Modern Buddy

Thanks to my fave morning talk show gang...

The soundtrack to Xanadu.

I was laughing so hard this morning listening to them discuss and play this.

It's got a nice beat, Olivia Newton-John isn't too bad singer...

Haha! Nice pick!!

Quick question...

How do you safely listen to music while on a scooter? I'm gonna firmly assume that MP3 player and ear buds are way out of the question. I think the only thing I'll miss on my morning commute is Top Tracks on XM radio. Anyone have a small, but powerful enough speaker system that will work with a portable XM unit or Ipod?

I jokingly told the Mrs. that I was gonna hang this cheap shower radio on the hook above the center pocket. I got it as part of a $10 "Mystery Box" from Thingfling, which was on our doorstep yesterday, the same day we picked up the buddy.... Taking a closer look, I'm thinking it might have been less of a joke and more of a weird premonition (insert spooky sound here).

Thanks all!

Lostmycage wrote:Quick question...

How do you safely listen to music while on a scooter? I'm gonna firmly assume that MP3 player and ear buds are way out of the question.

Why assume that? I occasionally wear earbuds. If not, then always earplugs.

My favorite riding music lately is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL45YOtbuy0

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siJnuEeY7Ug

and stuff like that. Not normally my thing, but long, mellow repetitive songs keep me focused somehow.

JettaKnight wrote: I'm gonna firmly assume that MP3 player and ear buds are way out of the question.

I'd never wear both, it's illegal most places, and you want to hear traffic. I wear one sometimes, and keep it down pretty low. I don't do it very often, but sometimes I just need it.

Helmet/road noise has never bothered me enough to wear earplugs.

Lostmycage wrote:Quick question...

How do you safely listen to music while on a scooter? I'm gonna firmly assume that MP3 player and ear buds are way out of the question. I think the only thing I'll miss on my morning commute is Top Tracks on XM radio. Anyone have a small, but powerful enough speaker system that will work with a portable XM unit or Ipod?

I haven't seen many successful speaker systems for scooters. However, I believe you can listen safely at low levels, either by using one earbud (which is actually legal in many states) or helmet headphones (that velcro into your helmet but aren't IN your ears so they allow more ambient sound. Or even...

When I listen to music, which is maybe 1/3 of the time I ride, I use ear buds (both of them but not particularly isolating ones- the kind that clip on your ear and yes go a bit in your ear but not as far as true ear buds) and keep the volume low enough that I can pretty much hear the turn signal indicator.

I can't do the one earbud thing. Maybe if I were listening to talk radio, but not for music. Also, you generally tend to turn one earbud up louder than you'd turn two up because you have to compensate for what your other ear is hearing (I have worked with in-ear monitors on stage for years and know this to be true from experience as well as reading other's opinions on it)

I don't know how my helmet ranks on the quietness scale, but at speeds of 40-50, the wind noise in my helmet is easily as loud as the music I listen to, so I don't think it diminishes my hearing of outside sounds.

I also use an iPod shuffle clipped to my pants pocket so I can quickly turn it off if I get in a busy situation or need to hear something at a stop.

I also believe that for me, music tends to focus me rather than distract. This is a personal thing, but I've always known it to be true for me.

No flames, please!

Interesting that listening with earbuds is illegal in some states. That is not something I've encountered in TX. We put on earbuds and then put our helmets on. We've been looking into the helmet communication system that allows for Bluetooth for cell and comunication between riders AND MP3 listening. It's about $100 for each set (we saw them last night at the MC dealer where I bought my jacket and new helmet).

I found a dual jack for my iPod so we both wear the earbuds and listen to tunes while riding.

I personally prefer the mellower grooves for riding because it just adds to the ambience of road surfing, KWIM?

Some really good ones are: (and you can figure out my musical tastes here) Depeche Mode; The Cult; New Order Substance; Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (tell me you can resist head strut/bobbing when Stayin' Alive starts!)

illnoise wrote:My favorite riding music lately is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL45YOtbuy0

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siJnuEeY7Ug

and stuff like that. Not normally my thing, but long, mellow repetitive songs keep me focused somehow.

you sir have just become one of my favorite board members...lol I'm telling you though nothing beats the theme song to Knight Rider ...Hahahaha

It's good to hear different input on this. I really am curious, but at the same time, I have a few concerns... I know from experience that too much noise is very much a bad thing; slow, long term hearing loss just plain sucks, so loud music+road noise... that thought concerns me a little bit.

