I am looking for a communications system that will allow me to talk bike to bike. My fiancee and I ride a lot together, she rides a vstar 650, and we would like to be able to communicate with each other. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Any suggestions?

Few questions answered will help get a good answer:

1)what kinda pipes are you runnin? thats gonna play a factor with any system that does vox (voice activated) transmit; loud pipes get picked up in the comm as if they were voice and transmit over the line...

If you're running loud pipes, make sure you use a system with push to talk, and if it has the ability to turn off vox, do so.

2)Do you intend to only ever communicate with your future wife? If you ever intend to talk to other bikes, you would do good to purchase cb units instead of FRS radios.

If you want to go the cb route, Sierra electronics sells a cobra unit that quite a few guys I ride with use; the link to the radio itself is here: http://www.sierra-mc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=COB%2DRDTP ---they also sell the frs units

Keep in mind you will still need to buy a headset and ptt assembly; same website sells imc headsets with connections to their radios and ptt buttons for $60 : http://www.sierra-mc.com/products.asp?cat=249

3)How much are you looking to spend? Also, are you sure you would never want the other features?

If you are sure you won't be doing more than radio, the above solution will work for you; if you intend to connect a music source, cell phone, or radar/nav unit as well, you'll have to get a little more complicated; sierra sells a imc headset that does all that by itself, so long as you'll never have a passenger on back you want to talk to...if you need passenger intercom, look toward the J&M, autocom, or starcom...I'd stay away from the chatterbox, and people have had mixed results with the blueant/scalarider headsets...

If I were you and had the cash to blow, I'd buy a unit that has all the extra connections, and add the other pieces as you find a need for them...but you do what you can, and sometimes you have to do it twice

Thanks for the response. I have a jardine exhaust system, it's loud but not too loud. Probably won't have a need to talk with other bikers, so I'm not looking for a CB unit. As far as price, I don't mind spending a lot if the quality is good.

just edited my previous post with the specifics...see above.

Schatzie and I got a Blueant Bluetooth set from Santa, We have already tried it, it is all it says it is, Bike to bike, rider to passenger and your cell phone hooks into it so you can answer a call if you are on call 24 7 like me. I got mine $95 a set a New Egg. com 100% satisfied. The coolest part is at 70 MPH you are crystal clear no noise. They adjust to speed and automatically adjust the volume for you as well as come with mounts for any type helmet, We used the 3m Stick on for the 3/4 helmets and will use the clip on for the full face. They also clip off in a jiff so when you park you can take the unit off and lock it away.

MC

I have been reading about the Scala Rider Q2 multiset by cardo systems. Has anyone here tried that?

If no one responds to you, webbikeworld.com has reviewed both units on their website.

Thanks for the info!

No prob---I spent a lot of late nights looking at different units, agonizing about which one I was gonna buy...I wanted the whole package though, FM radio, mp3, phone, CB, and intercom....I ended up buying the starcom unit from the UK, I talked about it in another post on here---my final decision was between the J&M and the starcom, and the only reason I went with the starcom was because it was totally hidden (the main unit is locked under the seat instead of on the handlebar), and was about $300 less after I added on all the connections I wanted...also, the J&M seemed very CB-centric, where the starcom seemed more music/phone-centric---plus with the starcom I can buy different cb radios if I don't like the one I have; with the J&M, you have the J&M radio...not much flexibility there...but I've not come across a person yet who has been totally dissatisfied with their gear.

I can second the Blueant system. We've had it fro almost 2 years. I use it to talk to the wife who rides on the back. The system can last all day by putting it in standby mode when not talking. The nice thing is that either person can bring it out of standby.

Good luck.

Dan