Extreme Cycle Radio - Product Review

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  Posted by ProductReviews September 7, 2011 - Filed in Product Reviews - 25,489 views
  

  Product: Handlebar Motorcycle Radio System Model 120db3

  Distributor: Extreme Cycle Radio  

  Product Website: www.extremecycleradio.com/

  Cost: $289.00

  Overall Rating: Very Good

   

  Review:

  Ok, I have had my Extreme Cycle Radio motorcycle sound system installed on the Road King for a little over a month now and had a chance to try all its functions in all riding situations... around town, on the highway, alone, with a group of bikes, and even in the rain.
  

  One thing I am going to tell you is that if you are an audiophile looking for a system with studio quality sound and lots of bells and whistles... this may not be the system for you.  But if you're looking for an affordable sound system for your motorcycle with good quality sound, that is easy to install and comes in a complete ready to go kit, this may be just be the product for you.
  

  The overall sound quality and volume when riding around town or on the back roads is really good!   However, if you are on a crowded fast moving highway or an open road above 85 mph it becomes a little hard to hear, even when turned up completely.  Now since I have never had any type of sound on a motorcycle before, I really don't know if this is any better or worse than other systems in those conditions.  I can tell you however that unlike a lot of audio systems, this system has very little distortion at full volume.
  

  As for usability and functionality - it is excellent.  The unit is operated via a small control with 6 buttons that can be easily mounted where it can be accessed using your thumb without taking you hand off the grip.  There is a power button, volume up and down, skip forward and backwards (songs or FM stations, depending on the mode you are in) and mute.  The unit has a built-in FM tuner that works well, however there is no station indicator so you have to just scan stations until you find something you like.  There is an Aux input to connect your iPod or MP3 player, plus there are two storage device inputs - one USB connector to plug in a memory stick, and one SD card reader.  I personally found the SD card reader to be my preference.  I have two 2GB cards with a couple hundred songs on each... one with my "around town" collection and one with my "open road collection".  The skip buttons on the control make it easy to just browse through the songs or just listen to them all in order.  And when you shut the unit off and turn it back on - it resumes at the last song you were listening to.
  

  The system also comes with a wireless remote with limited functionality.  WARNING - Do NOT let your wife (girlfriend, ol' lady, etc) know that there is a wireless remote - this may lead to your favorite road songs getting skipped over or turned down!!!!
  

  The unit itself is very compact and will fit just about anywhere on your bike.  The construction of the unit is metal with a plastic face place and is NOT water proof so it does need to be in a protected location.  

  The speakers are small enough to not distract from the look of the bike, but large enough to put out a good amount of sound.  The speaker cases are plastic with a simulated chrome finish and look just fine.  I will get back to you later to let you know how the finish holds up.

  Installation was a breeze.  The unit is so small it can go just about anywhere.  When I first installed it I put the unit in my windshield pouch, mounted the speakers to my handle bars and the small control unit to the screw on my left hand grip so I could control the unit with my thumb without taking my hand of the grip.  However after my first long trip I decided I didn't like it in the windshield pouch anymore.  First of all that’s where I keep my camera, cell phone and cigars; second I was just a little concerned about how easy it was to walk off with.  I relocated the unit into my saddle bag, and thanks to the extra long wires supplied with the system, this was no problem at all. Since you can do everything from the mini controller (the one mounted within reach) there is really no need to have the unit where you can reach it while riding.

  Overall I am very happy with the Extreme Cycle Radio on my bike.  There are still times I shut it off and just listen to the sound of the road, but most of the time now you will find me rolling down the road jamming to my favorite tunes.
  

  To learn more about the Extreme Cycle Radio visit their Profile Here on CycleFish, or the Extreme Cycle Radio website.

   

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