CD Player

[redliner1973]

I have an '83 GS1100GK, with the cycle sound system on it. The radio is trashed, and I have been thinking of installing a CD player in it's place. It currently has the shaft-style cassette player in it, and if I install the CD player, I will have to cut all that out. My question is not so much the cutting, but has anyone used a CD player on their bike with success? I am most worried that it will skip so much that it won't even work, but I have no cassettes any longer, and a rather large CD collection. Any comments?

 

[Anonymous]

my only experience with music while riding was when I tried to use a cd player. it was a auto style platform for a portable cd player.I had headphones. the platform was spring loaded for shock absorbtion. it worked realy good.... IN A CAR OR TRUCK..... :? on the bike it simply skipped until it shut off. My brother says he has good results keeping the cd walkman in his backpack while riding. I suspect that you will not have good luck with a rigidly mounted player or even a cusioned one. Maybe there is a player available that would work in this situation but I am not aware of any. perhaps some1 else has. Maybe a player from a late model Goldwing or something like that (if they are offered on bikes) would be better to adapt to your application.

Pete

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

I have been working on putting Cycle sound system on my GS850 today. thought aboul CD figured that bike would have too much vibration so I installed am/fm/cassett. just have to do wiring and it's done So I will copy my CD's to tape and use them that way. Other wise get a CD player with the longest sample rate you can find 90 seconds?? if you want to try.

 

[Anonymous]

AN MP3 Player would be good for bike use.

 

[Anonymous]

I've seen a new Honda Goldwing and a Yamaha, venture both with CD players installed in the back trunk. But these are big impressive, structures with plenty of padding for vibration absorbsion. Maybe you can think about adding a trunk and doing the same.
GY

 

[Anonymous]

The MP3 player is a good idea!

 

[Anonymous]

The MP3 player is a good idea!

Yes it is.....I ride with head-phone buds.........sometimes

 

[Anonymous]

I took a pair of old Sony headphones and Velcro'd them inside my helmet and then ran a 1/8" stereo jack beween the pads so that just under the left side of my helmet was a jack to plug a stereo plug into. Then I used a tank bag with my portable CD player, and just had enough cushion around it to keep it from skipping. Worked great. I'm sort of into my music, so the thought of a 2800 mile trip (which I did in 1991) with no music was not a pleasant thought.

Most new CD players for cars have buffering built in that minimize skips. The music is actually playing ahead of what you actually hear, so if it detects a skip it discards that signal and buffers it out. Look for a CD player that has the greatest skip control and you should be good -- unless this is on your dirt bike or something. Pick up a Crutchfield catalog and you'll learn all you need to know. Their prices are not the best, but their catalogs are very helpful.

Cheers,

Roger Moore

 

[Anonymous]

I've thought about running a CD player sitting on a gel pad to give it some clear air. The pad I have in mind is a hot/cold injury gel pack about 4 by 6 inches. The stuff should should give good damping effect sitting on/in a tank bag. A couple of bits of velcro should hold everything in place.

I thought of the gel when I was driving with a portable CD player with no read ahead and it kept skipping until I sat it across my knees. Thigh muscle must be just the right consistency for this kind of thing. I figured those gel pads were about the closest stuff around.

Kim

 

[Philly_Chris]

CD based players(even if they are reading MP3 discs) are likely to be troubled by the constant (or semi constant, for those of you with good roads) vibrations on a motorcycle. The read ahead buffer, no matter how many seconds it is, will be affected if the assaults on it are constant. They are made to accomodate isolated shocks, not persistent ones.

That said, it might be worth a try to see what kind of results you get by bringing a walkman type Cd player out and testing it, as opposed to buying a dash type one and finding out it doesn't work.
A solid state flash based MP3 player would be ideal, if they weren't so hindered by limited/expensive storage.....

I'd love to have music with me as well, but I'm too inexperienced and paranoid to add any distractions to the equation yet. I'll have to stick to the "singing" of my engine...

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with mr.philly in regard to blocking out traffic noise. It's likely illegal (as it is with cars) to have headphones on ona motorcycle. The helmet blocks already so much noise (or creates more depending on the areodynamics of it all), so having a stereo blasting above this isn't safe I'm sure.

That said, I only used mine during a long road trip down the WA,OR,CA coast 10 years ago and haven't used it since. It's still in my helmet though, and if I take a 3 hour plus trip I'll probably use it again.

A word of wisdom... If you're a newbie on a bike... the first law to remember... NEVER GET TO CONFIDENT! I see crazed motorcycle folk riding through traffic like they're invulnerable. But remember, as good as you are on a bike -- you're still invisible to 80% of the drivers in cars. Heck, just yesterday I was going through a 4 way stop and some lady in her big SUV just took off cross from me and if I hadn't seen her out of the corner of my eye -- and heard her engine -- there'd have been another GS at Bent Bike.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure that most states, if not all, allow for helmet mounted speaker(s) used in an intercom situation only. Hey Roger Moore, how is it up there in Sea WA. I'm on my way in that direction pretty soon after 20 years in the USAF. Whoooooooo Hoooooooooo, goodbye caliFRUITYfornia and hello washSANEton.