Vbox GPS

[CptnHornblower]

Has anyone had any experience with one of these? they're supposed to be high speed GPS units that measure speed, position, acceleration, braking, etc. Also does track times, splits, etc. The base unit is only $499, but I'm wondering if it really works. Saw a review of a Starlane unit and they said it was crap.

[Justin]

We have a thread on this somewhere.  The racers know this subject well.
Scotinexcile and oneup have shared some info on the subject, if i recall correctly

[Oneup]

I don't know much on that brand.  The popular brand that I know works very well is the Starlane GPS.  It's pricey, but from what I've seen is extremely good.

[RedLeader]

Heres a site selling the starlane one... no idea how good the site is but... give you a good look at the unit.http://www.hardracing.com/Laptimers.htm

[youngster775]

Heres a site selling the starlane one... no idea how good the site is but... give you a good look at the unit.http://www.hardracing.com/Laptimers.htm

broken link.

[CptnHornblower]

I saw the Starlane units for sale several places. then I read a couple of reviews and the guy ended up getting three units, none of which worked, and then gave up and returned it. The Vbox is made in the UK and I noticed one of the cycle magazines used one to compare several superbikes for an article. Maybe Starlane has made improvements since that guy's review.

[jlavallee]

I used one in the past to plot haul roads and actual cycle times at mine sites. The V-Box was good for our purposes in terms of figuring out where high shear forces and load transfers were happening since operators always drive differently when you're on board. I used ours in Alaska to Mexico with no problems but you do need to follow protocol for getting a satellite signal and such. It is not hard to use but the software is not really user friendly so I doubt many people would enjoy or need all it can provide.

You can get a basic meter at summit type places to measure accel and decel if you want or a lap timer. Plotting a line through a track might sound fun but there is a +/- 1ft or so tolerance so while helpful with a 320 ton haul truck it was helpful but on a bike where inches make the difference between a good and bad line, I don't think it will make much difference.

Hope that helps.

[CptnHornblower]

Yes, that helps. I wonder if the Starlane's are any more accurate. I doubt it as I think the GPS is probably the limiting factor on accuracy.

[jlavallee]

Yes, that helps. I wonder if the Starlane's are any more accurate. I doubt it as I think the GPS is probably the limiting factor on accuracy.

Yes, it was essentially down to the accuracy of the GPS systems. When you think about it, that is still pretty cool but it won't do much for showing you things on a bike.

[Oneup]

I know several extremely fast guys that say the starlane is more than accurate enough.  They can see differences in lines when they're laptimes are within a couple tenths of a second.  It can also be tied into the bike to pick up braking points, rpms, gear, and throttle percentage.  After talking to them I'd like to pick one up for myself.  They are just kind of pricey.