SPEEDANGLE 2
TESTED BY: BRUCE
MILES: 4000+
TIME: TWO YEARS
PRICE: £349.99
WEB: WWW.RG-RACING.COM
A lot of what we do involves timing and comparison, and while a sun dial might be the most appropriate device for measuring my ‘hot laps’ on a racetrack, a proper lap timer is a lot easier to read. It also means we can measure things like top speeds, lean angles and how fast a bike will decelerate; the stuff we need to know before putting fingers to keyboard and rating (or berating) the latest and greatest bikes on the market.
To do so accurately, for many years we’ve leaned heavily on the capabilities of the Speedangle timing device, which has now been superseded by the fancier Speedangle 2. It’s absolutely brimming with features, and comes pre-loaded with most UK circuits and a handful of the most popular European tracks, too (such as Assen,
Portimao and Cartagena), meaning it automatically picks up on its surroundings via GPS and knows where you are without any faffing. Better still, it can custom map routes, so for tracks that aren’t logged, like karting circuits or lesser known venues, it simply plots a track once you’ve clocked up a few circuits (it can store up to 15 custom maps). That feature alone is awesome, and there are loads of other great aspects too, including lean angle sensors and g-force plotting, plus GPS mapping so you can download and study your data accurately and check out your lines visually using Google Maps.
The Speedangle’s got so much potential, but first and foremost it makes for a cracking lap timer. I’ve used mine extensively in racing, where it’s been a godsend in qualifying thanks to its live feed feature that shows on a graphics bar whether you’re up or down on your previous best lap by tenths of a second. It also tells you when you’ve set your best lap and highlights how much faster you’ve gone – and that info can be calibrated to stay on screen for more or less time, so you’ve got chance to take it all in before the screen reverts to live timing again. There are five changeable faces to the device, plus a blank mode that switches the screen off despite recording the data... for use at those places where timing isn’t permitted.
Not only is the device fantastically accurate, its easy on the eye, a doddle to operate, and stores more than 250 records of use, which might take a good few years to fill. The timer charges using an integrated USB cable, and it’s claimed to offer 17 hours of battery life. I can’t vouch for that, but I will say mine’s never gone flat on me and it’s always quick to fully charge. The last great thing about the Speedangle 2 is how easily it attaches to your bike. It uses the system’s APEX mounting fixture, consisting of a Velcro bracket that secures to your top yoke and a reusable 3M lock that attaches the face of the bracket to the underside of the timer.
Overall, this is a cracking piece of kit that’s hard to fault and easy to get excited about. I can’t recommend it enough.