Motorcycle Radio

Ted

Ted

The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
30,006
Display Name
Display name:
iFlyNothing
For the motorcyclists out there...

So, my Harley has a pretty good stereo on it. It's basic by today's standards (AM/FM/CD/aux input), but it's good quality. I've spent a good amount of time riding, and for a lot of my riding time I would have music on an iPod or the like going to ear buds, or the stereo on my Harley.

But this season, I just haven't wanted any of that. So the radio stays off, and I just enjoy the peace and serenity of the ride and the sound of the V-twin thumping away.

Granted, the exhaust note of the Harley is a lot nicer than the sound of, say, the FJR 1300 I had/rode for a while. That thing had the exhaust note of a dishwasher, and while it was fun it had no soul from an engine perspective. It was a sewing machine that just ran. And certainly in my riding history I didn't always have music on, but I usually had something. Now, I just don't, and have no desire to.

Maybe it's just a function of getting older and busier, and enjoying the ride as much for the disconnect from the rest of the world as anything else, but I just have no desire to have any sound but the rumble of the engine anymore.

How about the other riders?
 
I wear earplugs when I ride to begin with. I used to use a set of Etymotics noise isolating earphones plugged in to small, portable Sangean digital AM/FM radio which I kept in my jacket pocket. I could cycle through the presents by pushing button through the jacket. Worked out pretty well, until I was out of the range of my present stations.
 
There is probably some console tunable bluetooth earbud solution out there too.
 
Alright thinking of getting a bike. What would y'all recommend for cruising back roads and such? Like to get a HD but I'd consider Japanese bikes. V Twin I like the looks of.

PM me if you prefer.
 
mscard88 said:
Alright thinking of getting a bike. What would y'all recommend for cruising back roads and such? Like to get a HD but I'd consider Japanese bikes. V Twin I like the looks of.

PM me if you prefer.
Click to expand...

Looks get old. Ride a few before settling in on one.
 
I've had quite a few bikes, but until I got me (current) Street Glide I never had a radio. Never thought I would want one, but I will admit, it's been kinda nice to have most of the time. But, like you, I do like to turn it off and listen to the 'real' music of the bike!
 
JCranford, you just made the cool kid list! LOL I also have a '14 Street Glide Special. I love having the music on while riding. Helps me enjoy it more I think.

David
 
mscard88 said:
Been thinking about a Street Glide. What ya like about it, and not?
Click to expand...
I like the fact that it has an aggressive yet clean/minimalist style and still has all the touring bells and whistles. Fully customizable so you can go all chrome or back it out all the way
 
Love my Glide. Comfortable even with my minimalist solo seat, fast (enough), can tour or cruise, dress it up or down. Probably tied for the best bike I've owned. And the *other* bike was. Kawasaki ZX12R. THAT thing was a BEAST!
 
What's the difference between touring and cruising? Seems like the same thing.
 
My current ride is a Road Glide, and before that I rode Gold Wings since the late 80s. The last couple years, I have used the stereo less and less. I'm on the second day of a 10 day trip and so far had the radio on for about half an hour yesterday. Around town at home (I ride 320+ days a year), I never have the radio on.
 
mscard88 said:
What's the difference between touring and cruising? Seems like the same thing.
Click to expand...
It starts with seating position and looks, then you deal with features. Touring will have more.

Cruiser it like riding in a racing seat, touring is like riding on a couch. LOL
 
flhrci said:
It starts with seating position and looks, then you deal with features. Touring will have more.

Cruiser it like riding in a racing seat, touring is like riding on a couch. LOL
Click to expand...

Well I gots a big arse, so I definitely want a comfy seat, but will be riding mainly back roads.
 
I'm on a Ducati MultiStrada. It's Italian and therefore better and red, therefore faster.

Can't get a radio solution at all for it. I commute by myself and the weekends are two up, so the electronic suspension is great. Choose number of riders and bags and it auto adjusts the suspension the compensate.

My wife like to talk. A lot. We have SENA headsets the BT each of our phones individually to the headset, serve as an ICS with or without a hit mic, and can receive FM radio or tunes from the phone music player.

By myself, I listen to my normal morning radio on the way to work and I don't answer the phone if it rings. Together, we usually chat about the ride. After the first couple of hours, she puts in music or an audio book and I have no idea what she hears.

