Bikes, Beers, and Bytes

Last week the temperature hit a solid 60 degrees. So I thought it was time to take the bike out. The bike battery was dead just didn’t have enough juice to start the Rocket III. I threw the batter on my charger. While the battery was charging I had to work some break free into the gas cap lock and latch. Winter had froze both to near solid.

Still after charging the bike wouldn’t turn over. I put the charger back on the battery and went inside to read for an hour. When the hour passed, I tried again and the engine came alive. Patience is rewarding.

To bad I woke up to flurries this morning. . .

I didn’t wait long after my disappointment with the Oneal helmet before I moved on to my next helmet. In fact while I was filling out the online return form, I was also ordering a Vemar Jiano Bluetooth helmet. It is more shiny shiny (see lingo moment – shiny shiny) than the Oneal Element, but at twice the price it better deliver.

Vemar Jiano

The fit

To size this helmet I measured my head and found my size on the Vemar helmet sizing chart. I was in-between sizes, so I ordered a size larger. The helmet has plentiful padding and a washable removable liner. It has an internal flip-down sun visor, and the strap is a quick release closure. For the Bluetooth system, this model contains a boom mic that presses against my face when the helmet is closed.

The Bluetooth

Pairing helmet with phone was easy. It uses the same super secret pairing code as most devices “0000” ~shhhhhh. The two button control system is minimal, non-obtrusive, and easy to use. Press and hold for two seconds to answer, or three to deny. The system alerts with tones and beeps to acknowledge the commands. When answering calls, while in motion, I could hear callers even at 60 miles per hour. Though it seems to depends on the voice of the caller and phone they are calling you from. I have a friend that is a low talker and couldn’t hear him even at highest volume while parked on the side of the road.

A2DP Bluetooth is supported for music playback. In fact, I can hear music better than callers. This system works well with an iPhone in fact it works just like headphones. When the music is playing and a call comes in the music fades out. When you hang up the call the music fades back in. Sound quality is a bit trebly, but the information from the Vemar site says that Sound quality in this helmet is not high fidelity.

The conclusion

Overall I like this helmet, it’s a keeper. The padding is high quality and the fit was right. Bluetooth is easy to use, but a little trebly. I like how configurable the ventilation is, but the ventilation and face mask create wind noise at high speeds. Additional plusses are the built-in sun visor and quick release helmet strap.

Now I can cruise the highway and race through curves with tunes in my ear. **grin Not that I would impair my hearing of traffic with occasional music in my ears grin**. Take calls (roadside use recommended) from friends and family, making the road less lonely. If solitude of the road is desired Bluetooth can be turned off. Heck coverage is a tricky thing. You never know when it may drop out 😉

“Head out on the highway, looking for adventure” -Steppenwolf words by Mars Bonfire

Well that’s exactly what inspired my whole adventure into Bluetooth helmets. The Steppenwolf song itself you ask? No, but music and the highway. Yes the highway, long lonely stretches of black asphalt begging for some attention. Twisty, curvy corners calling my name. At this moment I inevitably think about how some tunes in my ears could further accentuate the thrill of the ride. More often than not this is followed by a ringing cell phone buzzing in my pocket.

This begins the process of pulling over, putting the bike on its stand, taking off your helmet, removing gloves, digging for the phone, and finally returning the call. Then reversing the whole process. This begot my desire for a Bluetooth helmet. The thought process was I could pull over, put bike on stand maybe and tap a button to return the prior incoming call. Additionally the helmet may support A2DP which would provide stereo music playback as well. **Grin not that I would obstruct my hearing of the road by piping music into my helmet. Grin**

The Challenge

So initially I set a limit of under $200. After looking at reviews I found that the two best Bluetooth helmets for my needs were the O’neal Fastrack Element Bluetooth, and the Vemar Jiano Bluetooth. The O’neal helmet was under my budget and was reviewed as the loudest speakers. I sized the helmet as guided by O’neal. Relying on measurements was a mistake and I should have known better.

The helmet arrived and I was psyched. Yeah I know its just a friggin brain bucket. It’s a shiny shiny brain bucket in flat black.

Lingo moment : shiny shiny is tech talk for gadget purchase simply because it's new or cutting edge.

The Fit

One of the first things I noticed is the nice built-in wind guard under the chin. Next I observed speakers in little pouches sewn to the chin straps. The speakers seemed so far from where the ear will be that it made me question their usefulness. I tried on the helmet a few times. It was a tight fit. I took off the helmet, thinking I was going to have to return the shiny shiny helmet. I attempted a final fit and this time I was less cautious about holding the straps tight to the sides. The speakers turned ever so slightly. This situation became apparent to me when I tried to remove the helmet and it was stuck. I had to jimmy around the straps, and reach in to move the speakers in a way that would allow my large head to vacate the helmet. Despite this I convinced myself to keep the shiny shiny helmet and that it would wear in.

The Bluetooth

So I moved onto the Bluetooth. Assembly of the Element helmet was straight forward. Put the battery in the Bluetooth transceiver. Lifted the rubber cap covering the charger Jack. This cover fell off and got lost on the floor. I think the dog ate it.

After charging the battery I paired the helmet with my phone using the super secret code of, wait for it….. “0000”. With the phone paired I donned the helm once again, and played some tunes. Audio quality was not too bad. This is when I notice the self-reseting volume knob would stick in the down position. I took a call on the Bluetooth system. The volume in the headset was good and the quality was clear. These speakers can put out some serious volume. I suggest hearing protection if using high volume levels to hear over wind noise.

While testing the Bluetooth I noticed two more problems. First while pushing down on the helmet I could feel lumpy plastic pieces pushing into my forehead. This was alarming. Lack of padding, and hard objects in the frontal area of the helmet. Should I wreck, I did not trust this frontal area of the helmet to protect me. This is 100% my opinion, but it negated all the shiny shiny the helmet had for me. The pressure of the speakers against my neck felt like they were cutting off the circulation to my head.

The Conclusion

So ultimately with a sticky knob and bumpy interior I returned the helmet. If I got a larger size I could possibly be happy with the helmet. This trial also made me realize I want smaller less obtrusive controls and ample padding to make me feel secure. So it is with a heavy heart that once again I return to the road alone and without tunes. Taking solace in the wind in my face and twisty curves ahead. Oh and if I missed your call it’s ’cause I didn’t have coverage 😉

Change is on the horizon, or is it? Will I return to Element, or will I run to the waiting protection of another helmet?