Headphones are illegal

[Kscreations08]

In Pennsylvania, you can not ride with headphones. I would like to listen to music when I'm tooling around town. Speakers are not against the law but they are ugly on sportbikes. I had an idea to buy 4" speakers and install them in a leather tool bag in the windscreen with an audio jack for MP3. Here's my problem. I have no idea how to do that. Literally have NO EXPERIENCE with audio or electrical. Do I need an amplifier or receiver? what is this OHM thing? looks like a college fraternity symbol. How do I fit everything in the tool bag? I saw circuit board diagrams and my brain melted. If anyone here knows how to do this, help would be so appreciated!

For reference, speakers and bag are linked.


http://www.jensenheavyduty.com/jense...ml#review-list

http://www.leatherworksinc.com/95W-leather-tool-bag/

[fishdip]

Why not get a helment with built in speakers?

[adouglas]

Y'know, they can't see earbuds under your helmet....

Just sayin'

Whatever you do, don't play it so loud that it impinges on your situational awareness.

[bruce71198]

You will need a small amplifier, an adapter to plug your mp3 devise into the inputs (RCA jacks) on the amp. Or buy a kit. Google it there are many on the market. Road Tunes, if I recall, is what I put on my wife's bike.

[dfox]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Whatever you do, don't play it so loud that it impinges on your situational awareness.

this... although sticking in earbuds precludes wearing ear plugs, which every rider should have in regardless of trying to listen to music...


bluetooth speakers in a helmet could be a good solution for you... eliminating the electrical wiring and still allowing you to wear ear plugs. Wiring up some speakers isn't incredibly difficult, but very easy to screw things up and frustrating to repair if you do. I typically would recommend finding someone in person who knows how to do it, and have them help, or pay someone to do it. If you don't know how to use a multimeter, wiring likely isn't for you, because if something goes wrong (which it frequently can), you can't troubleshoot.

that said, there are plenty of tutorials around online that will help explain the installation process.

[nickjpass]

Helmet with speakers... +1

Many helmets are made with an area to install speakers. Check your helmet or manual for it. Sometimes you just have remove some fabric that's probably velcroed.

How about ear plugs, illegal?

[InvisiBill]

It's a bit of cash, but I love the Sena SMH10 I installed in my helmet (there are a few different versions with varying mounting/connection options).

My buddy has the version with a headphone jack and uses it with his earbuds. As I've read in online reviews, the dongle for the jack started to show wear very quickly. I have the -11 with helmet speakers, and love being able to just toss my helmet on without having to fiddle with earbuds while I'm doing so.

Paired with my iPhone, I have the ability to listen to music, hear GPS directions, make phone calls, and even text via Siri I believe. I don't like talking on the phone normally, much less when I'm on the bike, but my buddy says people don't even know he's riding. I do like having the ability to make a phone call in case of emergency though. It can also work as an intercom when riding with others who have BT headsets. If you have a plain old MP3 player, it has an input jack as well.

[mgentz]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Y'know, they can't see earbuds under your helmet....

Just sayin'

Whatever you do, don't play it so loud that it impinges on your situational awareness.

I would do this.... just sayin

[nickjpass]

What if you get pulled over and they find you're wearing ear buds?

[mgentz]

you pull them down before/when pulling over....

[Worldtraveller]

Originally Posted by InvisiBill

It's a bit of cash, but I love the Sena SMH10 I installed in my helmet (there are a few different versions with varying mounting/connection options).

My buddy has the version with a headphone jack and uses it with his earbuds. As I've read in online reviews, the dongle for the jack started to show wear very quickly. I have the -11 with helmet speakers, and love being able to just toss my helmet on without having to fiddle with earbuds while I'm doing so.

Paired with my iPhone, I have the ability to listen to music, hear GPS directions, make phone calls, and even text via Siri I believe. I don't like talking on the phone normally, much less when I'm on the bike, but my buddy says people don't even know he's riding. I do like having the ability to make a phone call in case of emergency though. It can also work as an intercom when riding with others who have BT headsets. If you have a plain old MP3 player, it has an input jack as well.

+1 on the Sena. I only use mine on really long (x-country) road trips, but it is great. On my PC800, with the big windscreen up front, it's quiet enough to make (voice activated) phone calls and easily hear and be heard. The Sena is easy to adjust volume on the fly as well. It's very well designed to work with MC gloves.

[antiant]

1. Internal helmet speakers.
2. Get earbuds that double for noise pollution and music.

[misfitsailor]

I use earbuds and keep the wire zipped inside my jacket, less obvious that way.

[CZroe]

Even my seven year old GMAX helmet had speaker pockets in the padding for flat speakers. Damned thing made way too much noise to hear them though! I ended up attaching with Velcro and using leather headphone cushions to isolate the space between my ears and the speakers.

