| Few things can offer the freedom that a motorcycle | | | | tours you might venture into places where no cellular |
| tour provides. Whether it is a planned vacation with | | | | base station is in proximity. |
| friends or a simple run into the countryside to feel | | | | A much better choice would be to resort to the use of |
| some fresh air hitting your face, the invigoration is | | | | cheap and reliable two way radios. These radios |
| enormous. Since on such tours you are usually not | | | | operate ad-hoc, meaning that they do not require the |
| riding alone, a very important aspect is communication | | | | existence of a base station. While entry level radios |
| with companion riders for coordination and help, or | | | | are generally very cheap, they do not provide |
| even just to chat for fun. | | | | particularly good operation ranges. This should not be a |
| There is such a wide selection of products that cover | | | | problem though, since your fellow riders will most |
| this need that you are guaranteed to find what you | | | | probably be very near you and commercial |
| are looking for, for a price. Motorcycle intercoms can | | | | motorcycle intercom devices would not have a larger |
| provide communication both with your passenger and | | | | range anyway. The best solution would be an FRS |
| with other riders. They come in many flavors, from | | | | (Family Radio Service) capable two way radio, since |
| simple wired solutions to wireless and Bluetooth. These | | | | the FRS service does not require a license, coupled |
| ready products, while doing an excellent job, usually | | | | with a two way radio helmet headset. You should look |
| come at a high price. | | | | for radios with VOX (Voice Activated Transmit) and a |
| As a first, naive, alternative solution one might think of | | | | compatible headset accessory to keep your hands |
| cellular phones, since everyone owns one nowadays. | | | | completely free while enjoying the ride. A potential |
| Motorcycle headsets for cellular phones exist and they | | | | problem is the lack of privacy, which can result in |
| are not very expensive. However, it is very | | | | extreme cross-chatter in densely populated areas but |
| inconvenient, not to mention expensive, to dial a | | | | out in the country and while cruising on highways, this |
| number each time you want to talk to someone. | | | | will not be a problem. |
| Network coverage is also an issue, since on such | | | | |