Communication Package and More

I had the communication package installed last week. At first glance this looks like $2000 for a CB radio and an intercom. Not a very good value. So why do it? The cost aside, the whole system cleanly integrates with the bike. A second antennal and two discrete plugs are the only outward indication that anything was added. The radio itself is buried in the bodywork somewhere in the back. A new CB menu is available with controls for channel, squelch and the like. The real thing you get with this package is the headsets. Or rather the ability to communicate with the passenger and hear any audio. This includes the radios, iPod and GPS.

Is the cost worth it? Certainly you can duplicate the same functionality much cheaper but there is value to having everything cleanly integrated. No messy wires to manage. Plus you don’t have to worry about parts getting stolen. Still the cost is quite high.

Installation is another issue. I made an appointment with RPM Motorsports two weeks ahead of time as I was taking that week off from work. The Spyder does not trailer well because of clearances with the front end. So I rode the bike down and arranged for a rental car. The plan was to do the 600 mile service at the same time. Total work time, eight hours. It appears that they did not work on the bike as planed and took an extra day. This added to the expense of the car rental.

To add injury to insult they did not have the headsets. They were on back order for another six months. So now I have added $1500 worth of communication gear and no way to use it. The alternative was to use a headset made by J&M. Some initial confusion indicated that they wanted to modify the bike to accommodate the headset. Clearly this was stupid. If it was really compatible, all you would need to do, at most, was to change the plug on the headset. Changing the bike seems like rotating the house to change a light bulb. It all turned to out to be a miscommunication and the headsets are plug-and-play compatible. Great I’ll take those. Oops, out of those as well. I got a call last Saturday and they have the headsets in. Now all I need to do is get them installed or do it myself.