Motorcycle stereo?

[Pillage]

I rode a friend's Harley and it had a great stereo. I commute 80 miles a day and I really want a stereo. I've used ear buds and installed speakers in my helmet, but it's just not the same.
So I'm going to install a car stereo in a tank bag or spend the cash for some handlebar mounted speakers and connect it to an Ipod or MP3 Player.
Has anyone here done either of these to their bike?

[banditone1250s]

  I have XM Radio on my Bandit and I use Bose Ear Buds and they work great. They are very small and they kick too. I like them very much...banditone1250s...

  There is a thin line between fear and respect...Feel free to drift across it every now and then...

[B6mick]

I rode a friend's Harley and it had a great stereo. I commute 80 miles a day and I really want a stereo. I've used ear buds and installed speakers in my helmet, but it's just not the same.
So I'm going to install a car stereo in a tank bag or spend the cash for some handlebar mounted speakers and connect it to an Ipod or MP3 Player.
Has anyone here done either of these to their bike?

I did the car stereo in the tank bag in the late 70's, high quailty headphones in the helmet trick too. But it just freaked me out, having my head wired to the bike. One step off at high speed, one broken neck coming up. (I kinda of had a reputation in those days. They nick named me whatostepoff. I think I was trying to break more bones than Barry Sheene)

Still listen to tunes mind you but with an Ipod in my jacket and those you bute noise cancelling ear buds. Some of our interstate trips on the major Hwy's can become just a tad boring, tunes helps me, stay out of the boredom zone out.

[PaulVS]

In a quest for a wire-free stereo... I've recently I've been eyeing some of the bluetooth headphones for Ipods.  There's a small bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack of the Ipod.
 Ideally, I'd like to find headphones that could fit stay in the helmet to make things really easy.

(Of course the headphones would have to be removeable to re-charge the battery.)

[Pillage]

I think I might have found what I've been looking for...

Jensen JHD910 Heavy-Duty Waterproof Mini AM/FM/WB Stereo with Audio Aux-in
 


Jensen JXHD35 Heavy Duty 3.5" Mini Weatherproof Speakers


ASA/Jansen Introduces Unique Mini Waterproof Stereo
By Press Release

Posted: Dec 4, 2006


ELKHART, IN (November 20, 2006)—As they say, great things come in small packages, and the new stereo by JENSEN® is no exception. ASA, manufacturer and supplier of JENSEN® Heavy Duty electronics, welcomes a very unique stereo to their audio product lineup. ASA is pleased to introduce the brand new JENSEN® JHD910 Mini Weatherproof AM/FM/WB Stereo! This one-of-a-kind stereo has exclusive and upgraded features ideal for all heavy duty and off-highway applications.

The JENSEN® JHD910 Stereo is equipped with an electronic US/Euro AM/FM tuner with programmable station presets that allow the user to listen to favorite radio stations while out on the job or having fun. The front panel is cleverly designed with a front audio Aux-In which also enables the user to listen to music through an iPod®, an MP3 player, or a portable CD player. Eliminating features such as a cassette or CD player reduces the potential of warranty failures and increases the durability of the stereo.

The JHD910 functions on 12VDC power, so no batteries are required. The stereo's 2 wire power connection allows the unit to maintain station presets. The unit's clock will also run up to 30 days if the vehicle battery is disconnected. The JHD910 is completely waterproof and locks out moisture, dirt, and grime. This allows the JHD910 to withstand even the harshest weather conditions and work environments.

The new JENSEN® stereo also offers a 7-channel NOAA Weatherband tuner so that drivers can be up-to-date on the latest weather conditions. The NOAA feature also functions in Weather Alert mode and will turn on automatically when inclement weather is on the horizon. The faceplate is corrosion and UV resistant, has a built in Jobsite Work Timer, and has backlit controls with selectable amber or green illumination. The display is also daylight readable and has a wide viewing angle. Other features include a ¼ headphone jack, 2-channel stereo speaker output, and one-touch audio mute. Dimensions are only 5-3/16W x 3-3/8H x 1-7/8D.

The JENSEN® JHD910 will be available to the industry in December 2006.

[Russtang]

In a quest for a wire-free stereo... I've recently I've been eyeing some of the bluetooth headphones for Ipods.  There's a small bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack of the Ipod.
 Ideally, I'd like to find headphones that could fit stay in the helmet to make things really easy.

(Of course the headphones would have to be removeable to re-charge the battery.)

Paul,

I was looking for a wireless speaker solution for my ipod too, but nothing out there that I could find did what I wanted.   I wanted it to be small (no big plastic scab taped to the side of my helmet, thank you) and cheap.  I got one of these off ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/LOGITECH-BLUETOOTH-WIRELESS-HEADPHONES-FOR-APPLE-iPOD_W0QQitemZ320217408977QQihZ011QQcategoryZ111693QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I gutted it, removed the speakers, and hardwired in a headphone jack.  I also wired in a reed switch for the on/off button, and power the receiver up with a small magnet.  The pc board and battery are slim enough to slip in between my cheek pad and styrofoam inside the helmet.  I use earbud headphones which help block out the road noise as well.

