Intercom's...anyone use them?

**Uncle B** · 28th December 2004, 07:50

Has anyone used bike to bike intercom's....if so what are the pro's / con's.
How many times have you been out riding and wanted to get your mates attention... or you've got separated... or warn about things like the local bobby lurking in the bushes.....

Smoke signals take too long
Can't hear beating drums
Sign language too complicated
Signal flares attract the wrong people
Pointing at stuff they have no idea what your on about
Morse code will only work if they are in front

Asked a mate once if he wanted to go halves in a set but he declined as when he's riding he sings.....buggered if I want to hear that...he aint no NZ idol

**Paul in NZ** · 28th December 2004, 08:44

Vicki and I use a rider to pillion one some times...

Buggered if I know if I would want a rider to rider one unless it was with her....

Paul N

**Wenier** · 28th December 2004, 08:56

me and a mate got a set of CB radios with the headphone connections, and a guy in gisborne does the headset part which had a button for when u wanted to talk and the ear piece and microphone.

Pros are u can talk to each other

Cons if the terrain is too hilly and ur quite separated you might not be able to get each other, if the ear piece aint in the right place youll no bout it after say 30mins.

But of overall they were bloody good.

**Gixxer 4 ever** · 28th December 2004, 09:32

Originally Posted by VTWIN

Has anyone used bike to bike intercom's....if so what are the pro's / con's.
How many times have you been out riding and wanted to get your mates attention... or you've got separated... or warn about things like the local bobby lurking in the bushes.....

used a rider to passenger one a few times but would not use it now. I just like the ride and wifey likes the space. It is the only time she can not hear " Where is the?????? or what happened to the????" stuff

and I have it on good authority that her singing is not to good

and she does that in the helmet. The bike to bike thing would be to much of a distraction I recon. Just ride at a speed that allows you to do what ever you need to do as things change from second to second in respect to stuff on the road and cops etc. The lead bike should slow down or stop for you at the next turn off to make sure you do not get lost.

Anyway that's my bit on the matter.

**manuboy** · 28th December 2004, 10:13

I was gonna try a rider to pillion system for the trip up north me and SexyVeeBabe^tm are taking. Not that fussed on being able to talk to her - just that she hasn't developed the foresight to know when i'm gonna do something stoopid in terms of accelerating and stuff... she gets a little uptight ya know?

**Uncle B** · 28th December 2004, 10:38

Originally Posted by manuboy

I was gonna try a rider to pillion system for the trip up north me and SexyVeeBabe^tm are taking. Not that fussed on being able to talk to her - just that she hasn't developed the foresight to know when i'm gonna do something stoopid in terms of accelerating and stuff... she gets a little uptight ya know?

My wife has no desire to be on the back.....come back with too many speeding stories for her liking. If I had an intercom with her it would be "dunno whats wrong with it, batteries must be flat again"

**StoneChucker** · 30th December 2004, 18:22

Am I the mate with the terrible singing voice? Hehe, but yeah, sometimes I don't know what you're on about when you point and stuff

I find if I nod agreeingly, you stop pointing hahaah

J/k's, wanna try one out sometime? Would be good to have one that is button activated, and NOT voice activated, since I sometimes to sing along to myself, and argue with the voices in my head telling me to floor it, or pop a wheelie.

**Hitcher** · 30th December 2004, 18:48

Mrs H and I have a set of Pinfold's bike-to-bike intercom which, in our case, works through two Uniden UH044s (radios and batteries not included in the kits). Pinfolds retail their kits at $120 each.

We've had nothing but trouble with these. Although having said that, I have (yet another) replacement set sitting next to me as I type, but I am too scared to install these in case they fail yet again. Apparently they had a bad run with the push-to-talk switches.

To Pinfolds' credit, they are very obliging when it comes to replacing faulty kit.

