Anyone that’s ever ridden a motorcycle will tell you how loud they get. And while you’re roaring down the freeway, it’s pretty tough to hear what the passengers have to say. The art of motorcycle conversation is a tough one to master and unless you’re willing to spend hours practicing getting your head tilt just right to shout in the other person’s ear, you used to have to wait until traffic lights to say your piece. With the SMH10D-01’s, that need is eliminated. These headsets will help you communicate with one another while eliminating outside noise and being able to hear your partner as clear as if you were standing still.
EverydayGuide Rundown
Price: $289
Buy SMH10D-01 Bluetooth Headset/Intercom System
Good
- Voice recognition/button to talk
- Communicate to other bikes
- Cell phone connectivity
Bad
- Battery life
- Not suited for all helmets
Take the Chopper Out
The most inconvenient part about most Bluetooth headsets is that they have these tiny buttons on the headset itself that you have to push to talk. With these, you simply press a very large button on the end of the headset cord to talk. It’s much easier than trying to reach into your helmet while you’re driving. Or if that doesn’t suit your fancy, there’s always the voice recognition option that lets you preprogram voice commands on the headset for use later on.
Following the ease of use to talk, these headsets are not only great for communicating with your passenger, they’re also really handy for communicating to other bikes. Give one of these to your friend while you ride and you’ll be able to talk across the street. Over the roar of a motorcycle engine, it’s tough to actually hear what other people are saying short of shouting over at each other. With these Bluetooth headsets, you can easily communicate without straining your voice or your ears.
If you’re feeling really daring, this headset will connect to most cellphones. We’re unsure of how well the communication is over cell phones, but these headsets are no different than standard Bluetooth headsets and should work just fine. The volume may be an issue when talking to someone, but if you’re desperate to make a phone call while you’re enjoying the open skies, this headset will work just fine.
Go Deaf While Riding
The battery life on these things isn’t too great. Chances are you’ll have to recharge them after every ride or two. The charge usually lasts anywhere between four and six hours, but if you’re an avid rider, that’s only two or three trips. They’re not too difficult to charge as you can just plug them into the wall, but a charger to plug into the bike would have been a huge plus. Oh well, maybe next model.
Also on these headsets, you’re limited to what type of helmet you can use. The reason these work so well most of the time is because you can block out excess noise through the use of a helmet. The full size face helmets protect against wind noise and keep the wind from hitting the microphone on this headset. For those of you that where smaller helmets or no helmet at all, you may have trouble hearing and communicating with this device. It’s no miracle worker, but if you have a proper helmet you’ll be able to have great conversations bike to bike.