MGJ
Registered user
Maybe worth waiting for the new Scala G9
Recommend me a rider to pillion intercom
- Thread starter Neil W
- Start date
It's one of those things that once you have it, you'll not be without.
I went on an 8 day trip with a mate on his Fazer, and me on the GS last year, and I insisted we get an intercom, he didn't want one. I won, and lent him my second F4 if he paid for the helmet kit (about £30), which he did.Whenever we go out now, I always have to lend him my wife's F4, and he wouldn't be without it now. It transformed our rides.
Do it, you won't regret it, I promise.
Bumpkin
Registered user
I've had phones connected up before now, and very successfully to, but why?
You're out on your bike with the missus....do you really want to be on the fekking phone at the same time?
Mine doesn't go on the back of the bike and I'm usually late home if I'm out on the bike having 'too much fun'. With the phone hooked up she can easily call me and check my ETA, tell me how hideous the kids are being, say my dinner has been fed to the dog etc.
Additionally being a self employed family man I tend to ride on weekdays when I can, if a client calls with an urgent request at least they know I'm available. That's why I also usually carry a netbook in the tank-bag. Wish I had the freedom to clock-off and not bother but unfortunately my circumstances don't allow it.
I hasten to add that I don't hold lengthy conversations on the bike, it's a case of "thanks for calling, I'll call you back in 5 minutes."
ianm00
Registered user
I have autocom super pro and zumo 550. Im currently thinking about changing to cardo g4/g9 for the following reasons:
Autocom doesnt work very well for phone (connected via bluetooth to zumo + autocom bluetooth unit). Phone volume is not good at anything above 40mph! (mp3 music etc is fine)
Autocom needs various isolating leads which are about £30-40 a part!
I use bike most days and after many connections/disconnections to the headset the wires break and headset needs replacing!
Not much space on bike for autocom and various leads (isolating boxes) and bluetooth unit etc.
A bluetooth unit on your helmet is much more portable.
Autocom price quickly increases!
Autocom doesnt work very well for phone (connected via bluetooth to zumo + autocom bluetooth unit). Phone volume is not good at anything above 40mph! (mp3 music etc is fine)
Autocom needs various isolating leads which are about £30-40 a part!
I use bike most days and after many connections/disconnections to the headset the wires break and headset needs replacing!
Not much space on bike for autocom and various leads (isolating boxes) and bluetooth unit etc.
A bluetooth unit on your helmet is much more portable.
Autocom price quickly increases!
jeff
Registered user
Recharging? the vagaries of bluetooth pairing?
Sod all that.....Autocom hardwired.
Tend to agree with Fanum. Have 2 year old F3. Excellent for 6 months. Headset failed replaced free. Used a lot but now losing sound to earpieces. Difficulty charging. The problem seems to be the connector into the unit both helmet and charger. Squeezing it (or biting it !) some times sorts this out. It is a mechanical failure in the plug socket connector. As this seems to be unchanged in the later models I suspect they will have same problem if used quite a bit. Blue tooth pairing now becoming a problem. In short not impressed. Expensive bit of kit if only good for two years. Wish I had bought an autocom or starcom.
Didn't autocom go bust and stop trading
Bumpkin
Registered user
chas820
Registered user
I have the Starcom set up and while it works very well with my Zumo and Nokia, bike to bike comms are very hit and miss.Three of us ride together and there is always one of us who cant here/speak to the others.One day while riding to France we had perfect comms going to Dover,when we got off the ferry nada,zilch just loud interference when pressing the ptt.I`m seriously starting to think bluetooth but im going to wait a bit to see what comes out.The Cardo g9 looks interesting and would pair with my other two mates SRC set up but is fairly expensive.
Bumpkin
Registered user
I sense that's to do with your set-up rather than a failing of the Starcom system itself. Maybe cabling maybe the radio. You shouldn't hear anything when pressing the PTT except your own voice if the Starcom has a side-tone like my Autocom.
I had an Autocom system for rider to pillion and music which worked perfectly well. When Denise passed her test, we wanted bike to bike as well. Because we also use them for trail riding the Scala system was better, as by buying extra helmet kits we were able to use the system with either road or off-road helmets.
We use the older Q2 system. I pair my headset to both the satnav and Denise's headset. My phone is paired to the satnav, so it is controlled through the screen. If it rings the caller is displayed, giving me the option of answering it or not, and if I do want to answer it I have the option of taking the call without removing my lid. I detest satnav instructions, so these are switched off. Music is wired through directly to the helmet, or bluetooth from the Zumo.
I have killed one headset, in heavy rain over a weekend in Scotland, but I suspect this might have been down to not plugging the charging socket hole properly. I replaced it with a £25 second hand one off ebay, which has just done sterling service through some biblical rain in the Pyrenees.
HTH
Mark
We use the older Q2 system. I pair my headset to both the satnav and Denise's headset. My phone is paired to the satnav, so it is controlled through the screen. If it rings the caller is displayed, giving me the option of answering it or not, and if I do want to answer it I have the option of taking the call without removing my lid. I detest satnav instructions, so these are switched off. Music is wired through directly to the helmet, or bluetooth from the Zumo.