For external speakers, I wonder if anyone makes extremely loud amplified A2DP Bluetooth speakers for marine use? If not, buy some powersports/marine speakers and wire it to your own A2DP receiver and mini/portable 12v automotive amplifier.

[allanoue]

I have been using ear buds for years. I have not been stopped yet.

[cbinker]

save your money and buy the nice helmet with speakers.

[kdogg2077]

I use earbuds or earplugs in PA all the time. Kinda sucks that the earbuds get pulled out sometimes and then you get hit with all this engine noise.

[Singh2jz]

I wanted to listen to music as well, so I got some old computer speakers and stuck em inside the padding. I put em in backwards though the little magnets were facing my ears. I took them out after a while because there is nothing better than enjoying the outside noise.

[nickjpass]

+1 ^

[alex.s]

i hate that i'm about to say this. you guys are going to think i'm one of "those guys". but its true and i can't lie.

having a stereo system on a bike is the best thing ever. i don't care what people think. cruising around town on a low rider or a harley or something with a nice jam just feels right. the same thing with earplugs just makes you feel antisocial.

[Singh2jz]

Originally Posted by alex.s

i hate that i'm about to say this. you guys are going to think i'm one of "those guys". but its true and i can't lie.

having a stereo system on a bike is the best thing ever. i don't care what people think. cruising around town on a low rider or a harley or something with a nice jam just feels right. the same thing with earplugs just makes you feel antisocial.

Your sig is saying otherwise.

[nickjpass]

I've thought about having wireless blutooth speakers...

[Red250R]

Originally Posted by nickjpass

I've thought about having wireless blutooth speakers...

I actually use a bluetooth motorola elite silver. hooked up with my phone and play music that way. although here in NY, to my knowledge, its perfectly legal to ride with ONE headphone/bud in. i found it on sale on amazon or ebay, cant remember, brand new for $40.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by adouglas

Y'know, they can't see earbuds under your helmet....

Just sayin'

Whatever you do, don't play it so loud that it impinges on your situational awareness.

It's not something that they can pull you over for for this reason. However, if they pull you over and you have two earbuds in they will add it to the list of citations that you receive during your stop. I'm not sure if this is the case in PA but in MD it's legal if you only have one earbud in or are wearing a helmet with built in speakers. That said, you'll only get cited for it if you do something else dumb and the fine isn't that large (no points) so I wear both anyway

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by alex.s

i hate that i'm about to say this. you guys are going to think i'm one of "those guys". but its true and i can't lie.

having a stereo system on a bike is the best thing ever. i don't care what people think. cruising around town on a low rider or a harley or something with a nice jam just feels right. the same thing with earplugs just makes you feel antisocial.

But... but... I AM antisocial. And curmudgeonly.

Dam punk kids.

GET OFF MY LAWN!

My earbuds are also my hearing protection. I wear 'em even when the battery on the iPod's flat.... and even if I want to ride without the radio. So what would a cop do then?

Don't overthink this. If you're in a situation where you have to open your jacket and empty your pockets the earbuds will be the least of your worries.

FWIW, Schuberth did a special on their integrated helmet communicator system last year and I bought one. Seemed to be perfect on paper... built right into the neck roll, bluetooth, even a built-in FM radio.

I sent it back. Could never get the radio loud enough to hear clearly through my earplugs at anything over 40 mph, and I ALWAYS wear earplugs.

YMMV. A lot of people love these systems. Not for me.

I use, and highly recommend, the PlugUp S-plug earbuds with an iPod Nano. They cost but they're a mission-critical piece of equipment for me. I got a fresh pair this year and went for the Apple iPhone version because it's got a pause/volume control on the cord. This sits near my chin strap so I can easily mute the radio whenever I need to. Used to be I'd have to fish for the iPod and shut it off, or pull the plug.

[alex.s]

i've had bike cops yell at me before for wearing earplugs. they were not the most skilled riders though. a dirt rider and a big twin cruiser guy. it's funny, the horrible advice people give.

[allanoue]

Dr Dre Beats Earbuds play the tunes on low, hear everything going 90 mph

[mgentz]

Originally Posted by alex.s

i hate that i'm about to say this. you guys are going to think i'm one of "those guys". but its true and i can't lie.

having a stereo system on a bike is the best thing ever. i don't care what people think. cruising around town on a low rider or a harley or something with a nice jam just feels right. the same thing with earplugs just makes you feel antisocial.

I find it both sad and hilarious when I can hear a Harley's stereo before I can hear the exhaust. I'm still waiting for the day I hear tiny dancer....

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Kscreations08]

Originally Posted by alex.s

i hate that i'm about to say this. you guys are going to think i'm one of "those guys". but its true and i can't lie.

having a stereo system on a bike is the best thing ever. i don't care what people think. cruising around town on a low rider or a harley or something with a nice jam just feels right. the same thing with earplugs just makes you feel antisocial.

