I need to have the best equipment available to do my job properly: that’s why I use the 2D system.

If you ever need to gather information about motorcycle testing and data logging, then the best person to speak to is a professional tester. Datron Technology Ltd has been fortunate enough to have worked alongside Bruce Dunn for many years now and value his opinion highly. Bruce is a motorcycle tester and journalist, working for some of the most respected newspapers and magazines in the industry, notably Motorcycle News, Performance Bike and Bike magazine. He's tried a variety of data loggers throughout his career, but has learned from experience that only the best equipment can deliver reliability, ease of use and ongoing support. That's why he's an advocate of the 2D data logging system supplied by Datron. We were fortunate to manage to catch up with Bruce recently. Over the course of the next couple of articles he'll tell us his view of the 2D system, and why he rates it so highly.

Why would you recommend Datron's 2D data logging system?
"When we test the bikes, the main thing I'm responsible for, and kitted up to do, is the performance testing. So, when a reader reads Motorcycle News and other publications I've been involved with, they want to see that the bike's been tested properly and accurately. That means we don't rely on the bike's speedometer: we use an independent means of verifying the actual speed of the bike. I've been doing this sort of thing for 15 years now, and I know I need to have the best equipment available to do my job properly. That's why I use the 2D system. Cost for me really isn't a factor: I know there are cheaper systems out there, but they don't deliver. The 2D system we use which costs us around £2,500, and we mainly use the GPS functions which give us around 10 channels of data. We don't have any problems with signal dropouts, and that's very important. With some of the testing situations we've been involved with, it's critical to know the equipment we use is accurate and reliable."

"I've been all over Europe and have conducted lots of one-off tests, like testing a new MV or a new Ducati, or we've managed to get hold of a new Masano for the afternoon: in these circumstances to have anything else but the best system available for testing is out of the question. You've got to have the best gear, and that's the 2D system. You only get the one chance to test, so it has to be completely reliable. As I've already said there are cheaper systems that might be able to do the job, but you can't always rely on them. The 2D system always delivers without fail. It's robust and hardwearing and extremely accurate. You have to remember that it's a hostile environment on a motorcycle, so getting anything electronic to work is difficult at the best of times: yet the 2D system manages to do it time after time without any problems."

What makes the 2D system special?
"The 2D system has been described as intuitive, but that's only half the story. There's no doubt it's easier to use than other systems and logical, but because my job's media-related, I don't often have to go too deeply into the system and use some of the other available functions and channels: for example we don't look at the throttle position, as it's not relevant to what we're trying to test. If somebody gives me half a dozen bikes to test at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground or anywhere else, I can move from one bike to another and so on very quickly indeed using this system. In terms of ease of use and transportability, it's as good as anything out there. Years ago we had to use systems where you had to put a wheel-speed sensor on and measure wheel circumference, but the modern way of doing things using GPS systems like 2D is superb. The 2D system is intuitive and very easy to use and the analysis software is extremely easy to pick up and easy to read."