The other main concern is not hearing my surroundings. Not necessarily being distracted or wrapped up in the music, but just not hearing the D-bag in the Monster Cage who thinks it's cool to let me know he wants to pass me in my lane by just doing it.

I'm perfectly willing to forgo the music all together if means uncompromised safety. But I am hopeful for some alternatives.

Thanks!

Lostmycage wrote:I'm perfectly willing to forgo the music all together if means uncompromised safety. But I am hopeful for some alternatives.

Well, no music is the safest, for sure, but you can mitigate the risk by doing the one-ear-keep-it-low-remove-the-tempation-of-goofing-with-the-ipod-while-you're-riding route. It's all about your comfort level and risk assessment.

And putting external speakers on your bike is just not a good solution, it's annoying to others, you can't even hear them at speed, and even with shock-resistant mounts, weather and vibration are not good for your ipod. It's a neat gimmick for custom bikezzz, but not really very practical.

Riding with one headphone requires no investment or extra gear, either, which is nice. I find that I can hear both road noise AND the ipod pretty well, even at low volume. (Obviously you don't want to use a noise-cancelling earbud, btw)

Bb.

illnoise wrote:...(Obviously you don't want to use a noise-cancelling earbud, btw)
Bb.

Why not? (I'm being serious. Stupid, too, maybe, but serious.) I thought noise cancelling headphones were made to cancel out background noise, the wind-in-the-helmet/keep-you-from-hearing-the-turn-dinker kind of noise. I'm confused.

In my defense, we never have the volume so loud that we can't hear what's happening around us. Combined with OHs MSF training in the Advanced Rider Course, we're always aware of our surroundings while riding. Part of what appeals to me about scootering is that I've experienced first hand what it's like to ride with someone who knows how to ride safely.

Syd wrote:

illnoise wrote:...(Obviously you don't want to use a noise-cancelling earbud, btw)
Bb.

Why not? (I'm being serious. Stupid, too, maybe, but serious.) I thought noise cancelling headphones were made to cancel out background noise, the wind-in-the-helmet/keep-you-from-hearing-the-turn-dinker kind of noise. I'm confused.

Noise canceling headphones work by taking the ambient sound around you (not just wind, but all of it- including blinkers, horns, traffic noise, etc) and feeding that same sound through the speakers but 180 degrees out of phase, which somewhat effectively cancels out the original sound. So, noise canceling headphones of any kind make it so (if they worked perfectly) all you hear is the music you are listening to and NOTHING else. Therefore, they would be bad!

bunny wrote: It's about $100 for each set (we saw them last night at the MC dealer where I bought my jacket and new helmet).

what model and where at again?

jmazza wrote:...Noise canceling headphones work by taking the ambient sound around you (not just wind, but all of it-...

Thanks jmazza. I should have looked into it earlier, but thought, interest, and internet connection never aligned before now.

illnoise wrote:

JettaKnight wrote: I'm gonna firmly assume that MP3 player and ear buds are way out of the question.

I'd never wear both, it's illegal most places, and you want to hear traffic. I wear one sometimes, and keep it down pretty low. I don't do it very often, but sometimes I just need it.

Helmet/road noise has never bothered me enough to wear earplugs.

With the added wind from the windshield, wind noise is enough to fatigue me. Reducing fatigue is the best way to stay safe and alert. Plus I do a modest about of audio engineering so hearing is important to me. FWIW, WebBikeWorld recommends always wears earplugs.

As far as music, it's not much worse (or even better) than the a-holes with straight pipes on their Harleys or the cagers with a bluetooth gadget shoved in their ear. Actually, blocking one ear is worse than blocking both since it ruins your spatial hearing. - the brain can no longer correctly locate sounds.

Indiana does not prohibit headphones and I only use them when on rural rides.

I'd like to get BOT: Xanadu! That's all you need to say.

bunny, very nice choice! How can ANYONE resist Olivia Newton-John???? Really, how? Just check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m1UWSD- ... re=related

Or, for a bigger fix:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6uChtN8 ... re=related

Afterall, I did name my scoot after her.

Full disclosure: I'm a big ol' geek...when it comes to her.

sargelee71 wrote:bunny, very nice choice! How can ANYONE resist Olivia Newton-John???? Really, how?

It's not all that hard.

In college, I was in a tribute band called OliviaNewtonJohnCougarMellanCamperVanBeethoven. There was one rehearsal, then we called it quits over creative differences. Really, we could not have lived up to a name like that, especially since there were like 8 people in the band but only four of us played instruments and one of those was harmonica. Another was the spoons. I've no doubt that if we'd only persevered, we could have been huge. Huger than Dred Zeppelin huge.

ericalm wrote:

sargelee71 wrote:bunny, very nice choice! How can ANYONE resist Olivia Newton-John???? Really, how?

It's not all that hard.

In college, I was in a tribute band called OliviaNewtonJohnCougarMellanCamperVanBeethoven. There was one rehearsal, then we called it quits over creative differences. Really, we could not have lived up to a name like that, especially since there were like 8 people in the band but only four of us played instruments and one of those was harmonica. Another was the spoons. I've no doubt that if we'd only persevered, we could have been huge. Huger than Dred Zeppelin huge.

I totally would've paid money to see that--maybe not "good" money, but money nevertheless. Sounds like it was a cover band with an identity crisis. Hey, if Sleater-Kinney can go into therapy as a group, why couldn't you guys?

Illnoise, did you see ESG in Chicago in August of 2001 at Ladyfest Midwest? They were our headlining & festival closing band. They were a total coupe for us to get, and we held our collective breath until they were all on stage, because there was always the chance that they'd re-neg. But they were amazing---to see the moms up there with their daughters and nieces was way cool.

bunny wrote:Thanks to my fave morning talk show gang...

The soundtrack to Xanadu.

I was laughing so hard this morning listening to them discuss and play this.

It's got a nice beat, Olivia Newton-John isn't too bad singer...

ha! I still own it on vinyl.


For you youngsters, vinyl is how music came before cassettes, which came before CDs, which came before mp3s.

Oh, and as I mentioned in another thread:

ELO Rulez! their side of the soundtrack is superior. A duet with Cliff Richards? Olivia, please!

I love ELO! Last night I went to a garden concert tribute to the Beatles and was thinking how ELO, the Beatles and *early* Santana influenced my musical tastes.

I've decided all three need to be on my iPod.

sargelee71 wrote:Illnoise, did you see ESG in Chicago in August of 2001 at Ladyfest Midwest?

No, I wasn't quite hip enough to be into them back then. They're not really my thing, but I like a little bit of everything. I played Moody for my 12-year old neighbor and she was making fun of it the first couple times she heard it, and now it's like her favorite song.

Actually my favorite band right now (polar opposite, ha) is Boris, they're this Japanese stoner rock band on Southern Lord, I love 'em because they're all over the place, some songs are long and droney like Spacemen 3 or Tortoise, and some sound like old Monster Magnet, but faster and better. They're a trio with a totally shredding female guitar player, if you wanna freak out some folks at Ladyfest, ha. Get the Au Pairs back together, too!

I've been really getting into those 70s nigerian rock compilations lately too.

But mostly I just like new wave, postpunk, and indie rock, with a little old ska and motown/stax/etc.

"Get the Au Pairs back together, too! "

My partner would LOVE it if the Au Pairs got back together. We've been playing X-Ray Spex a lot lately...fun fun fun.

I would like to thank this thread for the weird dreams last night and the song that refuses to leave my poor brain.

I'd gone to bed wondering what kind of name to give my tangerine Buddy125. The sight of it seems so cheery and makes me want to smile and laugh. A different feel from the cream colored Buddy50 I had which had a more of a labrador dog companion kind of feel to it. I'd also been wondering how to mod it's paintjob so that it was unique in a way that if stolen it would be immediately recognizeable. These thoughts, and this thread, resulted in the following...