I'm going to go out on a limb and take you seriously. I like this mentality and don't see why it can't transfer to a sportbike like our ninja.

Also, I tried the headphones but it makes putting the helmet on and taking it off awkward. And everytime I stop the bike, it seemed like someone wanted to say something to me and I couldn't hear them. Do you know how awkward that is lol. I gave up and put them in my pocket. With music playing outloud, I can ride, listen to tunes, not worry about cords, and hear if someone wants to tell me I have a sweet bike lol

[Kscreations08]

Originally Posted by CZroe

Even my seven year old GMAX helmet had speaker pockets in the padding for flat speakers. Damned thing made way too much noise to hear them though! I ended up attaching with Velcro and using leather headphone cushions to isolate the space between my ears and the speakers.

For external speakers, I wonder if anyone makes extremely loud amplified A2DP Bluetooth speakers for marine use? If not, buy some powersports/marine speakers and wire it to your own A2DP receiver and mini/portable 12v automotive amplifier.

My HJC is loud as **** too. I linked some waterproof, vibration resistant, salt tested speakers in the OP but my issue is the "buy some powersports/marine speakers and wire it to your own A2DP receiver and mini/portable 12v automotive amplifier" That is just babble to me. lol

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by Kscreations08

I'm going to go out on a limb and take you seriously. I like this mentality and don't see why it can't transfer to a sportbike like our ninja.

Two words: weight savings


cruisers don't give a damn how heavy they get since their engines are tuned for torque and 2-300lb riders (jkjk stereotype, though I have noticed more overweight people ride cruisers than sport bikes it isn't absolute) but sport bikes need to be light for better acceleration/braking/cornering speeds

Originally Posted by Kscreations08

My HJC is loud as **** too. I linked some waterproof, vibration resistant, salt tested speakers in the OP but my issue is the "buy some powersports/marine speakers and wire it to your own A2DP receiver and mini/portable 12v automotive amplifier" That is just babble to me. lol

google is your friend in my case I have an older brother who is an electrician so I'm only ever a 6pack of quality beer away from getting any electrical issue solved. Has worked before with my electrical nightmare golf lol

[Kscreations08]

Originally Posted by Sirref

Two words: weight savings


cruisers don't give a damn how heavy they get since their engines are tuned for torque and 2-300lb riders (jkjk stereotype, though I have noticed more overweight people ride cruisers than sport bikes it isn't absolute) but sport bikes need to be light for better acceleration/braking/cornering speeds


google is your friend in my case I have an older brother who is an electrician so I'm only ever a 6pack of quality beer away from getting any electrical issue solved. Has worked before with my electrical nightmare golf lol

My whole set up would be less than 5 lbs and fit in the windscreen using the speakers and bag I linked in the OP. There is a guy who makes these on a harley forum somewhere but its all made to order with no inclination of price... and its a harley guy so it'll be pricey lol (I keed I keed) I would pay a case of beer for a set up like this in a heartbeat

[JohnnyBravo]

One magnet glued to the bottom of one of those funny looking little pop up speakers, or any iPod speaker contraption. Seen it, an heard it.. Looked at the guy funny, he had the Florida mod too

[cbinker]

i just attached earplugs to my ear buds, seems to work just fine.

[rasta]

For some reason I don't feel the urge to listen to music while riding. I like just having an open mind to think my thoughts and focus on riding (not that those of you listening to music aren't focused on riding). I'm probably just crazy though

[cbinker]

i am scared to be alone with my thoughts...

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by Kscreations08

My HJC is loud as **** too. I linked some waterproof, vibration resistant, salt tested speakers in the OP but my issue is the "buy some powersports/marine speakers and wire it to your own A2DP receiver and mini/portable 12v automotive amplifier" That is just babble to me. lol

The phone connects wirelessly to a Bluetooth music receiver which outputs audio that probably needs to be amplified to power the speakers. Same thing applies to Bluetooth headphones except that's all built in (receiver, amp, and speakers). Heck, you can splice up a Bluetooth speaker if you can find one powerful enough to drive your speakers loudly, but they aren't going to have an amp more powerful than the built-in speakers and you'd really just be modding it for waterproof speakers.

The amplifier is what takes output intended for headphones or other smaller, low volume, speakers, and cranks it up to power louder speakers. They're in practically anything with a volume control including Walkmans and home theater surround sound receivers, but you probably want one as a discrete component like what you would put in a car with a loud aftermarket stereo. That's the thing that typically looks like a just a giant heat sink, so you'd need a more portable, lower power, waterproof kind that can fit and tolerate being exposed to elements on a motorcycle.

