Gear Discussion: Tech mount and Sena - and a music poll

[StarWolve]

Just thought I'd share my latest farkles for the Buell.

I order a Techmount (http://www.techmounts.com/) 54mm Euro Mount for the Buell.


It mounts on the part of the fork tube that sticks up above the triple tree on most sport bikes:


I also ordered their Storm Proof case:


First impressions:
The mount is EXTREMELY well made. Every point that can articulate does. However, this means that it came with 4 different size allen keys to make adjustments. I think they could have standardized to 2 sizes, but I appreciate that they included the tools needed. The black finish looks good, and the customer support was great. I needed a "custom size" of 54mm, and I got an email back from them within 24 hours that they had that size, just not on the website. They took my order over the phone, and I had the order within 2 days via UPS.

The phone case appears to be well made, but it is more of a "universal" fit. It came with some foam sleeves to put behind the device to account for different thicknesses, and the touch screen still works well behind the screen protector. However, it is a little tight with an iPhone 5, and larger phones will not fit. I may search for a better case in the future, but this will work for now.

A smartphone is great for GPS and music, but what about getting the sound into your helmet?! Well, up next - Sena's SMH10R bluetooth headset, and riding reviews once I get everything mounted.

[StarWolve]

Part II: Sena SMH10R Headset

Website: http://www.senabluetooth.com/products/sm...u=overview



I purchased this from Revzilla for $164.25 - they just dropped the price, most likely because the new Scala just came out. This model is low profile, which is great for sport bike helmets.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sena-...th-headset

I mounted this on my Icon Variant helmet, and it is barely visible since they're both flat black. I got a picture with the light on, just so you could see where it mounts. The cable you see is the USB charger.


The kit comes with 2 mics - one boom and one wired. I used the wired one. The installation took a few minutes, but was fairly straightforward. The Icon Variant has a 3 piece removable liner, so installation wasn't too difficult once the padding was removed. The fit, with earphones, is a little tight on this helmet, but not bad. I notice that my glasses with a little tighter, but the earphones are fairly slim, so it should work with most helmets. If you have deep ear-pockets in your helmet, there is a spacer available to bring out the earphones more.

The battery mounts to the back of the helmet. The charging is done with a USB cable (included) or a 12v cigarette lighter charger (also included). Everything comes with a velcro mount, and the external controls also come with a 3m double-sided tape mount.

There is a firmware upgrade and control program available on Sena's website, and upgrades are done via USB cable.

Pairing was easy, and I was able to place a phone call with voice dialing easily. As with all bluetooth devices, memorizing the functions will take some time, but almost everything can be done with the external control and/or voice prompts.

The only cons I see to this unit is that the controls are slightly harder to use than other devices. However, the slim profile is more than worth this slight drawback.

I'm going to load up some Z-A points on my iPhone and take this for a road test soon. I'll let you know how audio is at speed. Reaver, expect a phone call sometime soon to try it out on the road!

[MikeH]

Can't wait to hear what you think of the 10R's.
I should be getting a regular Sena headset today, I wanted something that I can plug earbuds into. I was also getting tired of my G4 Scala f'ing up all the time.

[StarWolve]

(05-09-2013 01:09 PM)MikeH Wrote:  Can't wait to hear what you think of the 10R's.
I should be getting a regular Sena headset today, I wanted something that I can plug earbuds into. I was also getting tired of my G4 Scala f'ing up all the time.

The Sena works great - the phone mount however, needs a dummy cord. It fell off in traffic, and now I need to get my iPhone repaired after it was run over!

Luckily the case it was in protected it somewhat - The phone still works, but the housing is completely bent and cracked. It should be repairable... but will end up being an expensive test ride for this farkle.

[Frump]

(05-09-2013 03:37 PM)StarWolve Wrote:  The Sena works great - the phone mount however, needs a dummy cord. It fell off in traffic, and now I need to get my iPhone repaired after it was run over!

I have been using the X-Grip here for my android phone. It grips really good. Quick to take the phone on and off and you can charge with it. I don't know how it would work with that particular mount, but I'm sure something could be put together. Doug has them at Farklebar.com which is where I got mine. I bet Tony probably has them at CycleNutz.com too.

http://www.farklebar.com/frmBuyNow2.aspx

[StarWolve]

(05-09-2013 04:38 PM)Frump Wrote:  I have been using the X-Grip here for my android phone. It grips really good. Quick to take the phone on and off and you can charge with it.

I might end up getting something like that. I just ordered this:


http://www.otterbox.com/iPhone-5-Armor-S...r_color=V7

I got lucky - the nice people at the Apple store repaired my phone for "screen separation issues" and didn't charge me anything. (Even after I told them it was run over by a car!) Apparently there was a recall/warranty issue on some of the early iPhone 5's, and mine fell into that group.

Since I didn't have to pay to have the phone replaced, I'm putting a few bucks into the case, and I'll look for a better mount. The X-Grip might fit the bill. I also need to come up with a dummy cord system for the new case - I can probably run a piece of thin cord through the latch and tie it off to the triple tree.

[StarWolve]

Update on the iPhone mount issues. I ended up going with the Ram mount x-grip for my Ulysses. It works well, and the new case has a dummy cord that I can attach to the crossbar on the Uly. I'll post some photos later.

I like the X-grip so much that I'm probably going to order another one, and get a Amp plate to Ram Ball adapter for the Firebolt.

Continuing the Farkling - does anyone have any recommendations for a good GPS app for the iPhone? Garmin's app doesn't seem to have the functionality of their GPS's - I'd like to be able to load custom routes from my computer, and have offline maps. I was riding up around Brown Mountain last weekend and had ZERO signal on the phone. Which also has me considering a spot tracker...