Just don't get it

[Dragonrider]

I've seen oodles of threads about pairing junk, hooking up phones, etc to your Spyder!!????!??!

Riding a bike is dangerous enough - really! I admit that I do like my tunes on the back roads, and my wife occasionally likes to make a comment (which I like to keep to a minimum..). When I drive anything, my phone is set to airplane mode - any calls, texts, or Emails are addressed after I stop. I really don't care what another driver is thinking, or want to have a conversation. I want to enjoy the road - safely.

I don't even like to listen to the radio while driving anything - if anything, I just want music. You have the road to enjoy, the hum of the machine, the wind on your face (max 1/2 helmet here), and the need to be aware of your surroundings. While I know it's "different strokes" - I ride my Spyder, or fly my plane, to leave the hassles of daily life behind for a while. All this connected stuff means means somebody else thinks what's happening in their life is important enough to to end their life, or someone else's - like mine.

Then again, the only large group riding I do is with the Patriot Guards... Am I just an OF, and alone on this track? Hope not.

[Pennyrick]

I've seen oodles of threads about pairing junk, hooking up phones, etc to your Spyder!!????!??!

Riding a bike is dangerous enough - really! I admit that I do like my tunes on the back roads, and my wife occasionally likes to make a comment (which I like to keep to a minimum..). When I drive anything, my phone is set to airplane mode - any calls, texts, or Emails are addressed after I stop. I really don't care what another driver is thinking, or want to have a conversation. I want to enjoy the road - safely.

I don't even like to listen to the radio while driving anything - if anything, I just want music. You have the road to enjoy, the hum of the machine, the wind on your face (max 1/2 helmet here), and the need to be aware of your surroundings. While I know it's "different strokes" - I ride my Spyder, or fly my plane, to leave the hassles of daily life behind for a while. All this connected stuff means means somebody else thinks what's happening in their life is important enough to to end their life, or someone else's - like mine.

Then again, the only large group riding I do is with the Patriot Guards... Am I just an OF, and alone on this track? Hope not.

Despite the fact that a lot of recent posts about pairing and audio systems came from me.... I agree with you. We do not have our cell phones turned on while Spyder riding, nor are they connected to our Spyders. We use the systems to talk rider to rider but the music coming from the Spyder sound systems gets picked up by the boom mic on our SENA headsets. As a result I get rock and roll from one source and classical from another while my wife gets just the opposite.

We're just looking for a way to enjoy the ride with music we both like with the option to turn it down or off individually.

[murphybrown]

I've seen oodles of threads about pairing junk, hooking up phones, etc to your Spyder!!????!??!

Riding a bike is dangerous enough - really! I admit that I do like my tunes on the back roads, and my wife occasionally likes to make a comment (which I like to keep to a minimum..). When I drive anything, my phone is set to airplane mode - any calls, texts, or Emails are addressed after I stop. I really don't care what another driver is thinking, or want to have a conversation. I want to enjoy the road - safely.

I don't even like to listen to the radio while driving anything - if anything, I just want music. You have the road to enjoy, the hum of the machine, the wind on your face (max 1/2 helmet here), and the need to be aware of your surroundings. While I know it's "different strokes" - I ride my Spyder, or fly my plane, to leave the hassles of daily life behind for a while. All this connected stuff means means somebody else thinks what's happening in their life is important enough to to end their life, or someone else's - like mine.

Then again, the only large group riding I do is with the Patriot Guards... Am I just an OF, and alone on this track? Hope not.

Yep that is the way I also travel. Have all the gadgets but when I am rolling they are off...don't even use a GPS....and I have gone as far as to ask folks when they call me at home...are you driving?...if they say yes. I say if you need to drive and talk...I won't participate. Yep pissed them off....oh well, their issue...I know I won't feel guilty if they have a wreck while on the phone. Yep one of them did that recently. Was on phone in winter slush road conditions..lost control...totaled car, spent many days in ICU..worst part was she was talking to her grandson when all this happened and he heard it all. Did she learn a lesson? I asked her and she said it was the slush.......

[vided]

While ryding, no phone, no talking, unless I'm talking to myself.
music is allowed.

[Dragonrider]

Double - I wasn't point fingers, just making an observation.

There have been a ton of posts on using various com schemes on the Spyder. I've been riding bikes since 1964, and carried a professional driving license since 1980 - so it was/is a real concern for me. I've had a number a acquaintances that have had serious accidents, where phone calls or texting was involved - so my desire for understanding was piqued, when I continued to see all the threads regarding the Sypder com systems.

[Cruzr Joe]

Another .02 cents .......................... I listen to music via the Spyder speakers while riding all the time, i have a bluetooth setup so i can talk rider to passenger or bike to bike when necessary, i also can receive phone calls via bluetooth while riding. I do not linger on the phone, short & polite. I do use a dash mounted GPS when traveling. I also have a handlebar mounted drink holder so that i can have a drink while riding.

Are any of these things absolutely necessary, NO, are they all conveniences that i enjoy and use carefully, YES.

Cruzr Joe

[Art Mann]

I keep a constant conversation going with my wife when we are riding together using a bluetooth headset. I will never ride 2-up without headsets because using them makes the time so much more enjoyable. Does anyone really ride in a car with their husband/wife and not have frequent conversations? Are those dangerous?

I also link my headset to my phone because I use the GPS. I don't often look down at it because that can be dangerous. I just listen for turn directions. I plan many of my routes ahead of time. On a complex route in unknown places, it is so much safer and less stressful to just enjoy the ride without trying to read a map or follow written instructions. I sometimes hear the phone ring but I just hit the ignore button.

I never listen to music on the road, speakers or headset. In order to hear it clearly, I would have to play it loud enough that it would damage my hearing.

[MMMII]

I've seen oodles of threads about pairing junk, hooking up phones, etc to your Spyder!!????!??!
Am I just an OF, and alone on this track? Hope not.

OF - maybe.... but don't feel bad, we all get there eventually.

One thing to keep is mind is that for some of the "young'ens" out there digital access (music/phone/etc) is non-negotiable and integrated into their/our daily lives/activities.

With the right setup and most importantly, knowledge of how to use the functions of your devices, I would argue that hearing a text message or email and responding to said text message or email (via voice commands) while riding/driving is no different than listening to talk radio or singing along with your favorite Andrews Sisters song (I used Andrews Sisters just in case you don't know who 2 Chainz is ).

IMO, the danger is multiplied when someone doesn't know how to utilize their equipment but tries to do so anyway. <main point of my reply>

Example, I can press 1 button on my Sena, give a voice command to my phone to read a message, press voice command to reply and send a response.

Having the discipline to not do these things at inopportune times is what makes the difference. <secondary point of my reply>

Right or wrong - Our younger people (and many of us) have been conditioned to multi-task. Conditioned to always be available because of our own sense of self-importance. Conditioned to think that if we "unplug" we could be missing out on something.

I for one, at a minimum won't go on long rides without my Sena and iPhone fully charged. For me, music and the open road makes the experience and I wouldn't do it any other way.

Just another perspective to the OP.

-Cheers!

[Chupaca]

We have the cells in the frunk but connected to the bluetooth to recieve only emergency calls and intercom. When ryding alone just mp3 and phone connection. Would not have phone but there are times I need to be available for health issues at home. Don't ryde with gps but have one in the frunk if I should ever need one. No distractions with music in the background is the best way and safest way to ryde...

[ARtraveler]

We are in pretty much the same camp. We use Sena headsets to communicate to . Used mostly to communicate road conditions, stops for whatever, or the occasional comment about the scenery or wildlife.

We use our radios for tunes very minimally. First there is a lack of stations, and the mountains screw up the signals big time. No sat radio for me.

There are a few scenic twisty rides that I like to put the tunes on while driving. Other than that, it is pretty much radio silence.

[Orange Spyder Man]

i feel some what different... my cell phone is ALWAYS ON since I am a business owner.. I feel its important to keep in touch... I plan to get the Bluetooth hook up so I can always receive calls... and I like to hear music & GPS & especially radar detector thru my headsets .. I have been driving cars & riding motorcycles for over 40 years... I say ..... different strokes for different folks..

osm

[SpyderAnn01]

I've seen oodles of threads about pairing junk, hooking up phones, etc to your Spyder!!????!??!

