.0 proves to be a significant upgrade, I'll think very seriously about doing so.

Radarbusters (the link you posted) is a vendor - so I couldn't use that as a valid source of info for MCN. There is literally no data I can find anywhere which is truly scientific and objective.

Re 1.0 / 2.0, definitely. I'd say 70% of the people commenting as users on my video didn't catch the 1.0 / 2.0 difference, and I know this because they're complaining about things (mute button, backlighting, etc.) that were fixed going from 1.0 to 2.0. When 3.0 comes out I'll take a look.

-MKL

There are--as you likely know--a few web forums where guys who are all eaten up with the idea of radar and lidar countermeasures get together. I wonder if you might be able to talk one of them into running some tests with the TPX 3.0 when it arrives. The device gets very little attention among these folks, but they're into it enough that you might be able to snag some help in conducting instrumented testing.

Incidentally, the Adaptiv website now shows "Sorry,Product Not Found" for the optional laser jammer. I wonder if they've dropped it; a number of advanced LIDAR guns have come on the scene in the past couple of years that have consistently defeated older jammer technology. Perhaps they've found that their product no longer does the trick?

While I appreciate the merits of the TPX, I've used a Valentine V1 for 10 years upgrading it every few as the technology changes. It's mounted above my dash with good visibility front, rear and to the sides and is integrated into my autocom so alerts are not easy to ignore. It's easy to adjust volume and cancel an alert. It's also under the windscreen so it's enough out of the rain to not require protection...at least I don't remove it even in a downpour. So for someone looking to buy a dectector TPX is a good choice, but not sure there's much difference in performance with the V1 to change.

There are--as you likely know--a few web forums where guys who are all eaten up with the idea of radar and lidar countermeasures get together. I wonder if you might be able to talk one of them into running some tests with the TPX 3.0 when it arrives. The device gets very little attention among these folks, but they're into it enough that you might be able to snag some help in conducting instrumented testing.

 

Incidentally, the Adaptiv website now shows "Sorry,Product Not Found" for the optional laser jammer. I wonder if they've dropped it; a number of advanced LIDAR guns have come on the scene in the past couple of years that have consistently defeated older jammer technology. Perhaps they've found that their product no longer does the trick?

Could be... They didn't have one when I asked for it for testing, too. I know alot of guys are super into the weeds on this subject. I'm really not. I see it almost like buying a computer. Today it's great to talk all about the processing speed and features, etc - tomorrow it's already outdated. So yes, I doubt the $299 TPX is the performer a $500-600 Escort or Valentine is on a purely functional basis - but my review was basically intended to show what's out there right now for motorcyclists, that we can use **as intended by the manufacturer** with a minimum of adaptation.

-MKL