Paralyzed by options

[dietDrThunder]

Ok, so for years now I've wanted to take advantage of modern technology to use a radar detector, GPS, and my phone (and maybe sat radio, but I don't _need_ it) into one smoothly integrated solution for touring. As anyone reading this forum knows, there are about 27 different ways to accomplish this. You can buy a GPS that has built-in MP3, XM, and Bluetooth, use a BT hub to connect it to your phone, and then a BT device on the helmet. Or, you can buy a BT hub, connect your various stuff all to it (sep. XM, GPS, MP3/phone etc). Or...etc. etc.

I have read roughly 927,522 pages of forum posts on this subject, and still have yet to figure out what works best. If it matters, I'd give up some ease of configuring it all on the front end, if I could get to a place where once it's put together, it's fast to get all connected while riding (like, I don't want to have to jerk around with it for 10 min at every gas stop). However, my biggest priority would be to have all of the devices connected. This would include a wired audio connection from my radar detector, my phone for voice and for MP3 playing, a GPS, and the ability to add XM later if I wanted to.

I know there are people here who have tried multiple iterations of the mobile nerd center on their bikes...maybe share some pros and cons, and your opinions about what setups are best these days?

Oh, and if it matters I'm about 99% sure I'm going to continue using noise isolating earphones...won't ever give up on isolating noise (earplugs all the time) and I hate listening to music through earplugs.

[Mastros2]

The Sena SMH10 has the earbud base so you can plug in your earbuds.  

I have the garmin 765t that has a mp3 player. I use this for directions and media and pair directly to the smh10. My cell pairs directly to the smh10.  If you have a favorite mp3 player, you can hook that to the smh10 base as well but you're looking at 2 wires now (including your earbuds).

My opinion, less wires. Get the smh10, use the earbuds base and find either a gps that plays mp3's or use your phone to play mp3's.  Make sure all are bluetooth compatible.

[sleazy rider]

Zumo 665 with XM radio, Sena SMH10, iPhone BT into Zumo.  I still havent figured out how to get the radar detector into the mix, so I got the Marc Parnes Alert for my Escort 8500.

[expatbrit]

SMH10, Zumo550, iphone4. Iphone and Zumo paired separately to give me AVCRP to the iPhone and voice control (though the last is ... rocky). A0304 base and ER6i earphones.

[dietDrThunder]

Ok so I'm getting that the SMH10 is a preferred solution. I see one person mentioned not being able to connect a radar detector, but then later there is a mention of a wired input. Can you use an aux-in for a radar detector's audio out?

Thanks!

[sleazy rider]

Ok so I'm getting that the SMH10 is a preferred solution. I see one person mentioned not being able to connect a radar detector, but then later there is a mention of a wired input. Can you use an aux-in for a radar detector's audio out?

Thanks!

Nope.

[iXXion]

Maybe I'm reading this the wrong way, but my Sena has an input jack intended for media that I plug my Escort into.  Unfortunately, it is lowest priority, so I'll only get an alert if nothing else is going on.  I've been looking for a way to make the detector priority one, but so far no dice.  Perhaps a bluetooth dongle and trying to pair it as HFP, but I haven't found the dongle I want yet.

Your RD output will be mono, so you'll need a mono to stereo adapter or you won't get much volume out of it.

[rhenriksen]

I'm in the same boat. Am planning a week+ road trip with friends, and would like to have some sort of inter-bike intercom solution (in addition to GPS/Music/phone).

I'd also like to stick with noise isolating earbuds, and FRS radios so that we don't all have to buy into the same manufacturer's proprietary bluetooth inter-bike communication protocol.

Looks like I need to get a mixer like Autocom's solution - allows you to plug a bunch of different inputs into their black box, then one output to your headset (either via hard wire or bluetooth). Still shopping around to get my head around all the options...

[miles]

I'll throw my 2 cents in on this one.  My preference is for as streamlined a setup as possible with as few wires as possible.  My choice is to use my phone for GPS, music, and of course, phone service.  A SENA headset bluetooth connection and it's all good.  This setup has worked for thousands of miles so far.


I plan on adding a radar detector, but that will be purely visual with remote LEDs on the dash.

[MidLifeMike]

I'll throw my 2 cents in on this one.  My preference is for as streamlined a setup as possible with as few wires as possible.  My choice is to use my phone for GPS, music, and of course, phone service.  A SENA headset bluetooth connection and it's all good.  This setup has worked for thousands of miles so far.


I plan on adding a radar detector, but that will be purely visual with remote LEDs on the dash.

Maybe you're the person to ask; what are you using on the phone to control as much of that as possible by voice from the Sena? I have the SMH10 original version but also have a B version new in the box if that would make a difference. My smartphone is an HTC Desire (Android).
The installed voice application is Cyberon. It's all I have used but I'd like to try alternatives.
Volume - any voice app that would take a command to increase the volume on the HTC? If I forget to crank it up full on the unit first, I need to pull over to do it. Anything else I can think of, I can do with Cyberon but I'm open to new ideas.
Music Player - so far OK with the Cyberon app as long as it recognizes my pronunciation of the albums. That alone I think is pretty cool.
GPS on smartphone - app? I am just starting to play with Navigator since I have a Garmin 2720 but that unit is old so no hookup to the Sena for voice turn by turn.

[Hotbrakes]

Why don't you just drive?  Then you can send text messages too.  

[Cablebandit]

He can send texts though the phone via voice control over bluetooth. No need to drive.

[MidLifeMike]

Why don't you just drive?  Then you can send text messages too.  

If I am in the firing range of that jibe, I can take it. Honestly years ago I came on to STN and thought some of the guys were truly overboard with their music players and earbuds and .... and ...  I certainly thought 'that will never be me'.
I won the SMH10's in a Sena Facebook contest and introducing a girlfriend to riding I thought they would be great to put her at ease if something came up in traffic and to pass the time if we're out for long.