Riding a bike is dangerous enough - really! I admit that I do like my tunes on the back roads, and my wife occasionally likes to make a comment (which I like to keep to a minimum..). When I drive anything, my phone is set to airplane mode - any calls, texts, or Emails are addressed after I stop. I really don't care what another driver is thinking, or want to have a conversation. I want to enjoy the road - safely.

I don't even like to listen to the radio while driving anything - if anything, I just want music. You have the road to enjoy, the hum of the machine, the wind on your face (max 1/2 helmet here), and the need to be aware of your surroundings. While I know it's "different strokes" - I ride my Spyder, or fly my plane, to leave the hassles of daily life behind for a while. All this connected stuff means means somebody else thinks what's happening in their life is important enough to to end their life, or someone else's - like mine.

Then again, the only large group riding I do is with the Patriot Guards... Am I just an OF, and alone on this track? Hope not.

You think listening to music or talking to riding partners is dangerous and I think riding with a 1/2 helmet is foolish. I kind of like both halves of my head. Different strokes....

[DragonSpyder]

You think listening to music or talking to riding partners is dangerous and I think riding with a 1/2 helmet is foolish. I kind of like both halves of my head. Different strokes....

Was thinking the same thing when I read the OP.

[Orange Spyder Man]

You think listening to music or talking to riding partners is dangerous and I think riding with a 1/2 helmet is foolish. I kind of like both halves of my head. Different strokes....

I agree about a full helmet... I witnessed a wreck of a fellow who hit a truck that ran a stop sign... the windshield took his nose completely off ... and knocked most of his front teeth.... was not a pretty sight..

osm

[Dan_Ashley]

I need to be connected all the time. In my 87 years on this planet, it is the single most important thing. When I am riding, and my wife is the passenger, whenever I get a text message, she leans forward and takes the handle bars so I can answer it. But no worry--I'm ATGATT!

[Dudley]

I've seen oodles of threads about pairing junk, hooking up phones, etc to your Spyder!!????!??!

Riding a bike is dangerous enough - really! I admit that I do like my tunes on the back roads, and my wife occasionally likes to make a comment (which I like to keep to a minimum..). When I drive anything, my phone is set to airplane mode - any calls, texts, or Emails are addressed after I stop. I really don't care what another driver is thinking, or want to have a conversation. I want to enjoy the road - safely.

I don't even like to listen to the radio while driving anything - if anything, I just want music. You have the road to enjoy, the hum of the machine, the wind on your face (max 1/2 helmet here), and the need to be aware of your surroundings. While I know it's "different strokes" - I ride my Spyder, or fly my plane, to leave the hassles of daily life behind for a while. All this connected stuff means means somebody else thinks what's happening in their life is important enough to to end their life, or someone else's - like mine.

Then again, the only large group riding I do is with the Patriot Guards... Am I just an OF, and alone on this track? Hope not.

I have thought about posting something like this for quite a while but I have been smoked too many times for expressing my mind. I agree with you 100%. If anybody calls me while we are riding they will have to wait until we stop. We have the BareBone RT, so the only music we hear is the wind, trucks, airplanes. We smell the freshly cut grass, the smell of water in the desert when someone is watering their lawns, the fertilizer in the fields, a dead skunk. Nature at it's best. That's what riding is all about in our lives. We ride because we can, and like you stated, it's a way to just unwind and totally get involved with our immediate surroundings. Try it sometime, you might enjoy it also.

[DJFaninTN]

i feel some what different... my cell phone is ALWAYS ON since I am a business owner.. I feel its important to keep in touch... I plan to get the Bluetooth hook up so I can always receive calls... and I like to hear music & GPS & especially radar detector thru my headsets .. I have been driving cars & riding motorcycles for over 40 years... I say ..... different strokes for different folks..

osm

i agree. it is because of the ability to talk to customers that gives me more time to be out riding. when one of my customers calls or one of my service guys, a lot of time it is decisions that need to be made right then. they cannot afford to wait for me to call them back hours later. that is something my competition does and that is why my business has grown the past five plus years while others struggle.

[Bob Denman]

I need to be connected all the time. In my 87 years on this planet, it is the single most important thing. When I am riding, and my wife is the passenger, whenever I get a text message, she leans forward and takes the handle bars so I can answer it. But no worry--I'm ATGATT!

Awww... You just like to feel her snuggle up against you!

[SpyderAnn01]

One question that I've never had a motorcycle rider give me a good answer to is When you drive your car do you listen to music? Do you ever talk to your passenger? Why is it different for you on a motorcycle?

Having intercom communications with Joe is something that I would not want to give up. We rode for a few years without it and now that we have it there is no going back. And I feel that it is a safety thing to be able to communicate with each other. Especially if we get separated in traffic. We have a friend who is 67 and likes to say that he would be happy with 1960s technology, then he gets online to buy something for his car or bike that is run by computers.

[Cavman]

My Spyder RT has speakers for a reason. So, I listen to music on them through the radio.
A friend tried to get me to purchase a communication system. I told him I could hear myself talk just fine while riding. I'm mostly riding by myself so who would I talk to? Can you talk to someone or hear them if they have a different brand? It's hard to get group rides going here in GA.

As for my mobile phone, I'll get the massage(s) when I stop. I'm paying attention to my piloting of my Spyder and the surrounding area with possible background music, if I can receive it.

John
Spyder Pilot

[bmccaffrey]

While ryding, no phone, no talking, unless I'm talking to myself.
music is allowed.

Agree!!!!!

[Gray Ghost]

I have seen these threads before but never responded. I ride with my blue tooth intercom, my GPS using voice directions and listening to either the radio or MP3. It seems that some of you would think that makes me an accident waiting to happen.

When I was in Iraq, while driving the vehicle I was on intercom, listening to a radio, scanning my side of the road for IEDs or insurgents while at the same time making sure that I kept the right distance from the vehicle in front of me (which was way closer than what is considered minimum safe following distance). Riding as TC or gunner had different responsibilities, but still multi-tasking.

On the bike, having the intercom means that no matter whether we are riding two up or separately, we have four eyes looking for hazards, etc instead of just two. And if a problem is noted, it is a lot easier to say, pothole to the left than trying to use an arm or leg to send a signal. Using the GPS means that we can ride in areas we are unfamiliar with and pay attention to the road instead of trying to look for landmarks or clues as to where the heck we are. And in a built up area, knowing that the turn we need to make is two miles ahead allows us to position ourselves appropriately instead of trying to cross three lanes at the last minute (as we see way too often). As to music, I enjoy my tunes immensely but have no problem tuning them out when my attention is needed elsewhere. I do not text, but I have folks I need to stay in touch with. I can answer a call just by touching a button on my helmet and inform the caller to hold while I pull over, or just ignore the call until I get to a safe area to deal with it.

By all means, if you are uncomfortable dealing with any of those things, don't. We are all built different and have different skillsets. I personally avoid group rides because I am not comfortable in those situations. Obviously many riders feel differently about that issue. That doesn't mean that I am necessarily safer than them.

[jaherbst]

While ryding, no phone, no talking, unless I'm talking to myself.
music is allowed.

So how else are we going to stay awake on those long freeway rides! Telephone--never. If you can't do without your phone between stops you have a serious problem and we need to get you some serious help. It is bad enough to see a group of people walking around like zombies staring at there phones, let alone a group of Spyder riders weaving all over the road trying to answer or stare at there phones. Exactly what is it you are afraid of missing?

Jack

[wyliec]

By all means, if you are uncomfortable dealing with any of those things, don't. We are all built different and have different skillsets. I personally avoid group rides because I am not comfortable in those situations. Obviously many riders feel differently about that issue. That doesn't mean that I am necessarily safer than them.

Excellent post, and I agree with most of what you said. The one exception- there are those that feel comfortable multitasking, but not capable, and may find out to late, either hurting themselves or someone else.

[kep-up]

Excellent post, and I agree with most of what you said. The one exception- there are those that feel comfortable multitasking, but not capable, and may find out to late, either hurting themselves or someone else.

The "someone else" is the key phrase. 'Nuff said.