rigger4343 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Just wondering if anyone has any experience with some type of an intercom system so that me and my passenger can communicate a little better than just with a few hand signals. We have our end of the summer NC trip booked and thought it would be nice to have something like that since we will be spending a lot of time on the VFR. Also I am planning on starting to teach my little girl about riding and thought this might be good for her to be able to talk to me. Would like to have something that does not get in the way and also not looking to spend a ton on something like this either. It probably would not get used very often at all. Anybody have suggestions or other ideas? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer V-FORE Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 http://www.sharkmotorcycleaudio.com/intercoms-headsets/ This is what I have and it works well shark SHKLXMBT688IL it is not very hard on the pocketbook I used them also for bike to bike last year and they work pretty good. The only thing I did was to cut the speaker out and add a plug for my earbuds I was able to listen to my ipod while the wife listened to her iphone so I have not tried it with the speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wera803 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 My girlfriend and I use the Sena SMH10. You need to decide if you really want to use one or not. If you do, spend the extra money for a good one. I've tried cheap ones in the past and all they do is frustrate both of you into not using them. Plus that makes you concentrate on the communicator instead of what you should be doing. In the long one, a good one will be worth the money and not a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RollinAgain Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 I too have a Shark intercom system and just like V-FORE I spliced into the wires and added a headphone jack so I could use my own earbud headphones. Overall I have been very pleased with it for the price. Rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer bryan217 Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 I've got a Cardo set that I've had decent luck with. My wife loves being able to talk to me while on the back. Everyone raves about the Sena SMH10 that Wera mentioned. A lot of guys/gals on one of my local forums all have it and swear by it. You talk to a bunch of others also. That Shark that V-FORE mentioned looks really good for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer The mailman Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 Stay away from Chatterbox. Ours worked great at low speeds (when you could just talk anyway) but was useless on the highway. Booo Chatterbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 I've got a Cardo set that I've had decent luck with. My wife loves being able to talk to me while on the back. Everyone raves about the Sena SMH10 that Wera mentioned. A lot of guys/gals on one of my local forums all have it and swear by it. You talk to a bunch of others also. That Shark that V-FORE mentioned looks really good for the price. How can this be a good thing???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer wagzhp Posted June 26, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 26, 2014 We use the Sena SMH10 also. My wife is a fairly new rider and has her own bike. Being able to communicate has made her much more comfortable and willing to take on more advanced rides than she would without the real time guidance and reassurance that the communication system provides. Before we had the comm system it was hard for both of us to remember everything that happened during each segment of a ride, so there were always coaching moments that were missed. With the comm system I can gently remind her to loosen her grip, look where she wants to go, and go easy on the throttle and brake inputs, and she can tell me if we need to slow down or speed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilbily Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 My wife and I used Autocom's on our honeymoon trip. They need an external additional radio to go from bike to bike but need nothing to go from driver to passenger. They can also be used to talk on the phone or listen to music. Voice activated mics and it can be run on either a 9v battery or hardwired into the bikes electircal system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wera803 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 My wife and I used Autocom's on our honeymoon trip. They need an external additional radio to go from bike to bike but need nothing to go from driver to passenger. They can also be used to talk on the phone or listen to music. Voice activated mics and it can be run on either a 9v battery or hardwired into the bikes electircal system. I used to use Autocom's and it was a very good system. Did a lot of different stuff with the right cords (FRS radio, radar detector, music or GPS input, etc). After several years of using it though, I got tired of being tethered to the bike. The Sena's are nice because everything is Bluetooth and I can get off the bike if needed without having to remember to disconnect. A used Autocom system might be a great choice for someone that wants a good quality system and is on a budget. I've seen them really reasonably priced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigger4343 Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 Wow, thanks for all the input guys. I have not even looked at any of this stuff in a long time. It would be nice to have something that was wireless. I don't really like the idea of being tied together by wires. When we head up to NC this August for our long weekend, (with NO KIDS), we will make a lot of stops for pictures and stuff so not having to deal with a bunch of wires would be nice. Its not something that we really need, just something that I think would be nice to have. Plus, my little girl wants to learn to ride with me and I think being able communicate with her would really be good. I will try to read up on all of your suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted June 28, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 28, 2014 I've read almost universal good reviews on the Sena systems. http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sena-smh-10-bluetooth-stereo-headset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgsx400e Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 SENA for the win!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigger4343 Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 You guys seem to like the SMH10. What about the SMH5 ? I just looked on Ebay and found some dual kits of the 5 for a pretty decent price. Much less than I expected. I'm not very concerned with communicating with other riders, just my girlfriend or my daughter when she gets ready to start learning how to ride with me. One more question..... How do these set ups mount on the helmet? Is it easy to take on and off? Normally I wont need any of it on my helmet except for when I do have a passenger. And I will want to transfer it from my girlfriends helmet to my daughters helmet when she starts to ride with me and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wera803 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 You guys seem to like the SMH10. What about the SMH5 ? I just looked on Ebay and found some dual kits of the 5 for a pretty decent price. Much less than I expected. I'm not very concerned with communicating with other riders, just my girlfriend or my daughter when she gets ready to start learning how to ride with me. Looks pretty good. When I bought mine, I wanted the most talk time I could get. My GF and I ride all day, so I didn't want it to die in the middle