Oh, I wear earplugs like Sac. All the time. They cut out most of the noise that's not generated in the helmet. The headset can be clearly heard even with the earplugs.
 
As an FJR owner I love the quiet turbine like power and speed. I've never understood liking chug chug motors, but each to his own.

My quite motor lets me hear music and audio books via my Sena, which I do about a third of the time.
 
I used to listen to music on the bike a lot. I stopped when I worried about my hearing; I had to play it at max volume to hear it over the noise.

Once I was riding down Interstate 40 in North Carolina, hit a bump and my Sony Discman fell out of the tank bag and skidded along the highway next to me. I pulled over quick like Flash Gordon, but before I could get to it, a semi rolled over it. Thought it was a goner for sure, but the semi missed it. I picked up the Discman, hit play and carried on my way.
 
I wear in-ear headphones connected to iPhone. Music, direction, radar. Also drastic cut of wind noise without need for high volume
 
Just got a 2015 Bonneville that I love. It handles well, is comfortable for distance, and love the sound of the engine. I wear earplugs on the highway, but not on backcountry roads. Can get awesome deals on the 15 leftovers.
 
I got my motorcycle endorsement last fall, then promptly bought a 2016 Vespa GTV 300 ABS scooter, which has thus far fulfilled all my needs. It's great around town for running errands and hauling loads of groceries or whatever and stout enough for travel - it'll cruise at 70-80 mph down the highway, depending on wind and road conditions. A friend has a couple of HDs. I tried them out and decided those things aren't for me. I figure if I ever get more serious about using a bike for longer distance traveling, maybe I'll get a Suzuki Burgman or a Piaggio MP3 500.
 
mscard88 said:
Alright thinking of getting a bike. What would y'all recommend for cruising back roads and such? Like to get a HD but I'd consider Japanese bikes. V Twin I like the looks of.

PM me if you prefer.
Click to expand...
I can no longer recommend motorcycles to anyone. Way too many cages are too busy staring at their screens. I can stay somewhat safe due to the speed and maneuverability of my sport bike and my near superhuman radar sense. There has never been a Harley built that could deliver its rider from the peril I face daily.
 
mscard88 said:
Alright thinking of getting a bike. What would y'all recommend for cruising back roads and such? Like to get a HD but I'd consider Japanese bikes. V Twin I like the looks of.

PM me if you prefer.
Click to expand...

Having owned V-twins (both sport bike and cruisers/tourers) and in-line 4-cylinders, I prefer the visceral sensation of the V-twin. The 4-cylinders tend to be more like sewing machines. Very reliable and better from an engineering perspective, but the V-twins are also a nice layout for a motorcycle. I've owned a couple V-4 (Honda Interceptor and Yamaha V-Max) and those were fun engines, although the V-Max had the worst suspension and brakes of any bike I've ever ridden. Scratch that, second worst - the worst was the Yamaha Stratoliner.

If you're going to go V-Twin and not a sportbike, get a Harley. I've owned and ridden Japanese V-twins (owned a VTX 1800, RC51, TL1000, ridden a VStar 650 and a few others). The Japanese V-twin sportbikes are awesome. But the cruisers are lackluster. They just don't feel "right." The Harley has a real V-twin feel and sound, and in my opinion they're much nicer to ride. My VTX 1800 was stupidly top heavy which made low speed handling annoying. This seems common on big Jap bikes. The Harleys have a much lower CG, which is much nicer in my opinion.

Steingar is correct that they don't handle great, so that's worthy of consideration. But unlike the sport bikes that I wasn't happy going under 90 on, the Harleys I'm just as happy going 45 as I am going 85. We've got a Street Glide and an Ultra Classic (wife's is the Street Glide). Both great bikes, love them. Every now and then I think about another sportbike, but really I like the bikes we have. The Ultra Classic is great for riding to work. Room for my backpack and lunch box in the tour pack, room for most normal errands I may run (including small grocery runs), comfy, cruise control, etc. Besides, it's flat here, not like I'm going to have twisties to enjoy.

Now if you want a 4-cylinder bike, there are plenty of great Japanese options, and that's another story for which I have different opinions. :)
 
mscard88 said:
Alright thinking of getting a bike. What would y'all recommend for cruising back roads and such? Like to get a HD but I'd consider Japanese bikes. V Twin I like the looks of.

