Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
#11
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
To be able to hear the ipod sufficiently I have to use my fullface helmet. Works great. I used to ride all day to music everyday, and have never had an accident as a result of the music or "can't hear noise around me. If you are aware of your surroundings and don't have it TOO loud it is great. I wore my ipod all the way to laughlin last year without problems. It is illegal in california, but so is crossing the border without papers and look how many people do that...
#12
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
ORIGINAL: SquishFace
Ditch the crappy chatterbox and try some in-canal headphones from a quality (not sony or apple) company, like SHURE.
Ditch the crappy chatterbox and try some in-canal headphones from a quality (not sony or apple) company, like SHURE.
#13
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
Don't listen to anything while riding,find myself humming the last song I've heard on radio or whatever all day or till I stop and hear something else. Just hope it ain't some country or R&B crap.
#14
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
Loud music and loud wind will both cause tinnitius in the same amount of time. Thats why I suggested an in-canal headphone, which will cut-down on wind noise dramatically, and thus make your music "louder" without having to turn it up. (Which is good for hearing horns).
#15
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
Years ago I was given an Ultra Classic as a loaner. I had the bike two weeks and after the first three days, the novelty wore off and the radio stayed off. Too much of a distraction. I'm happyjust listening to the sounds of the bike and all that is around me.
#16
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Northwest of Los Angeles
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RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
ORIGINAL: Bluerose
I put my earbuds under my helmet and it was great until I started the bike [&:]
Couldn't hear a thing and I didn't want to kill my hearing by turning it up louder. Will be looking for an alternative in the near future.
I put my earbuds under my helmet and it was great until I started the bike [&:]
Couldn't hear a thing and I didn't want to kill my hearing by turning it up louder. Will be looking for an alternative in the near future.
Here is what works for me:
First, a set of Etymotic ER6i sound isolator earbuds available on buy.com for about $79, with a further $20 off if you use Google checkout. These come with two types of ear pieces, one of which resembles, and acts like, ordinary earplugs. So you get the effect of earplugs, but also get the music piped directly into your ear canal. The ear pieces are replaceable; I bought a set of extras.
Second, I bought an amplifier called a Boostaroo, for a very reasonable $29. The Boostaroo plugs into your iPod's earphone plug, and your Etymotics plug into the Boostaroo (which will accept up to 3 plug-ins, meaning a backseat passenger can also plug their headphones into it). It works on 2 AA batteries, and pretty much doubles the output of your iPod's volume without distorting the sound in any way. I toss the Boostaroo into my windshield bag, but it would easily fit into a pocket as well.
I use this setup with XM radio coming through a Garmin 2730 GPS. Without the Boostaroo and the Etymotics, at 100% volume I could barely make out what song was playing. With the Boostaroo and the Etymotics, I run the volume at a comfy 40%. And, I have the advantages of using earplugs, while still hearing everything going on around me.
Hope this helps. Any questions, feel free to ask.
Philip
#18
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
ORIGINAL: One Terrific Hog
Well I went out for a good short cold wintery ride yesterday and thought maybe I use the Ipod for fun while I was riding through the twisties. Buddy of mine has an RK and uses his all the time so I'm thinking..."can't hurt to try it". I get everything set up with winter gear and all that. It's 37 degrees on the mountain but the suns out. I setup the Ipod through my chatterbox and I'm ready. Head on down the highway to Eric Clapton and JJ Cale thinking this is going to be good......wrong, it was awful, first it so tin sounding over the low deep sounds of my thunderheaders, the only thing coming through was the voices no music, second it was distracting and a pain in the a** sort like a car tailgaitin you "it's there and it won't go away...at all! Well as soon as I got to the Saquatchie County line I pulled into this church parking lot and started working on it. I figure maybe the sound was too low so I put the bike in Neutral and raised the sound as a Rolling Stones tune started coming in....whoa not a good thing...put it in first turned the bike off put all those wires and crap in my saddle bag and left the sounds behind. What works in a cage definitely does not "turn me on" in my helmet. Screw it the bikes for riding, and enjoying the great outdoors and listening to the cool musical sounds of .......My Harley.
Great ride yesterday after I got rid of the sounds,
Wilbur
Well I went out for a good short cold wintery ride yesterday and thought maybe I use the Ipod for fun while I was riding through the twisties. Buddy of mine has an RK and uses his all the time so I'm thinking..."can't hurt to try it". I get everything set up with winter gear and all that. It's 37 degrees on the mountain but the suns out. I setup the Ipod through my chatterbox and I'm ready. Head on down the highway to Eric Clapton and JJ Cale thinking this is going to be good......wrong, it was awful, first it so tin sounding over the low deep sounds of my thunderheaders, the only thing coming through was the voices no music, second it was distracting and a pain in the a** sort like a car tailgaitin you "it's there and it won't go away...at all! Well as soon as I got to the Saquatchie County line I pulled into this church parking lot and started working on it. I figure maybe the sound was too low so I put the bike in Neutral and raised the sound as a Rolling Stones tune started coming in....whoa not a good thing...put it in first turned the bike off put all those wires and crap in my saddle bag and left the sounds behind. What works in a cage definitely does not "turn me on" in my helmet. Screw it the bikes for riding, and enjoying the great outdoors and listening to the cool musical sounds of .......My Harley.
Great ride yesterday after I got rid of the sounds,
Wilbur
I ride to get away from that kind of crap. Found myself turning the radio off when I'm forced to ride the cage. I have used a Ham Radio on a MC. Speakers and mike in a full coverage helmet. PTT in the switch housing. Worked pretty good. That was in the 80's.
#19
RE: Tried an Ipod and Driving Yesterday
For those talking about turning up over the road noise... I am going to guess you are wearing half helmets.
And if you are wearing a Full Helmet... Invest more money in a better helmet. The noise in my old Nolan was horrible... Nice and quiet in all of my Shoeis.
I also do not push the earbuds all the way into my ear... don't do it when I am wearing them at work either. Just one of those things... lets me listen to the music and hear people talking to me.
Riding around town I do not wear the iPod... but on 3+ hour rides... heck yeah I am wearing some music.
And if you are wearing a Full Helmet... Invest more money in a better helmet. The noise in my old Nolan was horrible... Nice and quiet in all of my Shoeis.
I also do not push the earbuds all the way into my ear... don't do it when I am wearing them at work either. Just one of those things... lets me listen to the music and hear people talking to me.
Riding around town I do not wear the iPod... but on 3+ hour rides... heck yeah I am wearing some music.
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