Felton1

Headin' to Deals Gap at the end of the month. The girlfriend will be riding too and I've been putting some heavy thought into investing in a chatterbox system. Ive done a bit of research on them and realize that I can get bluetooth capability and all the bells and whistles if I want...Not sure which route to go or if theyre even worth it?? I'm leaning toward a cheaper version if anything (I dont know that I'll use/need to the bluetooth functions)

What do ya think??

residentg

Proably not what you were looking for, but when I ride, I do not want to talk to anybody. JB

amazin

I have the X2 version. I hook up my MP3 player which is nice while rideing the twisties. Plus I have a passenger headset for the wife. They work out good. At highway speeds mine gets ALOT of wind noise. still I like them but I would not pay new prices for them. Try and find a used one. Good luck

Grizz

Take a look at the interphone F-4 from Blue Ant Wireless!!http://www.myblueant.com/products/he...e/f4/index.php

I too wanted an intercom system to ride with and researched ALLOT before settling on the F-4. You can pair it with 8 bluetooth devices including 2 cellphones at the same time. It has a stereo headset and is speed rated to 130.

I was riding the other day talking to a friend who did not believe me when I told him that I was on my bike. Most times, when listening to music I have to turn the volume down. Best pat is that, with the flat mike kit for full face helmets it only cost 280.00 shipped

Dan Cronin

I use the Chatterbox XBi2 with full face helmets so the wife and I can talk when riding. It works pretty good around town and at speeds up to 45-50 mph.
It definately makes the ride better for her as she would be "prepared" for a turn or big bumps in the rode. lol

You get a little echo that takes some getting used to and as stated above at freeway speeds you pick up quite a bit of wind nosie from the mike. I put a small piece of cloth over the mike face to knock down the nosie like you would for a camcorder mike. It helped a little but they're a pretty cheap mike.

As I can't imagine you'll be going too fast through the DG with her on the back so it'll probably be a decent choice. Not worth the money if you are going to do alot of highway riding while talking.

Good luck.

Dan Cronin

Way early to be writing this stuff. Substitute mic for mike. lol

Dan Cronin

Just wanted to follow up on the Chatterbox XBi2 after using it for the summer. If your thing is riding < 45 mph they are OK. Above that the mic seems to capture too much wind noise though the foam wind screen helps a little. The mic is fairly large and needs to be placed right in front of your mouth inside the helmet. If the space between the chin guard on your helmet and your face is < 1/2" you'll probably find it too tight a fit.

As for range and function I've only used them with myself and a passenger. They are quick to link up to another unit and as stated above below highway speed the adio is OK (not great, OK). They are aalso a bit limited in that your unit can pair with just 2 other helmets which is a bit awkward if there are 4 people on 2 bikes.

I use the full face model though after calling tech support I found I would have been better ordering the open face model as it comes with the boom mic. The boom mic would have fit a full face helmet and allowed me to swing the mic out of the way when putting the helmet on/off. The full face mic uses sticky backed Velcro to fix the mic to the inside front of the helmet. On hot or humid days the mic tends to slide off the helmet which is a pita. You know immediately when the tape holding someones mic has come off because they mic starts transmitting LOTS of wind noise as it swings in the breeze.

That said, the company was nice to work with and they sent me a set of foam mic covers and more sticky Velcro when I asked for them. Its an OK product. Sorry I don't have more experience with competing units but suspect others can weigh in. Again, not a bad product but it could use a bit more refinement for the money.

trinc

i like my chatterbox, our group uses push to talk function only so we cut down on stray mic keys.

i have the noise reduction headset and wear ear plugs & i can hear at highway speeds, although it can get tough to hear clearly at speed.

they are best for keeping groups together, change of routes, finding lost riders, popo warnings etc.

a couple of people have autocom and like them better.

tim

cwlucky13

i got the x1 bt, works great, i have a bt adapter on my ipod so i can listen to it, also when we get really big group rides we all get on same channel and have sweepers in the pack to keep everybody together after red lights and stuff, also have the extra headset for the wife, at high speeds you need to use the push to talk so it doesnt keep going on with wind noise