I didn't think people used CB's except for truck drivers. Do you have one? Do you use it to talk to trucks? Do you use it to talk to other Spyders?!? I thought it was unusual to see a CB option while reading the manual, unless this is something else.
As has been said, contrary to popular opinion CBs are not dead. The BRP CB is an expensive option but it is made to integrate very well into the Spyder audio system. Users' experiences vary with some having no problems at all with it and others considering it to be a piece of :cus:.
Phones are great, but using them while traveling is problematic, i.e., not convenient, and without extra steps you can talk to one person at a time only. And, believe it or not, there really are areas of the country without cell signals. CBs don't need an external radio system to communicate, and there's no limit to how many people you can talk to at one time. Bluetooth is a popular option but here again you are limited in how many people you can talk to, one or two at most, maybe three, if you want to use if for GPS and music also. Plus, you have to explicitly connect to the others. CBs require no connection rigamarole. BT range is limited to a few hundred feet. A good CB is limited to a few miles.
All in all, if you are riding with a group CB provides by far the best communication system between riders. If you only ever ride by yourself, or with only one or two others, then BT will be adequate. Cell phones work best and are safest to use when you are stopped. But when you are stopped you won't be encountering road hazards that you can warn others about.
I have a CB because I ride with a Goldwing chapter and most of them have CBs. I don't talk to truckers, but I could. I have occasionally monitored truck talk to keep tabs on what's ahead on the road.
One of these days one of us on the forum will figure out how to use the Spyder's PTT button with a handheld, which you have to use with BT, not wired headsets. When we get that done then we will be able to marry a CB with BT and have the best of both available.