Consensus on rider/passenger communication device

[Mogambo]

Did a search, probably used the wrong search words. Anyway, I'm preparing for my first road trip two up. The little lady thought it would be nice if we could talk as we rode. I'm not an electronics genius, so it must be simple to install and use. Also.....how much can I expect to spend on this? Thanks in advance for responses.

 

[Toecutter]

Consensus?

HAHA HA HA HAHAHA!

I use and recommend Autocom. Call Keith Goudelock (pr. Godlock) at Tulsa Truck Center 918.446.2245

He sells 'em, has tried 'em all, and uses 'em personally. At least talk to him before making a decision. IIRC, about $350.00 or so.

 

[ponyfool]

Autocom and Starcom1 Advance are two favorites. I have the Starcom1 and am in the process of wiring it right now.

If you do enough research, you'll find people, knowledgeable people, who will tell you that "this product" or "that product" completely suck, regardless of what the product is.

 

[Bike Effects]

Starcom at Bike Effects

See the link below about obtaining the FJR Forum discount.

 

[SPORT]

I originally installed Autocom Super Pro AVI on my Triumph Sprint, then I permanantly installed it under the seat of my 05 FJR. There is a bus bar behind the right lower fairing that was easy to connect to. It took about an hour (figure several hours if your not familiar) to complete a permanant install. You will then need to install the headset(s) in the helmets, which also took about an hour to install (trying to find the best location for the plug to go). I ended up installing the harness between the hardshell and the dense foam innerliner. The plug now comes out of the helmet directly at the base of the skull (back of helmet). I have found this to provide the most comfort and does not get in the way.

I would say Autocom & Starcom are the more professional and best products out there. The sound quality is awesome...You won't be dissapointed!

Another, easier way to go is with the helmet mounted Chatterbox. This unit mount on the side (or back. Idid this with my 1st com system) of your helmet. You will need two (one for each helmet). Realy, the only install is the headset.

The quality of the Chatterbox is not as good as Autocom or Starcom, but it is an easier install.

Can't speak of Starcom, but the Autocom's expandability is phenominal! I have my cell phone plugged in and can recieve calls (but can't yet send because cell phones are not completely hands free...yet.) I also have a Motorola Talk About Walkie Talkie...5 mile range for bike to bike communication. I can also hook up an MP3 player and most any other device. Eventually I'll plug a Garmin ZUMO GPS which, in addition to audible directions, will provide an MP3 player and BlueTooth capabilities. The BlueTooth will then allow me to make calls...such as a motel for reservations, resturaunt reservations, or the like.

The Autocom Super Pro AVI has built in noise cancellation and auto sound adjustment.

Hope this helps.

 

[bramfrank]

Autocom or Baehr, if you want the gold standard:

https://www.baehrusa.com/

https://www.autocomamerica.com/

 

[Bluebullet]

The wife and I just finished two weeks and 4425 miles of vacation riding. New wireless Scala Rider headsets worked just great and let us talk to the kids on the phone together too. 245.00 from CycleOutfitters here in Indy. The batteries last more than 14hrs. We did a 812 mile day from Indy to Newberg NY took 14 hours and they were still workin great at the end of the day. If you want to have music and gps and radar detector and phone all in your system then maybe this is not for you. If you want to be able to talk to the wife and answer your phone on the fly and have no wires attached to your helmet then these little babies are your friend. Oh you can talk to the wife if you are at the bike and she is in the gas station as long as her helmet is on her head still.

 

[ndivita]

My wife and I use the old fashioned Chatterbox set up. It's not cutting edge, but it does the job. Even with ear plugs in, the wife and I can talk back and forth as needed and hear each other fine.

Recently, I upgraded to the Chatterbox bike to bike GMRS X-1 RF unit. My brother bought one too, for our long distance trip last month. I will never go on a trip with another rider again without using bike to bike communication capability. Makes the trip much, much more enjoyable.

I suppose there are other solutions out there. They are probably more sophisticated. All I know is that the Chatterbox unit works for me.

 

[Fencer]

The wife and I just finished two weeks and 4425 miles of vacation riding. New wireless Scala Rider headsets worked just great and let us talk to the kids on the phone together too. 245.00 from CycleOutfitters here in Indy. The batteries last more than 14hrs. We did a 812 mile day from Indy to Newberg NY took 14 hours and they were still workin great at the end of the day. If you want to have music and gps and radar detector and phone all in your system then maybe this is not for you. If you want to be able to talk to the wife and answer your phone on the fly and have no wires attached to your helmet then these little babies are your friend. Oh you can talk to the wife if you are at the bike and she is in the gas station as long as her helmet is on her head still.

+1 on the bluetooth

I have the Blueant interphone & The Scala.

Both are good comms and each has an advantage over the other. The biggest for the Scala is about Bat life, The interphone has a little better speaker and sound quality

 

[Wanderer]

What do you need it for??

My wife and I use the Chatterbox Tandem 50. It's really a no frills commo unit. The box is really simple and does it's job connecting the driver to pillion. it also has a plug in for mp3. The speakers are mediocre at best, but they are extremley thin and work in any helmet. I tried J&W speakers, and the 'Koss fix' and both were WAY to thick to fit in my helmet. BTW, I wear a scorpion EXO-400. The speaker volume works with or without earplugs up to about 80mph. Above that I gotta roll up the windscreen to hear over the wind noise. If you, like us, use it for direction confirmation or "I have an issue" minimal conversation it's a cheap alternative at under $150. Thats the box, 2 extention cords, 2 headsets. It was designed to clip to one helmet, but she likes it better clipped to a belt, or in a pocket, hence the 2nd extension cord.

