Hi all.
I had the Lidl bike to bike setup but it didn't work on the road (ok in the front room). No problems taking it back.

Question,; Most of the intercoms use a speaker type earpiece. Do you guys use ear plugs with them?
I'm thinking that they must be soooo loud as to overcome the background noise and as such can't be doing the hearing much good.

Autocom
 

Yes - wear earplugs! They're not broadcasting into your ears all the time though and earplugs, by lowering all noise across the spectrum, will allow you to discern the intercom more easily when it's noisy.

We took Autocom to Africa with Cobra MT750s. Worked like a treat, especially in town where we risked getting lost a lot. Luckily, the Police weren't interested although we know that 446 frequencies aren't legal in many places outside europe.

Autocom
 

Cheap is no good when you're talking comms. I've used a few over the years, Sonic, Nady, Oxford etc. and not one of them has come up to the quality of Autocom. Does exactly what it says on the box .. I have a Super Pro AVI on my GS and an Active Seven on my Pan and both are crystal clear Rider to Passenger and Bike to Bike at an indicated 140 mph, (I could hear the missus yelling at me to slow down so maybe thats a downside to it!!!), no external noise at ANY speed as the Mic only activates when you speak.
Bike to Bike distance with just the standard Kenwood radio is not too bad either, motorway cruising probably about 1.5 - 2mls, out in the countryside or built up areas a little less, but as I said thats with the basic radio's, you should be able to get further if you want to spend a lot more!.

Autocom - Home of the World's best Motorcycle Communication & Entertainment systems check the comparison between Starcom and Autocom

Scala Q2
 

I have just started using a pair of these and can highly recommend them.
No problems setting them up (pairing) and they work as you'd expect.
Having comms with another rider transforms the ride.
The radio works well and station changes with gloves are easy.
I have yet to try the cell phone as I don't have a bluetooth phone (yet) but have paired it with a friends and everything worked as it should so I am not expecting anything different on the road.
Overall, very happy and would recommend

We've been testing the scala rider2 for a month now in anticipation of a transfrica trip this september.

We've found that it will work very well for bike to bike up to 300m and at speeds up to 160km/h.
mounting the ear pieces was easy in the arai tourX, but needed a dot of superglue fir the bmw enduro helmet.
it works for a whole day's riding, and takes an hour to charge (by the way the charger is same one as some nokia phone!)
Havent tried the radio, i think it might be good for daily commuters, but for cross continent travelling a think an ipod with an fm transmitter might be good (though your concentration will drop and your speed will rise listening to eminem!!)
i have mine paired via bluetooth to a nokia 6110 navigator phone, and it works very well, using both the gps and phone function of the unit.
have not used it to place calls, but only to receive. folks at the other hand had no idea i was on the bike. (though for safety reasons, suggest when a call comes in u slow down/stop on the side of the road).
the switch from bike to bike intercom to phone/gps instruction is seemless andworkd very well.
now one draw back, my better half talks a lot!!!!!

best
j

My budget Maplin set up has finally given up the ghost after 3 years sterling service. I'm now in the market for a replacement bike to bike comms set up. I have about £200 to spend but would prefer to limit the new system to £150 max.

Any suggestions?

Thumbs up for blueant
 

We use the older version of the Interphone, the newer version is the F4. IMO it is excellent and everything it advertises it does and it does it all very well. :thumbup1:

BlueAnt Interphone BlueTooth Motorcycle Intercom

We've been using it for 3 years and the battery holds just as well as when it was new. On recharge and we are still able to travel for 5-7 days without recharging them.

Here is the updated link.

F4 Interphone Motorcycle Kit - BlueAnt Wireless

we recommed it above and beyond any wired device, also integrates with phone, GPS and music (as long as they use bluetooth ie for a smartphone).

intaride
 

we r on the road heading through Laos and China to Uzbekistan and have used Intaride, Bike to Bike Radio, kit 15 and so far (2,500km) has been good. we can cover more than 1km between the bikes, radios last 2 days with one charge and all looks solid and works. best