PM me if you prefer.
Click to expand...
I think I'd go VMax out of all the American/Japanese cruisers. It's a V4. I'm more of a naked bike fan.... KTM Duke, FZ-09, Speed Triple, Monster, MV Agusta Brutale (Freaking gorgeous bike, but they don't sell them in the US :()
 
I currently ride a Yamaha Stratoliner. Metric cruisers are ok for the average rider, and the Strat handles two up pretty well. And they are a whole lot cheaper than Harley's and since we all know Pilots are cheap, no idea why you would want to spend any more money:eek:. The only wish would be a 6 speed transmission. Oh and no music of any kind. Kinda want to hear that car before the distracted driver, texting, talking or playing with something else, swerves into my lane.
 
JimNtexas said:
As an FJR owner I love the quiet turbine like power and speed. I've never understood liking chug chug motors, but each to his own.

My quite motor lets me hear music and audio books via my Sena, which I do about a third of the time.
Click to expand...

Another happy Yamaha FJR1300 owner here. I've owned over 20 bikes since the year 2000 & this is my second FJR. There's a reason.
 
One bike with no radio (VStar) and one with (Street Glide)....depends on my mood

I ride two-up basically all the time. The VStar is lighter and more nimble, low center of gravity and I can throw it through the corners. The Street Glide is better balanced and doesnt feel nearly as heavy as it is, through parking lot speeds can be a handful. It corners great too (never ridden a sportbike, only cruisers...but my riding style can be "spirited").

The SG is great for cruising since it has windscreen, fairing, 6 speed, footboards, highway pegs, radio, nav, cruise, storage, fuel gauge, thermometer, dealer support every 5 miles (make your jokes about that)...

The VStar is great to get back to basics with since it has.....a speedometer
 
Last edited:
Was jamming out to REO Speed Wagon during these maneuvers with sennheiser headphones/intercom. With the helmet acoustics it's just like being at the met. I've had many bikes that each have their own unique sound, and do enjoy riding with just the sound of the bike engine purring along. But for the most part I usually have some tunes playing.



 
'12 Goldwing. The 6 cylinder motor is very smooth and quiet. Radio about 75% of the time. SENA 20 if 2 up or in a group. Most of the Harleys have a vibration running through that you cannot see through the mirrors. The Indian Roadmaster is pretty smooth for v twin. The Yamaha Roadster is a 4 cylinder, comfortable tour machine. Never tried a Victory but I suspect it is lIke the Indian, except end of life now that polaris pulled the plug.
Touring usually have room for about 40 to 50 pounds of gear, with side bags and a top bag. Cruisers have room for about half that. If you get a Triumph Rocket, 3 cylinder inline, you get nothing. You can always buy a naked bike and add saddlebags as needed.
The gross vehicle weight might also be a consideration but since you're not leaving the runway, over gross won't necessarily kill you. The GW has a 412 max pax and cargo. Never checked the others but they probably aren't much different.
 
azblackbird said:
Was jamming out to REO Speed Wagon during these maneuvers with sennheiser headphones/intercom. With the helmet acoustics it's just like being at the met. I've had many bikes that each have their own unique sound, and do enjoy riding with just the sound of the bike engine purring along. But for the most part I usually have some tunes playing.

Click to expand...
Sounded like you ground off most of your footboards. LOL When I do that while riding, it makes me cringe. Might as well pull fingernails down a chalkboard. LOL Good skills though!

David
 
My buddy and I bought one of the Bluetooth headsets (Scala Rider, not sure model) and they work well with both communicating with each other while we're riding, and for streaming directions, music, and even phone calls (though it's usually me just yelling at the wife that I'll call her back when I get where I'm going).

I also always have earplugs in, and always wear a full faced helmet (laid down once and the only part of my helmet with significant damage was the part right in front of my jaw... Reckon my jaw would have escaped unharmed wearing a skid lid?)

As far as what bike I'd recommend... Whatever tickles your nether regions. I currently have an 06 zx6 with a few go fast goodies and a hard tail, foot clutch xs650 Yamaha from the 70's that's got a piece of steel for a seat (but it's got 3" springs under the seat... So it rides like a dream!) Have previously had various cruisers and sport bikes and I think my next purchase will be in the supermoto/dual sport/adventure bike arena.

I've never cared for Harley's mostly for their inflated price for old air cooled, lumpy running motors, but when I went to look for a bike to hard tail, if I'd found the right sporty, I'd have bought it no problem... But when I see prices on used ultra classics that would buy me the height of engineering and technology from either a Japanese or German makers' showroom floor, I just can't get behind it.