Chatterbox's major drawback is that the battery is internal and rechargable only like a cell phone. Can't just toss in a new pair of AA's if you leave it on by accident. Ours lasts about 12 hours before the sound quality tapers down and takes about 4-6 hours to recharge with the supplied AC wall charger. There is also a wire to power the box from the bike battery for about 15$

One thing I like about the chatterbox is they make a cord that is the 6-pin connector on one end and a stereo jack on the other, giving mp3 capability without having to use the actual chatterbox 'box'. connects the iPod to my headset directly. nice for those long solo slab runs since I have the speakers in the lid anyway.

 

[nitelife]

The wife and I just finished two weeks and 4425 miles of vacation riding. New wireless Scala Rider headsets worked just great and let us talk to the kids on the phone together too. 245.00 from CycleOutfitters here in Indy. The batteries last more than 14hrs. We did a 812 mile day from Indy to Newberg NY took 14 hours and they were still workin great at the end of the day. If you want to have music and gps and radar detector and phone all in your system then maybe this is not for you. If you want to be able to talk to the wife and answer your phone on the fly and have no wires attached to your helmet then these little babies are your friend. Oh you can talk to the wife if you are at the bike and she is in the gas station as long as her helmet is on her head still.

+1!

Tried the Starcom and it didn't work for us. Too much wind noise. Bought the Scala Rider Teamset (found on eBay for $183ish) and it works great! The wife and I have done 2 long rides and it worked great for both. Highly recommended.

 

[MartyA]

For someone such as myself, electricity challenged and having suffered for years from radio infrequency, the Starcom Advance 1 was a simple install and use. I just got back from 4,000+ miles - PA to Badlands and back, with another couple that used the Chatterbox FRS version. I added a $30 Cobra FRS/GMRS to the Starcom and both Sally and I could talk to them both, in addition to talking to each other without shouting at all.

This is my only experience with driver / passenger communication other than 40 year or so of "WHAT????" but it is a good one so far.

See link above for Jeff at Bike Effects for all the help you will need.

 

[skyway]

Consensus?
HAHA HA HA HAHAHA!

I use and recommend Autocom. Call Keith Goudelock (pr. Godlock) at Tulsa Truck Center 918.446.2245

He sells 'em, has tried 'em all, and uses 'em personally. At least talk to him before making a decision. IIRC, about $350.00 or so.

+1 on the Autocom system. Have only tried the Crapperbox for around $300, (waste of money for nominal speed riding, but a good learning experience, I guess?) and it doesn't hold a candle to the Autocom.

My Autocom Pro7 Sport hasn't skipped a beat in almost 50K miles. :yahoo:

 

[qmotion]

I use the J&M 40 channel CB/intercom and audio system. While it's not the cheapest system around I think it's one the best sounding if not just the best available. This system will integrate navigation, radar detector, cell phones (bluetooth and non-bluetooth), MP3 players and XM-radio. I often ride with guys with Goldwings and they all have CB's. I like using the CB for bike to bike communications because I can also talk to the truckers out there and get a report on traffic and radar traps, etc. J&M have headsets that sound just as good if not better than my home stereo. Awesome detail and clarity.

https://www.jmcorp.com/

https://www.jmcorp.com/SeeProducts.asp?PF=24

https://www.jmcorp.com/NolanHelmets.asp

https://www.jmcorp.com/jm-cat-2007-web.pdf

 

[ejworthen]

Web Bike World has some reviews on Bluetooth intercoms. There are a couple that work very well.

https://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-int...th-intercom.htm

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Starcom at Bike Effects
See the link below about obtaining the FJR Forum discount.

My starcom has 35,756 error free miles as an intercom, iPod interface, and now mobile radio interface with push to talk switch.

Bikeeffects is a 5 star vendor.

 

[Inlaw1]

What do you need it for??My wife and I use the Chatterbox Tandem 50.

+1

This would be the price effective / bang for the buck answer here. Or, get the FRS Chatterbox for a bit more (Usually $150) with a connector cord and extra headset for the pillion.

It will not give you the sound quality of the Starcom or Autocom units but it won't cost hundreds of dollors either and you will have an intercom. With the FRS radio you would have bike to bike also (it hs intercom built into it). I've had the FRS multisport for about 7 years now and 80k miles with no problems other than replacing a headset. Works good for what I want.

 

[.paul]

Question about the AutoCom, what type of speakers does it use, or is that something that is up to the user? Right now when I ride I wear a set of sony ear buds and it does get annoying when the cord gets tugged and moves the ear bud. Also, putting on the helmet can be annoying at times too.

Aviator was showing me his set up (StarCom1) and the speakers pasted in the helmet seem a lot more hassle free/convenient to me. He also mentioned something about Liberty wireless set up. I've searched the site and googled but haven't come up with anything. Wireless seems like a huge plus. Does anyone know about this?

[/threadhijack]

Sorry about that.

 

[Badcat]

Starcom 1 Advance is top notch and so is Bike Effects. The Bluetooth module for cell phone is fantastic. Mine is setup for CB/FRS with push to talk, cell phone, iPod, GPS, and radar detector. I use the Entymotics earplugs and a boom mic inside a Multitec helmet and I couldn't ask for better results. :yahoo: