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AmpliRider

Wizeguy

Wizeguy

Guest
Guest
Don't know if any of you have experience with the AmpliRider, except for Rick Streifel in BC. But if you are looking for a clean way to enjoy tunes without the expense of an Autocom or Starcom, and if you don't have any real need for an intercom or bike-to-bike, then this unit may be for you!! http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplirider.html The small size of this unit makes it a natural for tankbag installation, so of course that's what I did! The zippered inner liner of my Fieldsheer bag combined with the rigid wall made install relatively easy. I ran a 3.5mm female-end patchcord out the front through a custom grommet to seal out water, and I ran the shaft of the volume controller right below it. So the volume & disconnect are right in front of me. The power connection is a 2-pole marine connecter with gold terminals & rubber sheathing to keep out moisture. The nice thing is that when you open the tankbag you see NOTHING but the 3.5mm patchcord for whatever I'm listening to (MP3, radio, CD). I also bought a pair of Koss KSC75 headphones for $25 and used the drivers for helmet speakers. Audiophiles like these drivers, and I do too! So for a $115 investment, I have a no-frills but totally useful way to rock out on the road. And yes, I can hear these drivers just fine, at highway speeds plus, THROUGH my Leight Super foam earplugs. This is exactly what I wanted, and darn it if it doesn't work wonderfully! I'd post pics, but I ain't as skilled as Bob, Greg and Colin just yet. ;) I'll likely put some up on Webshots later this week, and I'll be at Mike Bryant's on Saturday as well. Mike B / Gig Harbor, WA
 
It is neat how you often can hear the music better with ear plugs in. I just run my old XM direct to a cheap volume control and into my speakers mounted in my helmet and it works great for me.
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All good info! I'm looking for some sounds but need to have bike to bike comm's too for the CFO to help keep her on the straight and narrow and rubber side down. :) I have a lead on 3 used chatterboxes for sale on a try before you buy basis. I'm also working on custom made ear buds. Colin Prior Cogmos Committee Chairman Lake Forest Park WA COG#7767
 
Can you point me in the direction of a cheap volume controler? I'd like to rig up my Sirrus to the bike thru my Startcom.
 
That is easy. I have been using one that Radio Shack sells. It is small but I stuck a velcro patch to the back and I have a couple places I attach it to. Control is about the size of a quarter
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aerostich has a nice Koss volume control. I velcroed it to the top of my tank bag. At first glance it looks like it would be dificult to use with gloves, but it has a small thump wheel tha I can adjust with my winter olimpics on. Run cord from mp3 to control and from control to earplugs. No batteries just plug it in and go.
 
Do you fellows have any suggestions how I might plug my cell phone (motorola Razor) AND my mp3 player into one of these gadgets? OR, what inexpensive gadget will allow me to do so? There are 10 kinds of people in this world; those that understand binary and those that don't.
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Regards, Pete Cantele Joliet, IL '99 Concours - Purple Kaw
 
If you notice the unit that started this thread has input 1, input 2, input 3... I would try input 2 or three. :)
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Pete, I'm not positive what you are envisioning as a workable solution for your needs. But I can tell you that the AmpliRider has no transmit capabilities. So I don't know of any way you can use FRS, CB, cellphone, intercom, etc. Honestly, I don't know if any "inexpensive" way for you to do the cellphone. I imagine you could run a patchcord from your cellphone's headphone jack to the amp and get sound, but that's not gonna help you talk on it. Unless someone has a better solution, I think you're stuck with the $$$ options (Autocom, Starcom, etc...) if you want to chat while you ride. Mike B / Gig Harbor, WA
 
I use custom earplugs with speaker inserts, that end in a 3.5mm plug. For tunes I can run it straight into my Sana e280. For integration purposes using a cell or whatever, IMHO Bluetooth is becoming the answer. You will need something like: Receiver: Jabra BT3030 'dongle' multipoint bluetooth receiver / headset. You can use the standard phones, or any earphones with a 3.5mm male jack. This unit can pair with 2 Bluetooth sources simultaneously, and a street price is under $50. Transmitter: there are a few different ones on the market, I just bought a Sony TMR-BT10A, for around $50. This will accept any music / sound source with a 3.5mm female input (radar detector, MP3 player, GPS and so on), and will go in a convenient jacket pocket. In my case this will pair to my V1 radar detector. The other bluetooth input will be from my cell phone, which has a decent screen, MP3 player, GPS, and a whole lot more (HTC TYTN II, or the work Blackberry 8830), an 8GB microSDHC card provides space, and there will be a 16GB card released this summer. Sufficient for a full set of maps and at least 1000 songs.... You won't be able to talk using the BT3030 however, unless you find a way to mount the dongle (which contains the microphone) really close to your mouth. The phone and detector will mount using RAM mounts (there is a waterproof box usable for the phone), the bluetooth transmitter will go in my tankbag. Power will come as per V1 practice, and for the phone, a miniUSB cable can provide power via a car power adapter (cigarette lighter style). The same unit will move from bike to bike, and also go with me when I travel on business or overseas.
 
It looks like a nice unit. But it looks like it might not like rain. Every part looks susceptible to water damage. I like permanent installs that don't depend on extra bags.(just my preference) I'm sure you could probably protect the main unit under the seat. But how to protect the volume controller?
 
The volume controller on the Jabra unit is on the dongle, which looks to be more water-resistant than say, the Valentine oe setup. And that has worked OK with a showercap squidged down to size. And so far, I have found that for my use (GPS so far) it is a set and forget exercise. The V1 I alter volume via the usual control knob. The only oher part that needs to be out in the rain apart from electrical connections and plugs (which is the same for any setup) is the GPS. And for that RAM has purpose-built project boxes for onboard video-cam, cell phones and the rest, so should work well. In riding the Conc and other faired bikes (ZX12R, VFR), as long as you are moving, the radar and GPS stay out of the rain. Actually the VFR and ZX are even better than the Conc, as the units are mounted further into the windshield's protection zone.
 
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