Motorcycle Stereo?

[BrainBucket]

I had an old 77 CB750, a while back. It came to me with hardbags, and a Windjammer head, with a radio slot. I decided to put a 140 watt MP3-CD head in, and replaced the dinky 3 inch speakers with the best same sized as I could (pointless, never heard them, anyway), wired to the fronts, and I straight wired a headphone jack to the rears. Now since small headphones are supposed to take like 1/4 watt, giving them like 45 watts on each channel is ususally fatal, within a minute or two. I went through lots of different kinds, exept one: The ugly $9 RCA's I got from WallyWorld, the ones I ID by the stupid colored inserts that go on the sides, they came with 3 different colors of them, in the package.
I wore out 4 pairs of those, but just the padding, usually, from jamming them up under my helmet, and other abuses, but I never blew those, ever. And always at volumes that allthough weren't max, well, hurt my head. And they sounded crystal-clear as loud as I could bear.
I think although I might amplify the signal and use an ipod, instead, next time, but those cheap RCA's are all I'll ever use. And they were twice as loud as all the others (plugged into anything), too.
Go figure.

 

[ohgoodtimes]

noise canceling headphones.

noise canceling headphones.

I recently purchased a pair of these from walmart for $35. Compared to the couple hundred you would spend on bose's these were a steal. you may think that these would be dangerous, but in reality i think they make things better. They were designed to cancel out the sound made by aircraft, similar to the wind noise you hear in a helmet. I took mine broke the plastic down careful not to tear any of the fabric because i sewed it into the helmet. The noise canceling device is battery powered and an ipod can run the drives loud enough to make you ears bleed. even without music i was better able to hear other cars, sirens, and the bike itself. Just a thought.

 

[QuaiChangKane]

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/ProductInfo.aspx?ID=2057
(Typically $100 at Costco, plus takes a microSD expansion card)

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/3D-Bass-Helmet-Speakers-p-18966.html

(Actually can handle some real input power)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Biosciencegeek-...oryZ3281QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

(Or any other CMOY amplifier - you can actually buy the parts to build one yourself using an Altoids tin. Make sure you get one like the one listed that takes an external power supply, and you can actually hard-wire it to your bike's power supply and leave it permanently attached to your bike. Most CMOY amps can tolerate a wide range of input voltage, say 5v-15vdc depending on the quality of their components.)

With the right setup and a full-faced lid, you can push enough power through your helmet speakers that you can wear earplugs to kill the wind noise and still enjoy even the slightest nuances of your music.

If your local vehicle code allows (mine doesn't), I'd recommend a good set of noise-cancelling earphones like the ones made by Sure, Etymotic, or even these -
http://cgi.ebay.com/V-Moda-Bass-Fre...yZ111695QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I still have issues with the fact that it's legal for deaf people to drive (no dig against the deaf), legal for kids to drive around with their 10KW sound systems turned up to "11", legal to wear 33db earplugs while riding, and legal to talk on the phone while driving - but not legal to wear headphones while driving and/or riding (even bicycles).

I can guarantee that I can still hear emergency vehicles and other traffic with earphones in (hypothetically), which is all that matters for the road safety of myself and other road users.

But what can you do? Before January of 2006, it was illegal to ride with earplugs in CA unless they were Audiologist custom-fit earplugs - until some lobbyist finally convinced the DMV that poor people suffered hearing loss, too....:shock:


Go with the helmet speakers/CMOY/media player route - it's far more flexible for use off the bike than a fixed stereo, easier to share with a passenger, has far better sound quality, and won't annoy other motorists in traffic.


-Q!