Rider to rider intercoms on a budget

[chicagorandy]

Like it says, looking for recommendations/reviews of intercom pairs about $100 for both units. Mostly to use as an intercom between two bikes on rides but ability to bluetooth to phone, play music etc would be a plus. Interested in longish battery life using as an intercom. Ease of use wearing gloves a must. Rather a bewildering array of systems on Amazon and I've learned not to put too much faith in Amazon reviews as some vendors DO solicit repayment of a purchase in exchange for 5 star reviews.

Thanks for any ideas.

[SgtSlag]

Sorry, Randy, but I've owned two intercom systems, Bluetooth, and both sets were around $300+ for the pair. Prior to that, we used a wired set, running on a AAA battery.

Now, back to the regular programming for this posting...

There are decent models out there, but not in that price range. Our's is a Sena, but we used a Cardo, in the past, as well. Our system is several years old, so our features/controls are different than current models. The user interface, allowing us to switch between devices, is cumbersome, and requires rote memorization of the settings/configuration controls. We just use it to communicate between ourselves (set -- forget...), nobody else on another bike, no GPS, not even the built-in FM radio. Can't tell you how well those interfaces work, or how 'easy' it is to switch between channels/devices. Sorry.

I can warn you that you may want to turn off the system, when you stop at a gas station... You can hear plenty from the other person's microphone, while they are in the store! They can also hear you talking to them, or people outside (this assumes that you both keep your helmets on during your stop). That can be funny, between spouses, or it can turn uncomfortable...

Aside from all of that, I can tell you that they are wonderful, if you like conversing while riding. My wife and I talk, a lot. We enjoy sharing the experience, pointing things out to one another, as we ride. We enjoy it. When we get caught with the batteries drained, and we can't talk, it is challenging: we wear 28 dB custom plugs, so shouting, at highway speeds, is nearly useless. When the system is on, we run the volume up near maximum, so we can hear clearly (not too loud, sometimes a bit too quiet to hear clearly, depending upon wind noise).

I would recommend either Sena (preferred), or Cardo (based on our systems, purchased 8+ years ago, no idea what current models are like). The expensive intercoms have a great deal of noise cancelling circuitry in them -- this is why they are expensive. The inexpensive models may, or may not, have decent noise cancelling circuitry. I have never tried them. I know the Sena and Cardo systems are high quality. The reviewers stated, 8+ years ago, that they were able to converse on their cell phones, while riding, and the other person had no idea they were riding a motorcycle during the conversation! That colored me, impressed! The quality of our communications, while riding, is excellent, aside from wind noise, which is mostly caused by our helmet designs: just got a new helmet, with a fabric chin cover, which is m-u-c-h quieter, even when I sit on the back. My wife wants to upgrade her helmet to get the same benefit...

The battery life of both of our systems, was around 8-10 hours, on a full charge. They cannot be charged, while in use. A full charge can take 4+ hours to achieve. Note that the units detach from the helmets, leaving their mounting brackets 'permanently' attached to the helmet; the microphone is also 'permanently' attached. Everything can be removed. I got a new helmet this past Summer, and I had to transfer the system to the new helmet: not terribly difficult, but I did need to play with the speaker positioning a bit, to get it right. Once set, perfect, no need to adjust, unless the speakers shift inside the helmet. I used Scotch Tape to keep the wires in place, beneath the lining; when I removed the system, the Scotch Tape was still solidly in place, after 3+ years! The mounting bracket clamps onto the side of the helmet, with two Allen Screws keeping the clamp tight. Fairly easy to install/remove.

Mine do have a standard earphone jack, for piping in music from an MP3 player/GPS/whatever, if desired. Wife determined that it would auto-switch between her phone playing music through the plug, and the intercom: voice triggered, when the mic goes quiet for so many seconds, it would switch back to playing her music from her phone. Cheers!

[leghorn1956]

Hope everyone is doing well. I have a set of Lexin B4FM intercoms that I got from Amazon last year for lest han $200 Canadian. They are great. They work exactly as they advertise. I can't give a better review.

[VoyKimmer]

I have the Nolan n-com I got from Neil on this site. Like the system a lot. Can also Bluetooth to my iPhone so I can make and receive calls and listen to music.

[chicagorandy]

In conversations with my Hoosier brother and future riding buddy (he's just started motorcycling on a 2008 Honda Shadow Aero 750 ) we opted for the Fodsports M1S Pro headsets ($160 for the pair on Amazon). Retired Geezers on wheels, two by two - lol.

They seem to get pretty good reviews, fit our realistic budget, Bluetooth 4.1, claim to be waterproof, use a nice large 900mah battery, range more than adequate to our needs, come with two sets of mikes/speakers per unit, advertise about 10-12 hrs on intercom and charge in about 3 hrs,

We shall see. Hope springs eternal as always. I'll report back after we've had a chance to meet up and try them out.

[camd]

Prior to that, we used a wired set, running on a AAA battery.

I bought a 2010 Voyager and I’m trying to put together a wired intercom system. What wired unit did you use? The only company that makes them anymore appears to be Autocom, and they’re pricy. And trying to source 7-pin DIN cables and headsets for the factory intercom is a nightmare.

Cheers

[SgtSlag]

Our wired unit was given to me by a coworker, around 20 years ago. Honestly, we would never go back to a wired intercom. The inconveniences severely outweigh the advantages of any wired system. My recommendation is to buy a wireless system, "Cut the chord, man!" Cheers!