However I also take every opportunity to use the bike including on work time so I am obligated to take phone calls. Feeling a phone buzz in my jacket pocket, pulling over, killing the engine, removing my helmet, fishing out the phone and now I'm the one waiting for someone to pick up or dicking with the the message menus - all a real PITA. Instead I get a beep beep, tap once, talk normally and keep riding. Callers don't even know I'm on the motorcycle. Much less stressful and stress is enemy #1 to me while riding. I'm not making more than half a dozen outgoing calls a year while riding and for those I generally do them at a time of my choosing; preferably at a fuel up or coffee break.

The FJ1100 sound isn't as pleasing as my previous XS750 triple so maybe I should MP3 a few hours of triple engine to play while I ride too.

[miles]

Maybe you're the person to ask; what are you using on the phone to control as much of that as possible by voice from the Sena? I have the SMH10 original version but also have a B version new in the box if that would make a difference. My smartphone is an HTC Desire (Android).
The installed voice application is Cyberon. It's all I have used but I'd like to try alternatives.
Volume - any voice app that would take a command to increase the volume on the HTC? If I forget to crank it up full on the unit first, I need to pull over to do it. Anything else I can think of, I can do with Cyberon but I'm open to new ideas.
Music Player - so far OK with the Cyberon app as long as it recognizes my pronunciation of the albums. That alone I think is pretty cool.
GPS on smartphone - app? I am just starting to play with Navigator since I have a Garmin 2720 but that unit is old so no hookup to the Sena for voice turn by turn.

I have an HTC Amaze android phone, but used to use a 3g iPhone with my SENA.  I use the default music player and NavFree GPS app.
As to controlling the volume, I do it from the SENA end.  I always have the BT volume output on the phone at one tick below max and never change it.  Two of my three cars do BT audio, and the same setting works for all of them.  I find that max volume tends to distort the sound, but a single step back from max is fine.

Honestly, I don't use voice commands beyond just "Call ____".  For the music I put it on shuffle, and if I don't like the song that's currently playing I use the SENA jog dial to FF to the next.  I also mount the phone on the triple clamp of my bike, so I can see the display as I ride.  My summer gloves work the touch screen just fine, and I can do a lot as I ride (probably too much, to be honest).

[dietDrThunder]

I appreciate all of the info in here. I really am not interested in 'doing' stuff...mostly I want to hear my GPS, my radar, and my music. That said, it wouldnt' be bad I guess if I could VC-call home or whatever...

[sleazy rider]

Fwiw and to add to the info, I get roughly 12 hours out of a charge on the Sena.  You can plug it in with the provided 12v adapted charger and keep going. I don't put my phone in the mix, because I'm not tied to that habit.  

[cognosticator]

I will throw in my setup for the hell of it.

I have a Zumo 600, and run a BEL STi Driver radar detector and use a Samsung Galaxy SII

I use the Sena SMH10 headset with the speakers (I have used the ear bud base but when I put my helmet on it always breaks the seal with the ear bud so I went back to speaker and use Max1 earplugs).  I use the SR10 bluetooth transmitter and have the 600 and BEL hard wired into the SR10. If  the radar goes off and the 600 is giving directions I can hear both at the same time, thereby not missing a radar warning.  I have my phone bluetoothed directly to the SMH10.  This works great for me and if I am talking to another rider I can still hear the SR10.  I wear a Shoei Neotec with the flip front so I use the boom mic, my wife has a regular full face helmet and she uses the button mic.

[hankd]

If you're hung up on the radar detector aspect, try to find a H.A.R.D. (Helmet assisted radar detection) system on eBay. Love mine.

[Carbidetech]

My setup; Sena SMH10, iPhone 4 and Klipsch sound isolating ear buds. When riding at or below Michigan's 70mph highway speeds, I can hear emergency vehicle sirens better with earbuds than without. I do not have a radar detector yet but am looking into options including an ap from Escort that works with the iPhone. I'm hoping for a hidden module that works with the phone to send the radar info. The ap is supposed to integrate traffic cams and traffic data via your cell data. At least I hope that's how it all works......

Dave

[miles]

My setup; Sena SMH10, iPhone 4 and Klipsch sound isolating ear buds. When riding at or below Michigan's 70mph highway speeds, I can hear emergency vehicle sirens better with earbuds than without. I do not have a radar detector yet but am looking into options including an ap from Escort that works with the iPhone. I'm hoping for a hidden module that works with the phone to send the radar info. The ap is supposed to integrate traffic cams and traffic data via your cell data. At least I hope that's how it all works......

Dave

Out here in the west cell reception is so spotty on back roads that such an app would only be useful for the radar detector alerts. and maybe speed traps in town.

[Squareman357]

I'm running a similar set-up to some here.  Sena SM10 with ear bud adapter, Shure noise cancelling ear buds, Valentine 1 Radar, iPhone 5, Zumo 660 GPS and a Sena SR10.  Have the V1 hard wired to the SR10 in my bag, the phone paired directly to the SM10 primary, the Zumo paired to the SM10 secondary.  GPS directions are fed directly to the helmet.  Phone and music controls on the wonderful jog dial of the SM10, radar feeds to the SM10 simultaneously.  Once I set the volume for everything, it remembers each individual device volume, I was good to go for the 10 plus hours to Deals Gap from Chicago.  My girl called me and with a tap I could pick up the phone and she didn't even realize I was on the bike.  We chatted for an hour and it was a really good way to pass a little time on a long stretch of interstate before we hit secondaries.  I'm loving this set up and I'm totally wireless from the bike, I can use the intercom with a passenger or with up to 4 other riders with Sena devices.