Motorcycle accessories for wireless communication
Let’s start with a fun one. I’ve been riding motorcycles for over three decades. Yes, if you do the Maths that will take you back to the sweet and wild 80s. Back then, I would wear a leather jacket with a little radio inside that was battery-operated. I would race over the hills listening to glam rock like Whitesnake and Van Halen. Well, it was the eighties! That was the cool, hip music back then. I know that it didn’t age right, and now my children laugh at me. What did stick with me besides the music was the idea of riding my bike with my favourite tunes? That was an effort I pursued during my whole life. I love taking my chopper for some weekend fun in the open road, but it is not the same without Neil Young singing to me.
My first attempt was to wear headphones as I was riding. You see, when they started making them small enough to fit my ears under my helmet, I was delighted and started doing it. The problem was that all I could hear with that strategy was the music itself. No complaints about that, but I think it is kind of dangerous to ride without hearing traffic. Next in line were the wireless earphones, better known as ear pods. Those didn’t work either because they would fall off every time I removed my helmet.
Domio Moto Helmet Audio System
Finally, my daughter gave me the best dad’s day present in the history of our lives together. She bought me an interesting motorcycle accessory – the Domio Moto Helmet Audio System and boy was it a revelation for me! She handed me the box, and I looked at her, not knowing what I was getting. “This is something that will make you happy”, she said and hugged me. She was not mistaken for an inch; this little gadget did change my riding life.
I opened the box and inside was the Domio and two mounting bases with all I needed to get it done on the spot. I put one on my daily commuting helmet and another one on my big highway matte black one. Then, I charged it up as we were having lunch and decided to go for a Sunday spin to try it out. I hooked it up with the Bluetooth on my smartphone, and off I went.
How does it work?
The result was just astonishing. I had to go and google it because I couldn’t understand how the sound was getting in. You see, the Domio is not a speaker; it generates vibrations and creates this musical surround sound inside the helmet with them. It is like listening to Pink Floyd in a 5.1 system at home. I also tried some old school hip hop and of course some Bon Jovi and Whitesnake and it all sounded amazing. You just can’t believe the bass in this thing! Last but surely not least, you can hear the Google Maps lady loud and clear all the way long.
My face, when I got back, must have been quite something because all my family instantly knew that I had liked it a lot.
There is only one thing I would change from it, and that is the mounted-in volume control. If you are not a set-it-and-forget-it kind of person, then you are going to have a hard time adjusting it. Moreover, if you mount it on top of your head, you have to do a dangerous chimpanzee manoeuvre to reach it. Other than that, it is the best musical addition to all of my trips since that beautiful Sunday.
Motorcycle accessories for smartphone mount on motorcycles
Let’s face it; smartphones today carry 80% of all our lives in their guts. We have our maps, music, camera, social media and contacts all in one place. If you follow my advice and get yourself a Vigo Smart Track, you will also have a GPS for your bike there.
Quad-Lock
This accessory I’m telling you about comes in two different versions: one for the rearview mirror and one for the handlebar. In fact, I tried both and can say that I prefer the handlebar one, but they are both excellent. They come with everything ready to install in several sizes to fit any handlebar, and you’ll be out and riding in no time.
The best thing about it is the extension arm that allows you to position it in such a way that you can see the road, the speedometer, and the cellphone too. Whenever I am rolling around with my Domio on, and I don’t understand the instructions, I go for the screen. It is also handy for the moments Spotify, and I have a taste disagreement.
Motorcycle accessories for capturing the thrill and experience of rides
If there is one thing I love is recording the road as I go. I started doing it way before modern technology ever hit the market. I used to take my Sony Videocam with me everywhere, strap it to the bike and press the record button at certain spots.
With that in mind, I always go through the new helmet cameras. Although I tried many, I always go back to Go Pro. I think I must have gone through five or six of the seven models that they put out in the history of the brand. Let me tell you why I choose it.
Virtually indestructible
Once I was lucky enough to be making a field trip in Myanmar at a place called Inle Lake. I noticed something shining with the midday sun. I rowed to it with my canoe and found a Go Pro someone had dropped. Although it had been submerged for days and covered in green must, I plugged it in and voilà! It is now part of my collection (I tried locating the owners through social media with no luck).
Wide-angle
The sort of fish-eye lens in the Go Pro is impressive to capture the entire landscape. Many times I stop at someplace and just take it off the helmet to make the best pictures.
Easy to replace
It is such a great product that if you are like me and travel around a lot, you can buy replacement parts virtually anywhere. The only con I find for it is the size: it is too small. Although most people think of it like a pro, I think it makes it very easy to get lost or stolen.
Conclusion
Being a rider is supposed to be fun. Accessorizing your rides to make them safer and more comfortable is a great way to make them even more enjoyable. Although I have gone through that path with ups and downs, it taught me some precious lessons. I hope I was able to share them with you, and you can start accessorizing your journey the right way. In sum, if riders unite and divide this kind of knowledge, we can make everybody’s life better.
Feel free to let us know about any accessories we missed here and to share this post with fellow riders. Maybe you can answer a lot of questions with just a couple of clicks.
Happy riding!
