Motorcycle Communication

I have been doing some research on VFRworld and the internet on motorcycle communication options. I'm looking for both 2-up and bike-to-bike communication.

Some people have posted that the cheapest and best option is buying a basic Midland GRMS radio and motorcycle kit. With this option, how does one modify this setup for 2-up riding? Two radio's, Autocom, etc?

The two bluetooth products I like is the Q2, which has good reviews minus the non-replaceable battery. I also liked the BlueAnt Interphone. Another negative with most bluetooth products, they have a limit to how many can be connected, and most be of the same product.

I like the idea of using a grms radio, because its universal. Unlike a bluetooth device. The down side I have with grms radio is the sound quality (not volume), and wires. My experiences with grms radio's, are cheap, half-duplex products. Something like a Midland product, is it relatively clear audio?

All opinions and suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Autocom!!!!!

Autocom is the end-all. Ive got the Active-plus duo that works great. The expandability and seamlessness are what make it so wonderful. I have mine setup in a tankbag plugged into my Mp3 Player, Cell phone, Radar detector, GMRS Radio and soon my GPS. The GMRS Radio is by far the weakest link, If I had a higher quality radio it might work better but as is the Vox on the radio(not the autocom) takes 2-3secs to kick in, makes convos choppy. The seamless nature of the autocom is amazing. Music turns down when VOX is activated or when Cellphone is in use. It's just a wonderful device. I had a Chatterbox before the Acom and the quality and useablity is night and day, not knocking Chatterbox, they just dont measure up to Autocoms. The only complaint I have is the learning curve on the Autocom is a bit more than other systems just due to its complexity. You can pick up a decent autocom on ebay for around $200usd. I got mine from England ebay for about $160

 

I have the Q2. It has been as good as advertised and I would recommend it to others. I have it linked to my phone & GPS, I also use it to listen to my ipod (hardwire / not bluetooth). When I use the phone at speed no one has ever complained about background noise and they are all shocked if I tell them I am on the bike. When my wife and I ride our bikes you can hear clearly between the two and we can separate about 1/4 mile before losing the connection.

You are correct in that you are only able to link up to three headsets.

 

When I looked at the BlueAnt a while back, it only had one ear speaker. The Q2 has two. I went with the Q2 for that and other reasons. The Autocom goes for more than I wanted to spend at the time. So far, so good with the Q2!

 

For clarification, if a GMRS Radio is attached to Autocom, will both rider/passenger mic communicate through the Radio?

 

I just purchased a chatter box with bluetooth and recently used it on a trip to New Orleans (3 hour ride.) My cell phone has a music player and GPS. I can access all three on the ride via the main unit. The buttons are easy to get to and use even with gloves on. I haven't used the intercom function yet but I would be interested in trying it out. I never used the phone either while rideing but, when I stopped, I was able to communicate with the helmet on. I know it wouldn't be a problem talking while rideing because when I did stop and talked I had to turn the volume way down. Going just barely above the speed limit :wink: (80-90) I never turned the music all the way up, ( I know this sounds like a contridiction but I didn't/don't want to be too distracted while rideing and have music blaring) and their was plenty of volume left. Just as a little experiment when I got to New Orleans, I left it on for another hour to see if it would stay on and it did. So I would give the chatterbox :thumbsup: