Comms

[YMFB]

I have been interested in Comms for a while, this would be for rider to pillion primarily but bike to bike would be a good option plus connecting to my phone and maybe at a later date an MP3/IPOD & garmin GPS. At the NEC today I saw Autocom & Starcom, can anyone reccomend or otherwise these or any other makes.

Thanks

[YMFB]

wot nobody talks to anyone else on this forum, it must be me.

[AK]

Bike to bike would be great for us (sometimes!:rolleye: )

will also await feedback here................

C:)

[Jools]

Originally posted by YMFB
wot nobody talks to anyone else on this forum, it must be me.

Patience, patience....give us a bloomin' chance!

If you look at the number of us who have ST's, and the number of posts in this forum compared to the 748, 996 forum you'll realise that you're asking a question to a small minority. Most people ride sportsbikes and don't carry pillions, even fewer of these people will be interested in Autocom stuff and will simply have nothing to say on the subject.

The site is still on BST and an hour ahead of 'real time' but a quick conversion tells me that, of the ST owning minority, there are still fewer of us, watching the board like a hawk between your first post at 10 pm on Sunday and your second at 8.30 am on a Monday.

I've thought about an Autocom system too, but I've currently got my ST set up on the Sports side of the Sport Touring equation. I've thought about them a bit more since I got an 888 sportsbike, because this means that I'll be putting the ST back towards a Touring bias. Putting the pannier carriers back on, fitting my Ventura rack, fitting touring compound tyres, setting the suspension up with less extreme ride height and so on.

So a couple of days ago I typed 'Autocom' into the search engine on this board and came up with a number of responses This Link (http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=17291#pid154855) was quite typical

[YMFB]

please dont take offense Jools I am always impressed by the great feedback that comes from the DSC, thats why i paid to be member rather than a just "Take advantage" of the forum even though to date it has been my only interaction with the club.

Yesterday at the NEC my impressions were that Autocom are a big company and Starcom a much smaller one but that was based on booth size and the amount of staff. I noticed in RIDE magazine that Virgin Limobikes use Autocoms maybe its the market leader Im not sure.

The staff at the Starcom booth were swamped with interest so maybe their kit is better I dont know, hence the post.

I would like it for long journeys especially when venturing overseas for bike to bike and rider to pillion, Im sure my wife would like to plug in her MP3 and if I could use the phone whilst riding i would be able to use the bike to travel to meetings. Although it seems fanciful to me that a mobile phone could be used on the move after the aggro I have had with BMW car kits.

[Rushjob]

I've got as couple of mates who swear by the Autocom units they have fitted ( R1150GS, FJR 1300 & R1200 land yacht ) both for rider / pillion as well as bike to bike, phone, MP3 & Sat nav inputs.
Must admit it's something I've been considering from the bike to bike angle when on long trips on the continent, but then again, who'd want to talk to me? ;)
If you want some more input, try searching on one of the touring oriented forums like ukgser forum (http://www.ukgser.com/forums/)

[Edited on 7-11-2005 by Rushjob]

[yeti]

I had an Autocom system fitted to my ST2 and it was amazing. Could not believe the clarity. Ultimately upgraded it to a bike to bike system, still Autocom.

No longer have ST so make me an offer before I chuck it on fleabay

Kit comprises:
Autocom P to P plus radio and interface

[John W]

I have had and used autocom systems for around 5 years.
We had a system on the VFR that worked okay, but not brilliant. The main problem was the volume just didn't seem loud enough. Above about 70mph and we couldn't hear each other. I therefore chose to let it go with the bike when that was sold.

When I got the 4S I looked into this again and brough the middle of their three units (smaller than the top of the range but does everything I want).
It is permanently wired into the bike and takes its feed from the rear light circuit. The box is stuck with double sided tape to the top of the abs pump (replaces the underseat storage tray near the shocker on non-abs bikes).

Because this is a later generation than the original one we had, we had to upgrade the headsets too.

I have to say, the fitting of these into outr helmets was the reason we were getting poor volume levels.
The placement of the earpieces is critical as 15mm off centre seems to drop volume by as much as half !!!
The second time around we took great care in putting the ear pieces in the helmets, plugging a cd into the intercom, and moving the ear pieces around to get the best location before fixing them.
I should add that I fitted both systems so this was entirely down to me. They will fit them for you if you request it, although I'm not sure on cost.

So, would I recommend them ?
Yes. Money well spent.