of a ride. I thought I would like the VOX option as well, although now that I have them, we never use it. How do these set ups mount on the helmet? Is it easy to take on and off? Normally I wont need any of it on my helmet except for when I do have a passenger. And I will want to transfer it from my girlfriends helmet to my daughters helmet when she starts to ride with me and back. 2 allen head screws loosen the clamp to pull it off the helmet. Not something I would really want to do every day, but not difficult if you did it once a week or once a month. You can also buy a spare helmet clamp for about $30-35 and have it mounted on the helmet at all times and just move the unit back and forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Stay away from Chatterbox. Ours worked great at low speeds (when you could just talk anyway) but was useless on the highway. Booo Chatterbox. Since you didn't mention which model Chatterbox... Well it makes your post kind of useless. The group I ride with have all been using Chatterbox since the mid nineties. It had two channels and wasn't even FRS quality and they had this long antenna. The early versions were useful but the quality at speed and range was poor. We learned quickly that microphone position is very important. Removing the black boot and placing the microphone in the front of the cheek pad makes a huge difference. Our group now has a mix of versions, but all are X-1 NR (Noise Reduction)and some have the X-1 Blue tooth. The early X-1 non- NR were poor voice, but the range can't be beat. The current X-1 with NR is audible at any speed and the range is great. We were getting five miles one afternoon in the mountains. The new Chatterbox is small. This will be the unit my wife and I go to, but I have two new large X-1NR units still sitting on the shelf. Havagan has the current model of the small X-1. He comes through loud and clear. So I clearly disagree with the negative Chatterbox comment. Chatterbox customer support is top notch. When they were changing out the X-1 with the X-1 NR units about ten years ago, some of our riders had mix match headsets and units. The quality of transmission was poor. Chatterbox was able to trouble shoot the problem and they corrected the problem on their dime. Even when the headsets were purchased used from eBay. I give a thumbs up to Chatterbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGREGT Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 Stay away from Chatterbox. Ours worked great at low speeds (when you could just talk anyway) but was useless on the highway. Booo Chatterbox. I've got those Chatterbox Noise-Reduction X1s and love 'em. I've never mounted them to the helmets, but keep 'em in a tankbag and run the wires from there. Good range too. I've got full aftermarket exhaust systems on my stuff too, but never had an issue at speed other than it takes a few miles to get the sensitivity set on the mics, then it's good to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mk2davis Posted June 30, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2014 Another nod to the Sena here. The Rider to Passenger part is good, and I enjoy listening to music more than I ever thought I would. I know that this is possible with almost any other type of communicator, I've just really been happy with my Sena. I don't know if other have had the same issue, but when I was taking my Sena on and off to charge it, I bend the spring loaded pins. Sena replaced the whole unit to me within the week. Their CS is top notch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGREGT Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I know the Sena uses Bluetooth, but I have never used BT on anything ever. How's the battery life if you're running it from an iphone? The Sena goes 12 hours on a charge....I'm betting the iphone running BT lasts about 25% of that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mk2davis Posted June 30, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2014 I couldn't tell you. I am not an iphone guy. Not even a smart phone guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted June 30, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted June 30, 2014 Another vote for Sena (SMH-10). Used Autcom for years....superior comms but it's wired and very expensive for a decent setup. Sena is superb. Quality build, great CS and so easy to use, even at highly illegal speeds. I BT my phone (HTC One M8) so I can listen to music (pause, start, track forward & back, volume) & make/take calls (voice dial). I can chat with Mrs Skids when she's on the back and it's really easy to switch intercom to phone & back. I bought the extra mount so I can use my in-ear speakers (Westone UM1s)....far better than trying to hear helmet speakers through earplugs IMO. It works very well rider-to-rider as well, with ranges approaching 1 mile & you can group chat too. Simple to control with gloves on as well and removable in a moment leaving the flush mount on the helmet. Worth investing in decent kit if you are going to use it often IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wera803 Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I know the Sena uses Bluetooth, but I have never used BT on anything ever. How's the battery life if you're running it from an iphone? The Sena goes 12 hours on a charge....I'm betting the iphone running BT lasts about 25% of that? Not sure on the exact battery life of the iPhone on it's own, but it will last several hours when listening to music as long as it is music on your phone and not Pandora or something else. I listen all day with the Sena and iPhone, although usually plug the phone in so it charges as I ride. I would hate to actually need the phone at some point and it be dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGREGT Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I couldn't tell you. I am not an iphone guy. Not even a smart phone guy. Yeah, I just made the jump myself. Got along fine without a phone up until 2-3 years ago, then got a cheap flip phone and only used it maybe an hour a month, if that. No texting? No email? No www? Perfect. Work recently stopped hinting and now insisited I get a smartphone so they could contact me 27.5 hours a day, 9 days a week should they so desire. THIS is progress? I know the Sena uses Bluetooth, but I have never used BT on anything ever. How's the battery life if you're running it from an iphone? The Sena goes 12 hours on a charge....I'm betting the iphone running BT lasts about 25% of that? usually plug the phone in so it charges as I ride. NOW you're thinking! Had not thought of that. And I have a USB on the 800 installed already. Good idea. Duh. Just looked up these Senas online. The 10 (guessing that's the best they make?) is only $160 per @ Revzilla? That's nothing! I was thinking they'd be 2x that. But then again I have never looked into them. Now with all these glowing owner reviews maybe I should look at them too. I do like the idea of being able to use my exiting earbud speakers. Hmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigger4343 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 I looked at the specs and the only real difference I noticed in the 5 and the 10 is that the 10 seems to have a little more battery life and a little more range. I think the 5 is just a little older model. The 5 is on Ebay as a pair at a pretty decent price compared to other stuff I was looking at. Not sure I will use it often enough to truly justify the cost but I think it would be really nice when my girlfriend is on with me and when I can start teaching my daughter a little about riding with me. Thanks a lot for all the replies everyone. I was not expecting this kind of a response to my question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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