To all those on the fence about getting Bluetooth comm unit..

[davidji]

Oh, and one speaker or two? And if two, and playing tunes, you still feel situational aware? And I assume that is illegal since two ear buds in while driving a car is illegal.

2 speakers is legal.

I installed a pair in a helmet years ago, and tried listening to music a couple of times. Having it loud enough to hear over my ear plugs & wind noise made my ears ring, and I stopped.

Maybe on a bike with a big screen.

I've considered riding with noise blocking ear buds to listen to music. Using two isn't legal. Haven't tried either 1 or 2 though. Can you use those instead of speakers for the Cardo?

Might try a ride with a single earbud and see. My music app will do a mono mix.

 

[mayorofnow]

Most helmets have pockets to hold speakers.

The Packtalk Slim slides into the bottom of the helmet shell. Cutting the trim to make room for Slim insertion is the most cumbersome part of installation (although not every helmet has trim that needs to be cut).

 

[Clem Kevin]

I bought a set of $30 overear headphones, broke them apart, got them down to the bare speakers and resoldered and covered all wiring. Now I have nice speakers for about $45 that play as loud as I think is safe while riding. Totally worth it if you're the creative type and don't need communications units.

BUT. I've been looking at possibly buying into something recently and one thing I noticed is how poor the technology and software is considering how incredible technology is in just my cell phone. I think Fortnine's video on the topic was REALLY good.

It seems the Packtalk is a step above everything else, in quality and use. It seems a no brainer to buy that over anything else.

 

[mayorofnow]

Clever.

Helmet speakers remind me a lot of 80s Walkman headphones, but that's the first I've heard of someone going to the trouble to dismantle, resolder, and glue a pair into a helmet.

 

[greenmonster]

OK, I be totally ignorant of all these things.

Say I get a CARDO Freecom 1+
... so I need to somehow get the speakers in my helmet, there is room? And they just go with with some double sided tape? And they stay?
... and the unit double side tapes to the side of the helmet?
... and the mic has to be put in the front somehow?

Just seems like one nice 95 degree day and all this stuff start falling off the helmet?

Oh, and one speaker or two? And if two, and playing tunes, you still feel situational aware? And I assume that is illegal since two ear buds in while driving a car is illegal.

I’d say go to your nearest Cycle Gear, bring your helmet, and they can answer all your questions. They can do the install for free too and pair it up with your phone. Also take a look at some YouTube videos, there are plenty on this topic.

 

[doc4216]

I've been riding with various intercoms/bluetooth in my helmet for about 10 years. I love riding with music. I will also wear earplugs with it depending on distance, speed, wind noise. I never feel distracted, just I don't feel distracted by music in my car. I definitely feel out of sorts without it.

Current is Cardo SmartPack

 

[dravnx]

Been riding with music for 8 years now. I've never felt distracted and I only turn the volume up enough to overcome the wind noise and ear plugs. I always wear ear plugs. The Cardo and Senas are tuned to listened with ear plugs and sound really tinny without plugs.
I started with Sena and still use them but am considering changing over to Cardo as my riding group has changed the folks that I now ride with are mostly Cardo. You want to use the system that your buds use as interoperability between manufacturers is not there yet. It's pretty frustrating.

 

[thepretender]

I Can you use those instead of speakers for the Cardo?

.

Yes you can use any ear buds you like with Cardo.

 

[KazMan]

Have enjoyed my Sena's for 8ish years now. Commuting or travel, taking pictures, video, listening to music or taking call from my personal or work phone have been a plus for me as well.

 

[bergmen]

Tried earbuds and a Walkman 15-20 years ago for about 10 minutes. Too distracting for me so no music, etc. for me since then.

One of the beauties of motorcycling for me is to get completely away from everything and totally enjoy the riding experience. My ears are available for odd noises that I may want to be aware of also.

Dan

 

[Lagwagonlead]

Another pro-tip: Wearing ear plugs increases the sound quality of the headset. I used to ride without ear plugs because I didn't like how easily they fell out when putting the helmet on. Then I got some custom molded ones that are much harder to knock out and it was a game changer. Wind noise is decreased so music/talk quality is increased, even though I now have to turn the volume up.

 

[greenmonster]

What custom molded ear plugs did you go with? I assume you’ve tried a few and/or did some research before getting what you now have.

 

[thepretender]

I wear a scull cap over my ear buds and they stay put putting on and taking off my helmet. Helps keep the helmet clean also

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Tried earbuds and a Walkman 15-20 years ago for about 10 minutes. Too distracting for me so no music, etc. for me since then.

One of the beauties of motorcycling for me is to get completely away from everything and totally enjoy the riding experience. My ears are available for odd noises that I may want to be aware of also.

Dan

I'm in the same camp, though I have wanted a comms system on occasion on group rides when I'm off the back and need to alert someone to a turn or a needed stop without having to go WOT to catch up and flag them down.

 

[mayorofnow]

I had some made at Soundscape, but he's moved to LA since then. They were Starkey Earmoulds.

Get the 25dB ones. I started with 15, then got another set at 25 because I still had a lot of wind noise with 15. I was concerned 25 would be too quiet for e.g. ordering coffee, but they've been fine around town too.

I met a company called Snugs at a market in the UK that seemed like a good option, but that was after I'd already ordered mine.

 

[Lagwagonlead]

What custom molded ear plugs did you go with? I assume you’ve tried a few and/or did some research before getting what you now have.

I went with BigEar and did next to zero research beforehand, other than comparing the self-kits to the big companies. I chose them because they were local and I saw their demonstration at WSBK.

 

[mayorofnow]

Pro-tip if you get custom earplugs: you can get a little canister to keep on your keyring, so you always have them with you (and always have a place to store them) when you're riding. Search for "keychain pill box."

 

[greenmonster]

So on the topic of ear plugs, do they make a noticeable improvement? Big difference with and without? I just checked out Big Ear and they range from $95 up to about $168 so they aren’t cheap.

 

[mayorofnow]

Amortize out every second of being able to hear normally over the rest of your life, and hundreds of dollars becomes free. If I ever have kids, I'm absolutely buying them custom earplugs when they're old enough to go to concerts and the like.

It's not about whether or not it's more pleasant to ride with them - it's about if you'll be one of those old people who can't understand anything anybody says because you spent your younger days constantly riding in loud winds.

 

[Lagwagonlead]

So on the topic of ear plugs, do they make a noticeable improvement? Big difference with and without? I just checked out Big Ear and they range from $95 up to about $168 so they aren’t cheap.

With ear plugs I have a lot less fatigue, somehow the reduced noise means a reduction in physical and mental fatigue. Without ear plugs 2-3 hours of highway riding would make me feel like I need a nap. With ear plugs I'm good for an entire day of riding. Even at track days I noticed more endurance when wearing ear plugs. I'm a pretty cheap dude, I change my own tires with basic spoons and a portable bead breaker because I refuse paying even $300 for a Harbor Freight + No Mar bar or $25 for a shop to do it. I would still buy another $100 pair of ear plugs though.