One of my biggest complaints in relation to Motorcycle Navigation using a cell phone has been that in order to interact with the phone, its really necessary to stop. On-screen touch buttons are diminutive and gloves only make the issue worse, even with the touch patch. Verbal commands and interactions with a bluetooth communication device are usually not loud enough, which creates a similar issue in that in order to hear properly one needs to pull over.
The second issue is that I had destroyed a previous expensive phone by the constant vibration of the motorcycle and the road while riding. By changing to the Quad Lock w/vibration dampener, and changing my motorcycle to a Kawasaki Ninja 1000sx, with an inline four cylinder that has almost no vibration, this is no longer an issue.
The cheapest and simplest option, I simply hadn’t tried, having bought helmet communicators. I unwittingly assumed this would be the best answer, however they were never loud enough due to the speakers being in-helmet, not in-ear, with all the attendant road noise.
So, this last riding season I tried another full-face helmet combined with Skull Candy Active In-ear Wireless ear buds, and immediatly noticed a substantive impromement. They are also waterproof, and the mike acts like a bone microphone, resting on my neck under my riding gear. This means virtually no road noise, so I can hear the navigational commands of my ride app, yet still receive phone calls and not have to pull over when doing so.
This incredibly simple answer to my navigation and communications problem has proved to be much more successful than the communicator that I purchased. In addtion, the communicator cost five times more than what I paid for the ear buds, plus the communicator is not waterproof, which is a huge drawback when riding through the NorthWest of North America, where it often rains.
I’m not saying that other navigators are not worth purchasing, but I am saying that before you lay out $350 for a motorcycle communications package from Sena or Cardo for example, you may actually not be as happy as you will with a simple alternative.
In any event, it will depend on your preference and whether you want to talk to other riders, which of course you cannot do with just the earbuds.
Ciao…
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