Sounds on the move

[phil w]

Well with Longest Day getting closer, I am not sure what to do. I will need sounds in my ears for such a long time in the saddle but cant quite decide what I need. I have an Ipod but its the first gen Nano and only holds charge for 4 hours. If I get auto com pro avi does it charge it?
I could just get a cheap i pod shuffle which I think has 10 hrs play time
I have also got a Nokia 6110 Nav, which at the mo is holding 40 songs and has a 512mb mem card which I guess if I buy a 2gb card I could pretty much have as many songs as I really need and do with out the i pod and I think the phone will last a fair bit longer on Batt power than all i pods.
Funds are the other issue as, Im sure like most things a tighter at the mo and I dont want to spend loads of money. Longest Day is going to be expensive enough!!!
I suppose the Autocom thing is the better idea as the headphone thing is built in rather than using earphones supplied with phone.
If I got Autocom, how does it allow me to talk to other bikes ?
How easy is it to fit the autocom stuff, especially the helmet bits??
Sorry for being dull, just need some advice on whats best really.

[Recycler]

Music definately helps on a long trip.

WARNING: SABBATH and METALLICA result in increasing SPEED.

I use an old model Autocom (easy 7 advance I think) with a cheapo MP3 from Argos that's splashproof, holds about 220 songs and uses one AAA battery which lasts about 8 - 10hrs.


Fitting it on the dash is a must IMO, otherwise you can't turn it off/up/down on the move. The bracket is cobbled together from a piece of scrap. Being a perfectionist I have upgrade from elastic bands to a ziptie.

I've never used bike to bike so can't comment on that.
Fitting the headset takes a bit of time getting the speakers in exactly the right place. I have an Arai Quantum F and they hideaway under the side pad's covers.

The autocom fits in the TA tail section, wired into a switched live (think I used brake light switch connector). It comes with a music lead (same as walkman headphone jack connectors) but I bought an extended one to run up behind the clocks.

Another option for music is a mini DAB radio. I tried this but they eat batteries and if you go into a poor signal area it sounds like the music is being played underwater and gives you a headache. I've never tried powering an MP3/radio from the bike but it can be done.

[Sharribee]

I've got my Ipod and take a cheep MP3 which uses batteries as a back up for when my Ipod fails

Can't ride without music

[stageonesimmo]

I've got a Sony MP3 player that is tiny but good stuff. Only problem I have is volume - my Tour-X is a noisey lid (with my Thor MX being even worse!), so even with the volume right up and 'in-ear' phones I cant hear some of the tunes (like the Clash/SLF that were obvioulsy moved from Vynil to CD at a very low recording level to hide the swearing in the background or summat). This means that after a commute with sounds for 180 miles I have a very high deafness rating as I've got the wind noise combined with MP3 so I cant hear much for a while and am definately damaging my ears!

Cant comment on the autocomm type gadgets, but I'd like to think the phones would be louder due to being way bigger then the tiny things I use - perhaps someone who's made the move from in-ear to autocomm would like to comment?

Perhaps I should stop riding everywhere at 85 and slow down to listen to the music a bit - then fit a touring screen, then get a quieter helmet, then say sod it and by a Gold-wing. Or then again, no.

[Boris]

If quality is important to you and you are looking for both MP3 and bike to bike then there really are only a couple of options. Starcom (which I have no experience of) and Autocom of which I have fitted a couple.

I have permanently wired an autocom pro 7 Sport into the tail unit of the vara and I have cabled, via quick release locking connectors, to the topbox where I can mount an MP3 player, phone and bike to bike radio. I also have it wired to the GPS unit on the handlebars which I also used as my preferred MP3 player as I can adjust it on the move. Volume wise the MP3 are adequate for upto about 80mph as I always wear earplugs as the vara is a turbulent beast.

If considering bike to bike it is important to understand what sort of range you get (you will get nothing like the manufacturers claims) and agree up front some sort policy for use as there is nothing worse than having to put up with other peoples inane chatter for hours on end. We mainly use ours for essential info such as speed cameras, I need fuel/rest/pee or most importantly "look at the bum on that" type comments.

As well at the basic price of the kit you will also need to consider the cost of the ground loop isolators for bike powered GPS etc and if you aren't comfortable making them up yourself, leads for phones, radios, GPS units etc.

If buying on ebay don't buy one of the older 5 pin autocomms as the volume is lower and unless you have minimal wind noise on the bike (or don't wear earplugs) you will struggle to hear much at motorway speeds.

Finally. A charming Lithuanian friend once said to me she wasn't rich enough to buy cheap stuff, and for intercoms there really is no substitute for quality. Cheap kit will simply drive you mad and in the end you won't use it and the money spend wasted. Just have a look at the Lidl bike to bike intercom reviews if proof were needed.

For me its autocom every time. I wouldn't use anything else.

[davsato]

you can get car chargers for ipods, if you have an accessory socket on the bike there you go. you might need a hella to car adaptor

[Boris]

you can get car chargers for ipods, if you have an accessory socket on the bike there you go. you might need a hella to car adaptor

Bear in mind if you power anything off the bike that plugs into the autocom it will almost certainly need isolating to stop ground loop whistles and whines. Autocom sell a part that will do the trick but it's quite expensive and it attenuates the signal a bit. I found a better and cheaper option is one of these.
Of course you will need to cut off the connectors and fit different plugs but it isn't a big job if you are handy with a soldering iron.

[DaveS]

I too can't live without music.
I have an Autocom Pro Avi thingy..
I have used all sorts of music devices but settled on a cheap USB one that has an AA in it that lasts 10 hours. And it did travelling from the Isle of Skye to home in 12 hours it gave out a few miles from home!
I had that for years but found the 1GB limiting.
So I bought an IPOD Nano 8GB and an Otterbox.
It works a treat and I just got some sticky velcro and stickied the otterbox case to the petrol tank so that I can push the buttons when needed. I can then take it off when I stop. It's plenty strong enough to stay in place when moving.
Really pleased with this set-up and I can have perfectly audible music at 100mph if I want with my ear plugs in.

[Falp]

iPod Shuffle Gen2 + a good pair in-ear headphones (min. Sennheiser CX300 > Etymotic ER6i)

Simple and very good... had a shuffle Gen1 and Nano Gen3 previously, but you really need IN-ear headphones for the motorbike.

Lighter USB adapter will charge it if you take the dock cable...



If you have a Nano Gen1 you can get an RF remote for the handlebar and leave it in the inside pocket...

[phil w]

Cheers for the info chaps. Went out yesterday and looked at a new i pod as my original first gen nano is poo for batt length, the new nanos are £99 and say they last 30 hrs music ,hmmmm. So in the bargain buckets on the end of the shelf was a Matsui mp3 player 1gb powered off a AAA batt for £15 ,so opted for that. Got to buy the autocom thing yet so like I say money is tight!!