helmets and intercom systems

any reccomendations ion brands cost dos and donts for a set of helmets with bluetooth communications for me and the wife i have never even considered using them before but now im interested in a pair i have been wearing a small bucket but was wondering idf i go to full face should i need bigger size or is it helmet brand that will matter for size and im planning on using them just when it is the two of us and keep my bucket for solo. so just wondering what the plus/negatives will be in investing in a pair and how much diff inquality cost considerations seen a couple used sets but not sure about that either any feedback will be much appreciated

sizes sm/sm or med/sm and solid black or something not to wild an crazy preferred, this will be my first exp on a touring type bike
that actually will ride quietly down the road and im wondering about bluetooth capable and how that works with stereo etc and yeah i know im a dumbaSS when it comes to riding other than solo

beach_
ps please make the rain stop i get to pick up my new bike tomorrow

Not gonna stop rainin till ya turn loose of my booze.


I know very little about the headsets. As I am not all that fond of full faced, I would not be interested that much. Ann got a full modular helmet for the kid recently, I will ask her later today ad see where she got it from.


*EDIT*
She said it came from here and he loves his, which was a silver full face modular with bluetooth compartments in it.:
http://www.t-motorsports.com/flip-up-full-face/

I would buy a set a Scala brand communicators, this way you can transfer them to a different helmet if needed.

Now see.....ya delivered the Mead and it stopped raining.....



Anyway, like he said, definitely get a transferrable set of em if ya get some. Actually I wasn't aware of any helmets with built IN ones,lol. Learnt somethin new today.

so far i have decided on a pair of 3/4 helmets vega brand for 90 each i believe and a scala bluetooth system 260 for the pair

seems to be one of the better ways to go at least from the concensus of everyone i talked with.

if anyone has any other advice pro or con please let me know will be buying this setup wednesday unless i get any negative feedback or some system that seems better

thanks beach_

I wanted the scala sets myself , but look at the sena as well , I dont have either , but peeps say the sena controls are easier to use

Sena SMH10.. Love 'em. You can get a twofer deal for 255 if you use the group buy from advrider.com via Rocketmoto.com, thats the best price anywhere. (I can send you the link if you can't find it, but should be in the group buy section on advrider.com)

If you think you'll listen to music , Sena is definitely the way to go , they have a lot of options on speakers / microphones.
I have the earbuds / remote microphone for mine (full face) and my wife uses the speakers / boom mic for her modular helmet. The speakers are loud enough to work well even if you do wear earplugs.

It works well with my phone too to make / take calls via voice dialing.

The jog dial works well for me , I wear gloves 100% of the time. momentary push to activate intercom, 2sec push to play music, push and turn knob fwd/back for previous/next song. And there is a separate phone button you push to take or place calls.

The only negatives are the little pins on the unit that connect it to the helmet are fragile and you need to be careful putting it on. (I broke 2 of mine, and had to use tiny nails to replace them, warranty will cover it, but I don't want to be without it) The vox function has a delay , I don't use it, we just have intercom off or on, but some don't like the vox delay.


If this is always going to be driver/passenger only ( I don't know if your wife has a bike) there are cheaper ones out there that might work just as well for you, since range wouldn't be a factor.

With the 3/4 helmet you could use some noise-isolating earbuds w/ the boom microphone.

I always seem to be bitching . . . haven't had the best experience with J&M CB/intercom. Have always had to use the intercom at full volume, shout, and say "WHAT??" a lot. Their customer service seems top-notch until you realize they always want yo to buy something expensive. For instance, asked a question about an interference ticking. Wanted me to spend almost $100 for one of their plug-in supressors, but my CB guru GAVE me a little ferrous sleeve through which I ran the GPS power cable and cured the interference. Not at all happy with my latest service experience. Concluded it by telling J&M to just send everything back in the same condition I sent it up.

Besides sizes, different brands of helmets have different shapes, just like heads. Vegas are very comfortable for me; Shoei feels miserable on my head. (I've been told by some that I need to find a DOT-approved traffic cone with a chin strap . . . . ) My recommendation is to wear a clean do rag to a dealer who has a number of different brands and try on helmets until you find the brand the feels most comfortable, then look within that brand's types, styles, and appearances for what appeals.

I too have been in the market for a pair of bluetooth intercoms. I've read many reviews on them
as well. I've about settled on the Midland BT2-D set based mainly on price and review. They seem
to mountable to half or full helmets, comes with both boom and wired mics, and stereo speakers.
The twin set was around $200-$225 on ebay last I checked. Chatterbox, Sena, and Scala all
review well too. Midland is just a more trusted name for me since they've been in it longer.
I've got a pair of 1/2 helmet and modular I'd like to swap from both. The modulars are HCI I
picked up at the flea market for $110 each. They feel as good as any high dollar helmet I've worn. They also have the space for speakers. Oh and the retractable sun sheild is cool too!

my only gripe with MOST systems, is that not ALL will offer PTT ( or manual) talk options. VOX is really a pain to use, and I have found with my Chatterbox sets, I had to constantly adjust the settings.

if it is rider to passenger needs, VOX is fine. but rider to rider is PTT madatory for me.

TheOldGuy wrote:I always seem to be bitching . . .

Old Guys tend to do that s*it.

well went with the vega helmets and the scala had to order one of the helmets and will get it tuesday and will try em out for real then setup for phones was pretty easy using the mp3 cord for the gps though so not sure if that is the way as i can see no way to pair phone and the gps included in the phone seperatly but im old and tired and will deal with it later peace and thanks for the feedback