A2DP is the Bluetooth profile wireless stereo speakers use as opposed to mono audio for phone calls, like HFP and HSP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, Hands Free Profile, Headset Profile). If a Bluetooth headset for your phone supports wireless music then it supports A2DP in addition to HSP/HFP, but your motorcycle stereo doesn't need HSF/HFP and those probably would not be useful anyway. An A2DP receiver would just be a Bluetooth speaker or Bluetooth headphones with audio output, possibly without any speakers or headphones (we only need the receiving part with line output). Yes, you can buy them without speakers (intended to adapt other systems to A2DP). I have one in my car (Kinivo BTC450) as does my brother and our mutual friend (Belkin CarAudio Connect with Bluetooth).

I have a second Parrot SK4000 Bluetooth helmet kit that I just might splice up into an amplified moto-stereo. It would need an amp to power the motorcycle speakers because the receiver was only intended to power small in-helmet speakers. Understand?

[Yakaru]

So I travel a lot and rely on my GPS to help me navigate through unfamiliar cities. I couldn't ride without. I got a pair of these: http://www.plugup.com/custom_earplug...22-3.5-4.5.htm

I wear them every time I ride, just tucking the cord into my jacket if it isn't plugged into the GPS (which I usually keep in my interior pocket). I honestly don't know about the legality, I'm protecting my hearing and need to be able to navigate without being distracted by trying to look at a map, so I intend to just not get pulled over.

[Kscreations08]

Originally Posted by CZroe

전화 는 아마스피커 에 전원을 증폭 해야 오디오 를 출력블루투스 음악 수신기 에 무선으로 연결한다. 같은 점은 모두 (수신기 , 앰프, 스피커 ) 기본적으로 제공 제외하고 블루투스 헤드폰 에 적용됩니다. 도대체 , 당신이 큰 소리로 스피커를 구동 할 정도로 강력 하나를 찾을 수 있다면 당신은 블루투스 스피커 를 접합 할 수 있지만 보다 더 강력한앰프 를 하지 않을스피커를 내장 하고 정말 그냥 그것을 모딩 할 것 방수 스피커 .

이 앰프는 헤드폰이나 다른 작은 , 낮은 볼륨 , 스피커를 위한 출력을 위해서는 무엇 이며, 큰 소리로 스피커 에 전원을 공급 하기 위해 그것을 크랭크 . 그들은 워크맨 및 홈 시어터 서라운드 사운드 수신기 를 포함하는 볼륨 컨트롤 과 거의 아무것도 ,하지만 당신 은 아마 당신이큰 소리로 애프터 마켓 스테레오 차 에 넣어 것이 무엇 과 같은 개별 구성 요소로 하나를 원한다. 즉, 일반적으로 단지 거대한 히트 싱크 처럼 보이는 것은 , 그래서 당신은 더 많은 휴대용 , 저전력 에 맞게 오토바이 의 요소에 노출되는 것을 견딜 수있는 방수 종류를 필요 것입니다.

A2DP 는 ( 고급 오디오 배포 프로필 핸즈프리 프로필 , 헤드셋 프로파일) HFP 와 HSP 같은 , 전화 통화를위한 오디오 모노 반대로 무선 스테레오 스피커 가 사용하는 블루투스 프로파일입니다. 휴대 전화를위한 블루투스 헤드셋 이 무선 음악 을 지원하는 경우 는 HSP / HFP 뿐만 아니라 A2DP 를 지원하지만 오토바이 스테레오 HSF / HFP 를 필요로하지 않는 사람은 아마 어쨌든 유용하지 않을 것입니다. A2DP 수신기는 단지 가능한 모든 스피커 또는 헤드폰 없이 오디오 출력 , ( 우리는 라인 출력 과 수신 부분 을 필요로한다) 와 블루투스 스피커 또는 블루투스 헤드폰 것입니다. 예, ( A2DP 에 다른 시스템 을 적용 하기위한 것 ) 스피커 없이 구입할 수 있습니다. 내 동생 과 우리의 상호 친구 ( 블루투스 벨킨 CarAudio 연결 이 ) 처럼 내 차 ( Kinivo BTC450 ) 하나 가있다.

난 그냥 증폭 모토 스테레오 로 최대 접합 수있는 두 번째 앵무새 SK4000 블루투스 헬멧 키트 가 있습니다. 수신기 만 작은 에서 - 헬멧 스피커 에 전원을 공급 하도록 구성 되었기 때문에 오토바이 스피커 에 전원을 공급 하는앰프 가 필요합니다. Understand?

Ummmm... yes? An A2DP receiver is needed for music because it isn't mono audio. I'm obviously not taking phone calls through my sound system. So I need a receiver to process the audio to the speakers and a portable amplifier to make the signal powerful enough for louder speakers. Is that right?

[CZroe]

Yep.