I have killed one headset, in heavy rain over a weekend in Scotland, but I suspect this might have been down to not plugging the charging socket hole properly. I replaced it with a £25 second hand one off ebay, which has just done sterling service through some biblical rain in the Pyrenees.
HTH
Mark
Recharging? the vagaries of bluetooth pairing?....
You're out on your bike with the missus....do you really want to be on the fekking phone at the same time?
keep it simple, keep it sweet
I think the wired / unwired debate could rage forever and without an end, I love my wired system, maybe one day I will love a BT system
To me thinking something that will last a day is good, well is not good, in 6 years I have not once had to charge my Autocom!
I have also been unable to leave it on a Hotel Room / Cafe / Fuel Station, tread on it or drop it down a drain.
I also have no fear that today the battery will last 8 hours and in six months time it goes flat in 45 minutes (mobile phone batteries anyone?)
I can also get spares, although my Mrs is on the same headset she has had for 6 years, on last upgrade of main unit (old one still worked at six years old and sold for 50% of my original outlay - what is a 6 year old Bluetooth system worth?) Sam at Chainspeed took a look at her headset and declared it perfect.
Room to fit it on the GS is adequate but you do lose what little stowage space you have under the seat, a real dilema as that loss of 1/6 of a litre leaves me only about 120 litres in the panniers and top box robbing me the extra space for......um something very small.
I would call someone who deals with the full range of wired and unwired systems (such as Chainspeed) tell 'em what you want to do and what you deem important and let them make some suggestions and offer some advice.
On the plus side it looks like lots of systems now work, 15 years ago you would have probably just had a whole load of negative feedback about all sorts of dogs**t systems.
jeff
Registered user
Starcom/Autocom
Finally giving up on F3. As I said in previous post, good for 6months then progressively deteriorated. I know reviews of this and later models were excellent but mine has not stood the test of time. Very disappointed, a costly mistake on my part.
So ,simple question Starcom or Aotocom. Any views/experience.
Only want rider-pillion, sat nav. Bike to bike not needed.
Finally giving up on F3. As I said in previous post, good for 6months then progressively deteriorated. I know reviews of this and later models were excellent but mine has not stood the test of time. Very disappointed, a costly mistake on my part.
So ,simple question Starcom or Aotocom. Any views/experience.
Only want rider-pillion, sat nav. Bike to bike not needed.
chas820
Registered user
I would go for Starcom,have a look on Evilbay as there is normaly one or two for sale.
If you ride solo most of the time go for the Autocom, probably a Logic, as the SuperPro Automatic comes into its own for bike-to-bike. The fact that the Autocom microphone switches off completely when you are not talking means that you are in comparative silence. The Starcom runs with an open microphone so you get a more background noise but is easier for rider-to-pillion communication as the microphone does not have to switched back on before talking. Switching the Autocom mike back on is simply a matter of saying a word like "Hi" before delivering the message.
Experience from this board suggests that the Autocom connectors are more robust and less easily bent/damaged.
I prefer the Autocom way of doing things.
Hope this helps,
John
It has auto-vox and "turns on" in a few milliseconds, I think the issue is either the Vox not being set right / not talking loud enough, we have few problems with ours not triggering and can hold on / off conversations all day long.
I borrowed a couple of cheap units the other day and went out for a run on the bike with my wife.
Well a good idea they may be for some people but after 3 miles of someone chuntering in my ear I'd had enough.
Stopped the bike and removed them, INTERCOMS ARE DEFINITELY NOT FOR ME.
Well a good idea they may be for some people but after 3 miles of someone chuntering in my ear I'd had enough.
Stopped the bike and removed them, INTERCOMS ARE DEFINITELY NOT FOR ME.
roadrider
Registered user
I suppose they don't suit everyone. I used to be the same but after a while It was the best accessory I've ever bought for a bike.
Just a thought, do you drive a car ? if so do you both sit in complete silence ..
Yes I own a car , I always listen to music in it and when with my wife or if I have a passenger we do chat.
At work when driving I have to have two radio sets going constantly.
IMHO one of the biggest things about bikes is that you can be alone with your own thoughts and not have the distraction of music , chat etc.
At work when driving I have to have two radio sets going constantly.
IMHO one of the biggest things about bikes is that you can be alone with your own thoughts and not have the distraction of music , chat etc.
I like Music and tnd to have some playing 90% of the time even on little local ridouts and I find being able to chat to her on back handy, but I never plug the phone in, talking to her o nthe back is OK, the rest of the world can wait until I have finished my ride.
Just been looking at the interphone F4/5 .... I'm getting fed up with my wired system... and feel like a change.. At the moment I use an autocom for me-her talking, music and satnav directions...
It would be nice to listen to a radio as well ( interphone F5) and I don't have the bluetooth autocom dongle so its a no to phone calls at the moment.
Can anyone comment on the music quality if you're bluetoothing from a satnav on the interphone kit?
It would be nice to listen to a radio as well ( interphone F5) and I don't have the bluetooth autocom dongle so its a no to phone calls at the moment.
Can anyone comment on the music quality if you're bluetoothing from a satnav on the interphone kit?
