Group Riding in Heavy Traffic

[stp1971]

I have the GMXRS or something like that version of the chatterbox. It has the 5 mile radius. It is not a bad unit but the thing is kinda clunky on the side of the helmet. When I would look left it would interfere with the turning of my head. I used it on the way up to the Dragon with some of the Misfits but it kept cutting in and out.

I feel it was a waste of $300.00 and something dollars to me.

[Apertureguy]

Ouch....that is a costly annoyance.

I guess I'll continue to wait...work on some hand signals...and carry more pennies.

Thanks for the heads up guys.

[blackie1491]

Leap frog, when you make your lane change force the car behind to hold back , have your wife pass you , change lane, then you move ahead.

This will work until you and your wife find your selfs in synic.

It is hard when you are at diff. stages of confidence, but the least is the level that you ride at. When riding with a new rider, I use my bike to block for them.

You could also consider a communications system, that allows you verbal
communications.

[stp1971]

Now don't get me wrong. It is a neat idea and all,, but my shoulder pads get hung up on it all the time. I have thought about doing a remote setup but for some reason the mic will not key up then.

The smaller two channel units are not so bad though,, they are not as large bolted to the side of your helmet.

[automogul]

Thanks for the quick n' gritty review stp. That's unfortunate. I was thinking of working with a model that will mount to the bars. I've been worried about the wires running to and from, but it just seems better than adding a clunky module to my helmet. I'll keep looking for alternatives. I came across a few others a while back, and I can't remember what they're called. I'll dig through and see what I can turn up.

I was also considering a 2 way radio. That might be another great way you could go. You could get a small 2 way, clip it to your belt, and run the head piece up to your helmet. That might help you to wire up multiple helmets. Dunno.

Thanks again! I'll see if I can dig up some other models to add to the discussion.

[Apertureguy]

Maybe I'll just rubber-band my cell phone to my ear.

[azkober]

Try Chatterbox. I just bought one for the wife, had mine for a few months. During one group ride we were able to find our group again after having to stop for an emergency potty break. The FRS unit is the least expensive and should be good for 2 miles in town. The GMRS unit maybe 5 miles.

[azkober]

Originally Posted by stp1971

I have the GMXRS or something like that version of the chatterbox. It has the 5 mile radius. It is not a bad unit but the thing is kinda clunky on the side of the helmet. When I would look left it would interfere with the turning of my head. I used it on the way up to the Dragon with some of the Misfits but it kept cutting in and out.

I feel it was a waste of $300.00 and something dollars to me.

Have you tried clipping it to your belt instead? Also, above 70MPH I find it's better to use the push to talk button velcroed to the handlebar. The VOX can only handle so much wind.....

[automogul]

Thanks for your .02 azkober. I was a little worried about looking into those units, but a positive review helps. Which model do you use? That should give me a point of reference. Another brand that I stumbled onto is actually really expensive. I really like their setup, but $400 a bike is hard to justify especially when I KNOW I will need 2 bikes in order for it to do me any good. The brand is J&M. They look really nice, especially with the handle bar mounted setup and the push-to-talk:

Welcome to J&M Corporation



They also have some nice mounts for sat radio and such. Pretty trick! Too bad those radios cost so much!

[automogul]

Ok, Christmas has come and gone, and I've left an old topic untouched for long enough. For Christmas this year, my wife and I commited to the FRS Chatterbox radios. We got them from value accessories. We both went with the bar mount setup, and I'm happy that we did. The bar mount kit was a separate accessory to the regular kit. The only thing we missed was an extension cable to allow our headsets to plug from our helmets to the radio mounted on the bar. I wish that that cable would have been included in the bar mount kit, but it wasn't.

Installation was really strait forward. We had everything set up on both bikes in maybe a half an hour. Of course, we quickly learned of the missing cable, and that haulted progress. Still, installation was fast and fairly intuative.

