Telos

I took my first incoming call this afternoon on the SMH5. It was the garage telling me my replacement tires for the SUV were in and he could mount them tomorrow, an appointment I didn't want to miss because two of the tires have nails and slow leaks. Anyway, the call was shockingly clear, apparently at his end as well as mine because he seemed to hear everything I said. We weren't at highway speed, but still, I was impressed.

After dicking around for several years, waiting for the technology to catch up with the demands of a wireless motorcycle intercom, I recently took the plunge and ordered two Sena SMH5 units. In the past, when I read reviews of available units, there always seemed to be some major failing, especially with the quality of the audio, Bluetooth pairing and complex operation. So I just put it off. (Also, I used to tell people that I liked to ride with my wife because we could spend hours together without talking......it was supposed to be humorous...but wasn't always taken that way. And once, I suggested to my young son that it would be neat if we could talk while riding and he pointed out that we don't talk that much even in the car..humm!..point taken.) My RSTD is the "2nd car", so I ride alone much of the time and I missed listening to the radio. So I ordered the FM version for me and the standard SMH5 version for my wife. In retrospect, I should have bought 2 FM units because Revzilla is offering the more hefty, optional speakers at no added cost with the FM version. But the standars speakers seem fine. The units easily installed in our full-face HTC helmets because the padding is removable and the wires are easy to conceal. The clamp which holds the main unit to the helmet is very solid and well constructed. The main unit slides in and out of this clamp for safe storage: only the speaker and mic connector remain on the helmet. I got the units with the boom mics and these are also easy to install and stay positioned. All the hardware appears heavy duty and solid. I didn't order the flagship SMH10 because they don't offer an FM option and we don't need the extra range for bike to bike communications. We've been using these units for about a week. We've tested the rider to passenger intercom and the FM. There is a slight echo in conversations, but because these are not voice activated units, there is no lag or dropped first words. It's real, duplex, natural conversation. My wife wears a face shield, but I don't. So the real test is if she hears me clearly at highway speeds. Not only does she hear me, but she doesn't hear disturbing highway, wind or engine sounds. Pretty remarkable. The FM version uses a downloadable utility which allows station programming on a PC. Very handy. I listen to a weak NPR station and the reception has some static, but stronger stations are very good. The volume control and station changing are intuitive and simple and not distracting from the important job of watching traffic and distracted cage drivers. It is sometimes necessary to raise or lower the volume, depending on ambient road and wind noise which is a little annoying. I haven't taken any phone calls yet and not sure I want to. I have a longer ride coming up and will post additional impressions as warranted.

Ive added soldering those connections to the to-do list, although if I get rear-ended by a car, I doubt there would be enough left to determine that the lights failed. I agree entirely with you about the importance of lights, front and rear. I added an HID headlight lamp on the front. I'd like to add a bright LED array to the break light, but this seems complex with the BackStop and turn signal modules. I'd have to replace at least the BackStop module with one that works with LEDs. Thanks again for your comments.

My favorite "move" is to wave at those HD guys with my throttle hand. Ah, the joys of cruise control!

TDbiker, I think you put your finger on it. My bike has two added run-turn-brake light controllers. Both were already installed when I bought the bike in 2010. Both are from Signal Dynamics. The "Tri-Star XP" unit makes the turn signal lights into brake and running lights. The "Back-Stop" module causes the brake lights to flash 3 times when the brakes are applied. I'm glad to have both since they promote some degree of added visibility and safety (although I wish they were brighter LED's). Both are neatly mounted under the driver's seat just aft of the battery. See the attached photo. So the problem, exactly as you suggested, was in the connections to these controllers. In the bottom right of the photo, you can see the blue wire taps used to connect these units to the original wiring. One of them was not making good contact. Problem solved for now, but if it comes back, I'll have to replace the taps. Thanks. John

I posted that question so long ago, I forgot I'd sent it. The turn signals started working again shortly after without any intervention, so I just moved on. I figured it was a lose wire which I'd eventually track down. Lately, however, they are again not working. As Flyinfool suggested, I had tested the socket and it has no current on either rear signal side. Could the relay have two different circuits for the front and rear turn signals and, in this case, the front is working and the rear is not? I notice now that the running light function of the rear turn signal lights is also not working. I think that suggests a faulty ground connection rather than the flasher relay. So I'll have to trace where the signals are connected to ground. I have a feeling it's inside the rear fender. Any other comments/suggestions are appreciated.

My father used to say, "You're only as old as who you feel". I ride occasionally with guys on age appropriate bikes. The youngest 20 something guy now rides one of those new Ducati Panigales. The middle 30 something guy is on a naked Buell. I ride a RSTD with a backrest. I think that sums it up.

Last week, I noticed that the dash-board turn signal indicator on my '05 RSTD was blinking awfully quickly. I remembered from cars I owned in the past that this might mean a burned out bulb doing something to the circuit (and might even be built into the system to alert the drive to a faulty bulb?). Sure enough, neither the REAR flashers or the rear running lights (same single element bulb) were not working . I checked both bulbs and they looked okay and passed a continuity test. The interesting part of this is that the FRONT turn signals still work. I assumed the turn signal relay, a DENSO 066500-4120 FB257H, might be bad but if so how could the front signals and running lights still be working? So my question to you all is this; does the fact that the front flashers/running lights still work mean that the relay is okay and that the problem with the rear lights must be something else? Perhaps a lose connection elsewhere? Photo of the relay is attached. Thanks for any collective wisdom.

I read all the posts and reviews and settled on the Utopia. It installed as advertised and works as promised on my RSTD 05. Very comfortable with lots of middle back support, right where the ache used to be. I'm short but it was easy to find a comfortable position or even adjust it when riding. I no longer have to hang on to the grips when accelerating off a light. Just lean back and let the backrest take the load. Now if I can only solve the problem of the engine heat on the floorboards.