If you're handy with a soldering iron, it's a cheaper/smaller alternative to the options I've seen out there.

[PaulVS]

In a quest for a wire-free stereo... I've recently I've been eyeing some of the bluetooth headphones for Ipods.  There's a small bluetooth transmitter that plugs into the headphone jack of the Ipod.
 Ideally, I'd like to find headphones that could fit stay in the helmet to make things really easy.

(Of course the headphones would have to be removeable to re-charge the battery.)

Paul,

I was looking for a wireless speaker solution for my ipod too, but nothing out there that I could find did what I wanted.   I wanted it to be small (no big plastic scab taped to the side of my helmet, thank you) and cheap.  I got one of these off ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/LOGITECH-BLUETOOTH-WIRELESS-HEADPHONES-FOR-APPLE-iPOD_W0QQitemZ320217408977QQihZ011QQcategoryZ111693QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I gutted it, removed the speakers, and hardwired in a headphone jack.  I also wired in a reed switch for the on/off button, and power the receiver up with a small magnet.  The pc board and battery are slim enough to slip in between my cheek pad and styrofoam inside the helmet.  I use earbud headphones which help block out the road noise as well.

If you're handy with a soldering iron, it's a cheaper/smaller alternative to the options I've seen out there.

That sounds like what I'm looking for.  So are you using the bluetooth connection or did you hardwire it?  I'm not sure I understand the set up. 

[Russtang]

That sounds like what I'm looking for.  So are you using the bluetooth connection or did you hardwire it?  I'm not sure I understand the set up. 

Wireless.  I've got my headphones plugged into the receiver board.  This board used to be in the big headphone assembly, but I cut out the speakers and added a headphone jack for my earbuds.  It's got a battery pack for power.  I've installed this receiver module inside my helmet.

The package comes with a separate transmitter module (also battery powered) that plugs into the ipod.  I've got the ipod/transmitter mounted to my tank where I can adjust volume, change tracks, etc.

Soooo, there is no physical wiring between my helmet and anything else.  And it's not obvious that I've got any kind of wireless receiver, headphones, etc.

I can take a few pics if you're interested...

[PaulVS]

I can take a few pics if you're interested...

Pics would be superb for a impaired visual learner like myself... if you get time, I'd appreciate it. 

[txbanditrydr]

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Paul... fixed the quotes for ya. 

[Russtang]

Pics would be superb for a impaired visual learner like myself... if you get time, I'd appreciate it. 

Sorry, never got the notification you responded...I'll try and find some time to whip out the camera tonite and take some pics for ya Paul.

Russ

[Russtang]

OK, took a few pics.  The first one is a shot of the player mounted to my tank.  The bluetooth transmitter is designed to plug into an ipod, but plugs into my zune just fine (after I cut off the ipod remote plug part).  It contains it's own battery for transmitting.  The mount is some cheapo ebay $5 cellphone holder with a double-sided tape mount.



The second pic is the top of the pcboard.  I removed it from the headphones and removed the speaker wiring.  I soldered in a magnetic reed switch (in kapton tape in upper right) in parallel to the power/play/pause button so I can power the receiver on/off with a magnet with it in my helmet.



This is the backside of the PCB.  You can see the headphone jack (in kapton tape) taped to the battery (the black thing) in the upper right corner.  I shortened the battery leads since they ran all the way over to the other speaker housing.  The battery is just superglued to the pcboard.



The entire pcb/battery assembly just slips in between the helmet and cheek pad.  I've got earbud speakers plugged in to the jack, so the receiver/battery/headphones are completely contained in my helmet.  No reception problems at all...not surprising since it's only transmitting a few feet.   And sound quality is great.

I don't know what battery life is, since I charge the Zune/transmitter/receiver at the same time, and the zune is the limiting factor at around 6 hours.  All in all, the best $30 I've spent on the bike so far!

Russ

[PaulVS]

Wow... nice work.  Thanks for the pics!   

I think I'll see if I can pic up a set of the bluetooth headphones & Ipod transmitter.

 

[Red01]

I was just reading about the Honda VTX1300T in Motorcycle Consumer News (their first color edition ) and one of the optional accessories the bike had was Honda's Digital Audio System. This setup puts a control unit just above the left switchgear housing and a stereo speaker that attaches to the handlebar.  MCN really liked the setup and figures it should adapt to many other bikes.  It's one way to not have to deal with wiring the helmet for sound and/or rig up a Bluetooth.  At $400 for the unit (which doesn't include the mounting bracketry - sold separately for an additional $100!), it's not exactly a cheap solution though.



Just thought I'd throw it out there as another idea/option for those wanting to ride to the sound of music.

[snofrog]

fyi www. aerostitch.com carries helmet speakers that just rock