The radios work quite nicely. We opted to NOT use the VOX feature. Instead, we are using the PTT and that is much nicer because it allows you to CHOOSE the moment you want to talk. The VOX has a little time delay from when you start talking to when it activates. Most of our sentences were cut off by a word on the front. The PTT allows us to push a button that allows us to talk. Granted it's one more thing to fumble with, but I like knowing that I choose when to activate the radio.

Distance works nicely, although we haven't tried any extensive distances yet. So far, we have been fairly close together (maybe 10 car lengths seperate at most). The clerity is fair. I've had a few instances where I couldn't clearly make out what she was saying, but you learn how to talk differently and listen differently as time goes on. All in all, I'd say it was a fantastic purchase. I can't compare it to other models out there, but I can definitely say that the price was right.

No longer do I have to make eroneous hand signals and hope my wife understands. What's more, we were able to discuss things coming up in traffic. During the morning commutes in to work, these radios will make our rides VOLUMES better. I can tell her what I'm doing before I do it. I can tell her to block in and hold a lane for me.

The other nice feature of these radios is the ability to plug in an MP3 player and a cell phone. We both got the audio cables allowing us to connect MP3 players, and wow what a difference to the ride it makes. I'm a music fanatic, and I can honestly say that music was the biggest missing item from my rides. The Chatterbox handles it perfectly as well. When you push the talk button, the music volume mutes. When someone talks to you, the music volume mutes. It's a really nice feature. The cellular phone cable would be great as well. I'd love to be able to answer phone calls on the road. Of course, half the fun of getting out on the bike is IGNORING all of that, so I'm not SUPER eager to invite phone calls into my riding world just yet. For now, the distraction of music is enough.

With the addition of my windshield bag, I have a place to keep all of my devices. That means that I only have one cable running from the radio to me.

The biggest downers so far would be the clerity of the transmissions could be a little better. They're not terrible, but unless you and your crew annunciate clearly, you might find it difficult to make out certain words. No mumblers allowed! Also, I don't like that I can't control the MP3 player's volume from the radio. You basicllay have to set the volume, plug it in and leave it unless you want to fish it out and turn it down/up while riding. There isn't a way to change tracks either, so what you hear is what you get on that front. That's not terribly annoying. Just take the time to make a good play list up before you go riding, and you're set. As for the volume issue, you're left to turn off the radio completely or unplug the MP3 player if you need silence. Fortunately, the plugs are easy to access from the driver's seat (if you mount to the handle bars).

I'd be more than happy to put some pictures up if folks want to see the setup. I'm still taking in all of the STUFF we added to the bikes this year, so I haven't really taken the time to take pictures yet. I'm too busy enjoying the unseasonably warm weather we're having in January.

I hope this helps those that were thinking of buying bike to bike radios as a means of communicating with your group. I'm interrested to see what happens as you add more people. I'm hoping to add another friend to the group in the coming months/year.

[azkober]

The wife and I are both pretty new to motorcycling. When we ride on seperate bikes I always let her lead and we do have the Chatterbox radios in our helmets which which, to me are indispensable especially when we ride with friends in a group of 5 or 6 bikes. We ride offset, 1 second intervals.

[automogul]

Yep! It was your fine advice that drove me to purchase them Azkober. We like them very much, and hopefully as time goes on, we'll get more used to them. I certainly am having a hard time imagining riding without them. Of course, my wife and I ride together about 80% of the time, so that explains the necessity.

[Clintoysterwood]

I like this site and use it when I am riding with a new rider.

Sunset H.O.G. #1814

Look at number 6. While that is for multiple riders, it is what we use to 2 riders in traffic.

Clint

[Apertureguy]

Those are excellent....and you're right about the resemblance...I was waiting for the cherries to come bouncing by next.

[automogul]

Those are some really great tips and awesome pieces of information. Thanks for linking in Clint! I've not done group riding that much with more than just my wife. Speedcostsmoney is soon to be joining us on some rides, and this will be really helpful to keep us all togeather. Thanks again!