But that's the beautiful thing about having so many choices in brand, styles, etc... Something for everyone.
 
I don't think Ted was asking for opinions on bike sounds so I'll stay away from that one, except to say that part of the reason I bought my K1300S was because I thought the "sewing machine " turbine-like sound reflected something very modern.

Overall I agree - I do ride with full gear / helmet but rarely with earbuds. It's a nice cocoon to escape the assault of noise we get so much of. I like the rev of the bike, the wind noise, other ambient sounds you get on a bike. A radio can wash all that away. And I find I concentrate more on riding when I'm not listening to music.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ted
Bigger isn't always better. I've pushed mostly sportbikes my whole life but my last two have been sport tourers. My Kawasaki Concours C14 is a nuclear powered beast, but it's heavy, and top heavy. It handles well on twisty roads, but it's a real chore to deal with in the parking lot. My BMW 1200RT was, while similarly sized, about a hundred pounds lighter, and had a low CG, making it a non-issue to whip tight U turns. It wasn't quite as fast, but it was a lot more fun to ride.

But the most fun I have on a bike is on the Honda Wave scooter/motorcycle I ride in Vietnam. It can handle their 'back roads' (which can be quite bad) and you can tool around and make store runs with it. Can't tell you how many times it's ridden itself home from the bar.

HD cruisers aren't particularly challenging to handle despite their weight, but if I was to go for a V twin, today, I'd probably get something light like an SV650 (Suzuki). My neighbor recently replaced his Gold Wing with a Victory V-twin and loves it.
 
  • Owned 37 bikes so far.......if you want trouble free go with Yam......FJR is like sitting on the nose of a cruise missile
 
mscard88 said:
Alright thinking of getting a bike. What would y'all recommend for cruising back roads and such? Like to get a HD but I'd consider Japanese bikes. V Twin I like the looks of.

PM me if you prefer.
Click to expand...

What a coinky dink. My wife and I just came in from a 3 hour ride on the DL-1000.
I come from a family of Harley owners. Last time I bothered counting we had over 80 of them in the family.
I don't do Harleys. I don't ride them, I don't like them, never have liked them, even when I owned one. Couldn't wait to get rid of it.

I like reliable, fast/techno bikes, I ride Suzukis. A DL-1000, VS-1400, GSX1300R (Hayabusa), SV650S are currently parked in the garage.
I race Honda 250cc and 400 cc Thumpers. (Enduro). Those are upstate in the garage.
They all go fast and handle well.
My wife loves the DL-1000 because it's the most comfortable for 2 up. For cruising the main drag and local events she likes the VS-1400. The SV is not comfortable for 2 up, so no dice.
She won't go near the Busa. She wishes I wouldn't go near the Busa. The Busa is overkill in every possible category. The Busa is probably the bike that is going to kill me.
I don't know if the wife is a consideration for you, just something for you to consider.

Just my humble opinion
 
Damn Shep. Never been called a "coinky dink", WTF that is. Nah she said she wont be getting on a bike with me the way I drive 4 wheeled vehicles. Guess it was that Honda ride back in the 70s. Funny how wives remember that shet. :rofl:
 
Don't care for most of the Harley's, never have. Lots of gas burned to make noise/vibration compared with other bikes. They're all heavy as hell, too, which is fine for a cruiser/tourer when the road is rough or winds are blowing. Dad has a Stratoliner that is also heavy but carries the weight down low. Nice moderate rumble at startup/acceleration, but quiet rumble once you're tooling on down the road. Never noticed the brakes being inadequate, but it's not exactly the bike you go for a spirited ride on.

I am currently bike-less, but have been toying with the newer FJR models. I like the Ducati Diavel, too, but it wouldn't work for longer rides/2-up riding, same goes for the Yamaha VMax.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Look at Moto Guzzi- V twin but set in frame the right way. Shaft drives. Italian panache
 
If you really want to tour there is nothing, absolutely nothing that rivals a Goldwing. The opposed four or six is buttery smooth, the suspension is better than you find in a lot of cages, and the shaft drive will never break. The gas tank is false (and Erik Buell thought he'd invented that! Honda was doing it in the seventies) so the bikes aren't top heavy. And the vast majority were assembled in the United States. They suck for city riding, but nothing ground based does a better job of soaking up the miles.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top