There are times when the intercom is a pain, but it far outweighs the time it is useful (extra set of eyes looking for road numbers, signposts, hotels, pubs, etc). We can hear each other clearly well over 100mph. Screams from the pillion about 140 just start to get drowned by wind noise (Arai RX7) :lol:

We have the pair of leads come out of the front of the seat so I can plug us in while on the bike. When I'm on thebike on my own I lift the seat and they just lay under it out of the way.

Hope that helps.:burn:

[Monty]

Autocom have a deal on at the moment selling off their existing stock of kits as they have a new upgraded unit coming out in the new year. Nothing wrong with the old stuff as far as I can tell.

John

[Mad Dog Bianchi]

this might help as well:

http://ducatisportingclub.com/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=13390

[John W]

yep, went into P&H on Friday ,and all Autocom stuff is 50% off.

They don't know for certain but rumour has it new versions will be bluetooth. :cool:

[YMFB]

thanks guys as I was in the Midlands today I popped in to Autocom who are near Lemington Spa and bought two complete systems Pro Rider Kit 6 with two no. Part 25 , part 12.7 & part 152.

This should provide rider to pillion, mobile phone, mp3 and will connect to a transceiver (walky talky) for bike to bike

Price £150 per machine, which is 50% mrp

[YMFB]

started to fit the first head set into the wifes helmet tonight and having problems sticking the speakers and mic into postion, the velcro supplied sticks so well to itself but when trying to adjust both parts come away from the helmet rather than unhooking one half from the other. What substance or tape did you guys use ?

[John W]

What we did was to position the ear pieces correctly in the helmet, then pulled the side cheeks out of our helmets (arais), trimmed the foam on them, and put the ear pieces under the lining of them. This stops them from moving about every time you put the helmet on.

Before we did this we found the ear pieces would presss on the tops of our ears and make them hurt after a days riding.

I also tie-wrapped the cable end to one of the cheeks (pushed tie-wrap therough behind foam and plastic backing). We found the cabling kept getting pulled out otherwise.

One final tip - make sure you put the mic boom the right way around as it says in the instructions, and have it so that when you purse your lips you can just touch it. If it is further away your partner won't be able to hear you at speed for all the wind noise.

Hope that helps :)

[Mad Dog Bianchi]

give us some more updates on this John. I am looking at autocom or starcom and you feedback has been helpful so far.

[wafty cranker]

Me and a mate went to the Nec and were very tempted by Autocom to be honest. We eventually didnt because of me, basically, I didnt want to the hassle of trying to locate the unit on a 999. However, when we came away, we did a bit of research, and eventually bought the Pro 6, which can be powered by a 9v battery. So, we both bought one and chucked them in bum bags.

We use them with Alan Pmr446 radios, and I can honestly say they work like a dream. Tested at 130mph and still quality is fine (Both Astro Race lids).

What I would say however is, as mentioned before, fitting of the mic and headsets in the right location is essential, especially the mic.

Oh, and if you consider buying one, you may like to look on ebay, as this is where we got ours from. It was from a supplier in Guernsey (Vat Free), and the whole kit, Pro 6, phone lead, bike power lead, headset, mic, came to just under £120, cheaper than Autocom themselves.

This is the link to the seller, drop her a mail and check availability.....
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUTOCOM-HEADSET-EXSTENSION-LEAD_W0QQitemZ8020726449QQcategoryZ25632QQrdZ1QQcm dZViewItem

Neil

[rockhopper]

All the current Autocom units are half price at the moment. Can't remember which one weve got but it fits under the seat and we both plug in and chat to each other like we are driving in the car. Its perfectly clear up to 70mph. I never go faster than that so i can't tell you anything more! I wear earplugs and my passenger doesn't and its not a problem. I have tried plugging a little radio into it so i can have some music on a long run. That worked fine as well although reception isn't brilliant but thats not autocoms fault.
All in all a superb bit of of kit and something i will certainly fit to my next bike.

[YMFB]

so far we have fitted ours into the wifes Shoei only and in the lounge with a 9v battery its works a treat.

[John W]

Steve,
glad to hear your getting them sorted okay.
Taking a bit of time at this stage saves a lot of frustration later on.

MDB, I'm not sure what other info you want to know. If I can help I will (assuming you were asking me in the first place ;) ). If you mean with regard to the next generation sets, your best bet is to check with the dealers every couple of weeks. P&H told me last week they still do not know any more, and have been told by Autocomm they may not release the new range until all of the current stock is sold...

Cheers,
John.