In my dream there was a harrowing close call in which a recreational truck (big wheels jacked up, roll bars, etc) rode right up on my tail to the point that he, i think, was trying to see if he could tap my top case with his front bumper. I was doing 45 in a 50mph road. He was honking at me and yelling at me to get off the road. But it's not like he allowed me any slow down room and seemed to think that it's perfectly ok to just pull over into a shoulderless road without any space nor timing needed. Either that or that somehow I could do a 90 degree turn onto the upcoming dirt roads while doing 45mph.

Anyways, the road is frequented by biker groups and one small group happened to pass by from the opposite direction. One of the guys saw what was going on, did a U turn and was going to try to help me..somehow, I dunno how. Finally the loose dirt and gravel parking lot opened up and I turned into it, sliding along the ground on our sides. (yes, I was wearing proper riding jacket and pants thank goodness.) I was so hyped up on adrenaline and ticked (mild word) off that I jumped up before I realized I was hurt and picked up a good sized rock and threw it at his truck. Well, you know how dreams go....I actually hit it!! smacked right into his back window. The trucker (not wheeler trucker, but this jerk) got ticked that I dare do that and he pulled into the parking lot and then tried to run me and my scooter over. The biker had stopped to help me get up and we saw the trucker coming right at us. I told the biker to take care of my scooter, and I did what I once did ages ago, I stood there as a target, then sidestepped quickly enough to jump onto his door frame area and started smashing my fist into his face, lol.

Across the street there were a bunch of bikers that walked out of the bar, seeing what was going on, and raised an uproar. This alerted the biker that was helping me and he saw me whaling on the trucker. So he comes over to pull me off (he wasn't in a big hurry) before the cops come. The trucker finally makes it out of his truck and the three of us are going at it, while the bikers from the bar run over and start smashing on his truck. (can we say dream anger issues???) The trucker sees what's going on and freaks out and turns his attentions to them, leaving me in some peace...in which I immediately fall to my knees and start wretching my guts out and shaking badly. The biker comes to help me and in between gasps I tell him to tell the others to go before the cops arrive. So the others go, the biker stays with me to help explain to the cops what he saw (we dunno who it was that tipped his truck over officer...*angel eyes*).

The trucker's freaking out, doesn't understand why he'd get bombarded nor why anyone would come up to him at the stop sign and tip his truck over (nevermind that the truck wasn't anywhere near the stop sign...somehow if he seemed confused enough, the cop would believe him). My and my scoot had already been seen regularly around the area by the cops who patrol that road for speeders, and one of them arrived and vouched for my normal and safe riding during the times he's seen me. The cops arrested the guy..and depending on which version of the dream I either...

a) was let go, where the biker helps me and my scooter to the bar until I calm enough and a few members of the group show up to help me get me and my scooter home, whereby I make some friends who stop by on their own once in a while to invite me to ride with them..just like groups of 2-3.

b) I get arrested and the biker tells me he'll have my scoot at the local biker hang out for when I get out. I have my court date and all, get let loose with a fine for fighting in public. I go to the place and find out that the scoot had been pretty thrashed but that they group had gotten together and spiffed it up including all sorts of 'harley' looking accessories. Lol, my little orange scooter had specially made black leather saddle bags, the top case was replaced with a leather box/bag, as was my front basket...all of it with that leather fringe and studs, etc. HAHAHAHA

Anyways, the point to the dream sharing...
As I was sitting there after having puked my guts out...and as I was trying to get my scrambled brain and shaking body together, I quoted a song I used to love when I was in high school "Sometimes you're the windshield....Sometimes you're the bug" This caused both the officer and the biker guy to laugh their heads off. And for the rest of the dream(s) me or my scooter were referred to as "The Bug".

During the night, during the dreams, and all morning I've had that song running through my head. For those who don't know it, you can hear the song in the first three minutes of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ei7k7-kzE
or read the lyrics here: http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/carp ... -5188.html

I think I've found the name for my scooter. But I'm not sure if it's an omen or not, heh. But the scooter kind of reminds me of those large beetles (stink bugs? or maybe a scarab?) as well as a bit of a volkswagon bug car. And, well, my van's windshield had a rock smash into it when we were transporting the scooter home after buying it...resulting in a crushed area of glass and spider veins growing an inch or more each day. "Sometimes it all comes together....sometimes you're just a fool in love..."...in love with your scooter, lol.

This one gets me moving, and the video even has scooters in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JePJNCrxpcY