Cheap/simple music & intercom setup

[Kawasicki]

Yo!

So I bought a second bike that is comfortable enough for touring and pillions, a ZRX1100. I now ride more regularly with pillion passengers.

I am interested to hear if there are any simple and cheap intercom options available. I would prefer to use in-ear speakers as I want to be able to hear the pillion or music over the wind noise. I don`t mind cables, I have an iphone that I will be using for Nav.

Anyone have any solutions they are happy with?

Cheers for any help.

[podman]

I bought a pair of these a few years back for the other half (who has her own bike ) and myself. They have gone up a bit since then but still inexpensive now.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-FreedConn-TCOM-OS-M...

I wasnt expecting much but they work brilliantly, I guess the range (which wont an issue for you) is about a 1km, less if the landscape is hilly, clarity is lost past 100MPH but that again probably wont be an issue for you.

The battery, to my surprise, lasts all day and more...and still does.

You can take phone calls ect on it as well.

My friends also went out and bought one, no complaints from any of us, great value for money.

[paulmnz]

Another option from the 'bay:

https://ebay.us/vAyh7j

used these for a few years, great value for money - I have made work conference calls while commuting and no one knew I was on a bike, they go plenty loud, long battery life and even used them in race cars at brands hatch and could talk to another driver while doing laps of the indy circuit.

The buttons are a bit fiddly to use / understand and the music sound quality isn't amazing, but for the money they are great.

[poo at Paul's]

Cheaper options may work, but a decent intercom just transforms your riding with a pillion. I dont use mine for music and calls, but have done on occasions, normally big long boring trips on motorway, but all the time with pillion, and it is brilliant. Much more fun, much safer being able to constantly communicate with the person on the back etc.

So even if the Cardo and Sena stuff is a bit more pricey, it is still money very well spent IMO.

[Stuart Fordyce]

Kawasicki said:

Yo!

So I bought a second bike that is comfortable enough for touring and pillions, a ZRX1100. I now ride more regularly with pillion passengers.

I am interested to hear if there are any simple and cheap intercom options available. I would prefer to use in-ear speakers as I want to be able to hear the pillion or music over the wind noise. I don`t mind cables, I have an iphone that I will be using for Nav.

Anyone have any solutions they are happy with?

Cheers for any help.

The Interphone Urban is a good option. Not as much as Cardo or Sena - but better than the two Cardos I had that refused to pair with anything.

Sound quality is poor above 80mph though.

[Kawasicki]

Sincere thanks for all the advice.

This might be a dumb question, but how can you hear anything over the windnoise? I spend a lot of time at 70 - 100 mph on a naked bike. I wear earplugs, otherwise my ears are ringing after anything more than an hour.

Thats why I was thinking something in-ear might be better.

[CallorFold]

Kawasicki said:

Sincere thanks for all the advice.

This might be a dumb question, but how can you hear anything over the windnoise? I spend a lot of time at 70 - 100 mph on a naked bike. I wear earplugs, otherwise my ears are ringing after anything more than an hour.

Thats why I was thinking something in-ear might be better.

We use Sena 10S (between 2 bikes rather than rider-pillion), which maybe more than you want to spend but the principal is the same. The speakers go plenty loud enough to hear each other, on naked bikes, at high speed, with wind noise, and even with ear plugs in. Although we have some "motorcycle specific" plugs with the hollow cores. If you have the volume turned right up and forget to put plugs in the speakers are deafening to the point it's painful.

[Stuart Fordyce]

Kawasicki said:

Sincere thanks for all the advice.

This might be a dumb question, but how can you hear anything over the windnoise? I spend a lot of time at 70 - 100 mph on a naked bike. I wear earplugs, otherwise my ears are ringing after anything more than an hour.

Thats why I was thinking something in-ear might be better.

Be honest with the bluetooth ones I can't above 85, with early in, on a bike with a screen

[Iminquarantine]

Have used wired and wireless. I'd go for a Bluetooth battery powered system just because it is easier. 2 x Cardo Freecom 1+ at £90 each should do it.

If you really don't mind wired, then I'm going to sell a Autocom SPA when I get around to it. Beware with wired, at least in my experience, they can pick up some interference from the bike electrical system.

Have never used in-ear. Both the Autocom and the Freecom are helmet speakers, which I use with earplugs. If you get in ear then you must get noise cancelling earphones which will push up the price. I guess if you do the in-ear, then there will probably be some phone app which lets you do it without buying anything.

[black-k1]

I'd be very surprised if in-ear offer better unwanted noise reduction than a well fitted set of in-helmet speakers and ear plugs. My in-helmet speakers fit nicely over my whole ear , blocking out quite a lot of external noise in their own right.

On the few occasions when I've ridden the bike without ear plugs I've found the volume setting of my speakers to be a little loud but not uncomfortably so and that's the setting that lets me hear music, the sat nav and other rider conversations up to 3 figure speeds.

[Vantagemech..]

I've been looking recently at this. I've an AGV compact and my son a Bell, so one has the fitting for an SMH10 the other not. I find the fact that many of these intercoms not being fully waterproof a bit concerning.

I have been looking at utilising stuff I already have, IE Bluetooth headphones (KS ribbons kicking around in a drawer!) Along with the app HelmChat, where you make a chatroom and your friends all join. This is where it's quite clever, as I had music on inntha background while my son didn't. He couldn't hear the music, but it's basically an open mic, with a tiny delay.

I think with a higher quality headset and careful position of the mic it could be a winner for me. Ok at 70 mph it was a bit crap, but for a system that has cost no more than £30 (2x earphones) and a miniscule amount of data used it's a good alternative. Plus it seems like you can link loads of mates in.

While a helmet speaker set up would be good, I'm not bothered wearing in ear phones.

Worth a punt before spending £100's on an intercom IMO.

[airsafari87]

Kawasicki said:

Sincere thanks for all the advice.

This might be a dumb question, but how can you hear anything over the windnoise? I spend a lot of time at 70 - 100 mph on a naked bike. I wear earplugs, otherwise my ears are ringing after anything more than an hour.

Thats why I was thinking something in-ear might be better.

You'd be surprised.

I ride a naked bike too and have a Cardo fitted to one of my helmets.

Wether I have earplugs in or out I can always hear everything perfectly.

I've even had a telephone interview while doing 70+ down the A19 and the person on the other end of the phone had no idea that I was on a bike at the time.

As others have said, they are pricey, but they are worth the premium I believe.

[Matt_Zeus]

We use these : I doubt the range is really 1200m but they've done the job for the last 3 years,
Can be hard to hear above wind noise above 60mph
ebay.co.uk/itm/2PC-V6-1200M-Bluetooth-Helmet-Motorcycle-Intercom-Interphone-FM-Headset-6-Riders/384056002250?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818143230%26meid%3Ddb1ccf3dd01540508a90818bd9107e3f%26pid%3D101224%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D5%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D154127823957%26itm%3D384056002250%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DDefaultOrganic%26brand%3DUnbranded&_trksid=p2047675.c101224.m-1

[mikedxb]

Oops. Wrong thread.

Edited by mikedxb on Tuesday 30th March 13:39