MagnumMudMan: Just push the mike button with my thumb, lean forward a bit and talk away. I attached the mike clip to one of the bolts that hold the master cylinder on. Works great. Of course you can always grab the mike for long winded conversations.

 

My boss tried those voice activated mics and he said that with the four stroke quad,that it worked good,but the two stroker kept cutting in when he would get on it.

 

I was gonna stay out of this one but I can’t resist. My wife is my favorite and most frequent riding partner by far. But if you asked me if I want her to be able to talk to me any time she wants while I’m riding, my answer would be, “are you #$%$# NUTS?!?”

I lead and she follows 85% of the time. She needs more pit stops than I do so we’ve tried various means of signaling with only limited success. The latest one might be the ultimate answer though. We have the Polaris handlebar mirrors so we can easily see behind us. On her Magnum I installed a squad car flasher which alternately flashes the low beams from side to side. One touch of a button and she’s flashing like a cop. (it almost makes me paranoid to see those lights behind me ;}

I encourage her to lead but she’ll only do it on trails she knows really well. For one thing you see a lot more wildlife while leading. Two weeks ago she surprised a tiny bear cub lapping water out of a puddle in the trail (fortunately momma didn’t come out and surprise US). Besides that I enjoy watching her ride, something I can’t do while leading. She’s damn good and it makes me proud to watch her handle her machine.

But free and fluent communication while riding? No thanks. We have Motorola Talk-Abouts and they’re very good radios. At one point I bought the Motorola VOX mics with the ear buds thinking their quality would be consistent with the radios and the brand. They sucked BAAAD, I sent them back. Then I thought, what were you thinking???

We do sometimes use the radios when we’re in a big group or spread out on a night trail due to the dust, but we have arm band holders for them. I haven’t seen them around much but we found them in some catalog. They’re made specifically for the Talk-Abouts, they wrap comfortably around your arm and they stay put. We put them as high up on our right arms as possible, facing forward. This way you can PTT with you left hand while still throttling with your right. All you have to do is lean your mouth to your arm a little to talk and the volume is loud enough to be heard while riding. It’s like the remote speakers others are using but without adding the accessory. Just my opinion.

 

I dropped my talkabout in a river and it was completely submerged for a minute or so until I could find it. I opened it up and took out the batteries immediately. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I took it all apart and let it dry completely for a couple days. I put it back together and it has worked fine ever since. That was about 10 months ago!

 

I ride with my 13 year old son and he used to be hard to keep up with. I bought the Motorola 280's with the voice activated headset. The radio was $100.00 and the headset was $14.95. The radio clips to my belt and I disassembled the headset and used velcro to mount the earpod and mouth piece in our helmets. I turn off the voice activation. I don't like the delay when speaking. The sound picks up great even at high speeds. I do have to take my left hand off the grip to mash the talk button. My concern before buying was how they pick up in the mountains. We do a lot of riding in the North Georgia mountains and he gets away from me sometimes. The radio picking up has not been a problem. It picks up great across mountains. These radio's have made our riding so much more enjoyable. We don't go without them.

 

Well, these Cobra's must have more than one life. I picked the one that I submerged under water today and turned the other one on, and to my suprise the thing worked!!! It sounds crystal clear now and I can't tell that it was under water. I did get them for $49.95 at Sears last December and I am very impressed.