We first started with these during our South Island trip back in March. The kits are easy to install and work brilliantly (when they work). Good for revenue collector spotting and for just generally sharing the joys of the journey. I've had difficulty recruiting Mrs H into "intercom games" whilst stopped at traffic lights ("On the count of three, stand up and pat the top of your helmet three times", etc) but I am sure I can wear her down...

**AMPS** · 31st December 2004, 07:35

We're bringing in the Nady systems from the States. I haven't used one personally yet, but customer reports are good. very clear to 100k's, then the volume needs to be raised a tad to compensate for ambient noise. Still clear though.
There are several systems in their range, but the 1st one we brought in was a bike/bike and rider/pillion unit with input for music source.
It comes complete with a transceiver, two headsets. Has push to talk (PTT) or voice operated (VOX) options.
Retail is $278.00 inc.
Lou

**Yokai** · 31st December 2004, 07:56

Mrs Yokai was supposed to have bought me some Alpine earplugs for chrimbo. She may well have done (we are super traditional and the last day of Christmas is 12th Night - we give presents then too - as an aside, Christmas starts in our house on 6th December - St Nicholas' Day), but I have been listening to my iPod and have been thinking about putting speakers and a mic into my helmet. LUCKILY I found that there's a lovely space between cheekpads and head cushioning that is about the size of some decent headphones. The chin area would take a lovely condenser mic - But.... is it worth me waiting for Lou to get his Nady's in... Or should I go ahead and do the DIY project?

Anyone tried that?

**dangerous** · 31st December 2004, 08:11

Originally Posted by VTWIN

Has anyone used bike to bike intercom's....

No I havent, but ya might want to p/m SuzyQ she uses a system with her hubby, both on there own bikes and can be some distance apart, Glen has his hooked into his radar detector aswell and you can plug ya cell ph into it, can also be used as rider to pillion.

**Lou Girardin** · 31st December 2004, 11:30

Originally Posted by Yokai

Mrs Yokai was supposed to have bought me some Alpine earplugs for chrimbo. She may well have done (we are super traditional and the last day of Christmas is 12th Night - we give presents then too - as an aside, Christmas starts in our house on 6th December - St Nicholas' Day), but I have been listening to my iPod and have been thinking about putting speakers and a mic into my helmet. LUCKILY I found that there's a lovely space between cheekpads and head cushioning that is about the size of some decent headphones. The chin area would take a lovely condenser mic - But.... is it worth me waiting for Lou to get his Nady's in... Or should I go ahead and do the DIY project?

Anyone tried that?

If you just want music, get a set of headphones, 'deconstruct' them and fit the speakers to your helmet. You will need a splitter for two helmets though.
The ipod remote is useful too.

**TwoSeven** · 31st December 2004, 14:08

I was looking at designing gsm phone ear pieces (mic and speaker sits in ear) for Push to talk (3G) for arai helmets, but cant be bothered as will be another few years before the market builds up here to make it worth while. Means you can talk to the rider (or group of riders) anywhere there is gsm covereage.

Just an idea for the electronically minded

**pipeman** · 31st December 2004, 14:31

Hey you can have commication devices implanted in to your body now

I had one installed three months ago

yeh anyway it,s really cool all I have to do is.
OH hang on I can feel a fax coming on

Wont be long, I hope it,s not along one last time I
ran out of paper Ha ha ha he he he

**inlinefour** · 17th January 2005, 03:57

Originally Posted by VTWIN

Has anyone used bike to bike intercom's....if so what are the pro's / con's.
How many times have you been out riding and wanted to get your mates attention... or you've got separated... or warn about things like the local bobby lurking in the bushes.....

Smoke signals take too long
Can't hear beating drums
Sign language too complicated
Signal flares attract the wrong people
Pointing at stuff they have no idea what your on about
Morse code will only work if they are in front

Asked a mate once if he wanted to go halves in a set but he declined as when he's riding he sings.....buggered if I want to hear that...he aint no NZ idol

As I dont have a pillion I also have no need