Connection to Earbuds instead of Helmet?

[AKJones206]

Hi:

I have been using noise-cancelling earbuds while riding for a few years now. I no longer use the bluetooth com system in my helmet because the noise-cancelling earbuds make it so much quieter. I can listen to music or podcasts set at a reasonable volume, and hear them clearly while riding at highway speeds because the noise is tamped down.

I just bought a 2021 R1250 RS and the TFT connects to my phone just fine, but will not connect to my earbuds as if it were a helmet. 

Has anyone gotten the TFT to connect to a set of noise-cancelling earbuds as if they were a helmet?

Let me know how you did it. is is possible to make this work?

Thanks!

[darrell]

Are your ear buds attached to a devise like a Sena unit?

[TriangleRider]

Similar question to Darrel. Are the earbuds Bluetooth? What brans/model are they? If they are Bluetooth, you should be able to pair with the TFT.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

[darrell]

Verify your ear bugs whether blue tooth or connected to a devise like Sena is not trying or is connected to the phone vs the TFT screen.  If it is it will be likely be unable to connect to the TFT.

[maxredline]

FYI, old school wired earbuds can easily be enabled to Bluetooth using a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver sold for $20-40 on Amazon.

Personally I had been using the transmitter/receiver/earbud setup on my motorcycle/scooter/bicycle for years but now use a speaker integrated
Schuberth helmet for the motorcycle as it is way more comfortable.

[Grumpy Goat]

I always wondered how earbuds stay in the ear when a properly fitting (snug) helmet is pulled on. It would irritate the sh!t out of me if it shifted every time I pulled it on such that it was not sitting just right. Then I'd be obligated to pull off the helmet and do it all over again. I tell you that would last jig time before they would be tossed. To each his own I guess. I still have occasional issues with one ear folded over for the duration and that is bad enough ...

[darrell]

I've used only in ear buds since 2006.  If you go to a good audiologist and explain what you want and take your helmet liner and helmet along they can make them perfectly flat to the ears.  I've never installed the in helmet speakers as the volume has to change frequently depending on speeds, wind, etc.

I took a phone call today from a contractor while out riding at 65 mph and when I told him I was motorcycling so hoped he could hear me he said it sounded like I was sitting at home and he could hear me clearly as I could him.

i get mine from Starkey Labs, the hearing aid company located in Minnesota.  They actually have a motorsports team that handles motorcyclists and I'd guess areas like car racing, skiing, etc.  Watch a Nascar driver take off his helmet.   They have to literally peel the ear buds out of their ears.

[AKJones206]

Are your ear buds attached to a devise like a Sena unit?

No. Previously, I used them with my phone. I deleted the connection my phone had with these bluetooth earbuds, but that didn't fix the problem.

[AKJones206]

Similar  question to Darrel.  Are the earbuds Bluetooth? What brans/model are they?  If they are Bluetooth, you should be able to pair with the TFT.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

They are bluetooth. They are Apple AirPod Pro. Have used them with my iPhone. 

I deleted the connection in my iPhone just to see if they were connecting by default with the phone. That didn't fix the problem.

[AKJones206]

I always wondered how earbuds stay in the ear when a properly fitting (snug) helmet is pulled on. It would irritate the sh!t out of me if it shifted every time I pulled it on such that it was not sitting just right. Then I'd be obligated to pull off the helmet and do it all over again. I tell you that would last jig time before they would be tossed. To each his own I guess. I still have occasional issues with one ear folded over for the duration and that is bad enough ...

I wear a Schuberth C4 helmet. I put the helmet on, then before I put on the chinstrap, I put the earbuds in, one ear at a time. Then I can pull down the chin bar on the helmet. They are quite comfortable and secure in there. There is some space in the helmet's padding about where the ear hole is, so there's some room.

[Grumpy Goat]

I've used only in ear buds since 2006.  If you go to a good audiologist and explain what you want and take your helmet liner and helmet along they can make them perfectly flat to the ears.  I've never installed the in helmet speakers as the volume has to change frequently depending on speeds, wind, etc.

I agree those molded in-ear headphones work well and are way different. I was thinking more like wired earbuds that come with your mobile device (phone, music player, etc) and that plug into the ear canal and don't fit flush and can be dislodged when the helmet foam is dragged across the ears.

[Grumpy Goat]

I wear a Schuberth C4 helmet. I put the helmet on, then before I put on the chinstrap, I put the earbuds in, one ear at a time. Then I can pull down the chin bar on the helmet. They are quite comfortable and secure in there. There is some space in the helmet's padding about where the ear hole is, so there's some room.

Thanks for explaining. I expect it would be a little easier with a modular helmet like the C4.

[TriangleRider]

I always wondered how earbuds stay in the ear when a properly fitting (snug) helmet is pulled on. It would irritate the sh!t out of me if it shifted every time I pulled it on such that it was not sitting just right. Then I'd be obligated to pull off the helmet and do it all over again. I tell you that would last jig time before they would be tossed. To each his own I guess. I still have occasional issues with one ear folded over for the duration and that is bad enough ...

I wear a full-face Arai and can tell you there is no way that will work with any BlueTooth EarBud.  If I want to wear earbuds, I use a cheap, very slim wired version and plug them into the Cardo.  Even then, the only way to get the helmet and keep them in my ear is to put a thin skull cap before the helmet.

[AKJones206]

Hi:

I have been using noise-cancelling earbuds while riding for a few years now. I no longer use the bluetooth com system in my helmet because the noise-cancelling earbuds make it so much quieter. I can listen to music or podcasts set at a reasonable volume, and hear them clearly while riding at highway speeds because the noise is tamped down.

I just bought a 2021 R1250 RS and the TFT connects to my phone just fine, but will not connect to my earbuds as if it were a helmet. 

Has anyone gotten the TFT to connect to a set of noise-cancelling earbuds as if they were a helmet?

Let me know how you did it. is is possible to make this work?

Thanks!

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for your help! I finally got it working!

Here's what worked. 

1. I put the Apple AirPods Pro in my ears, and allowed them to connect to my iPhone.
2. With them thus connected, On my iPhone I went to "Settings—> Bluetooth" and deleted the connection to the AirPods. Because the connection between my phone and the AirPods was active at the time I deleted it, the AirPods got the message that they were not to connect to my phone. 
3. Then I turned on the TFT on the bike without starting the engine. 
4. Then I connected my iPhone to the TFT
5. On the TFT I went to "Settings —> Connect —> Rider's Helmet" and got it to search for a bluetooth connection to a helmet.
6. The AirPods Pro were in their charging case. I opened the case, and without taking the AirPods out of the case, I pressed the button on the back of the case. Because there was no connection to the iPhone, and the AirPods had deleted their connection to the iPhone, the little light on the AirPods case blinks White because it is looking for it's first connection. 
7. Then the TFT offered to connect to the AirPods. And it worked. 

The practical upshot of this is that these AirPods will be able to work with the bike, but if I reconnect them to my iPhone, I might be back at square one. In any case, it's an elaborate procedure to engage on every time I hop on the bike. So I am going to get a second set of AirPods and dedicate one pair for riding the motorcycle and the other for all other uses. I commute 30 miles/day on the freeway  so I will get a lot of use out of them. Plus the noise Cancelling feature is important because it makes riding so much quieter, and less damaging to my hearing. 

I hope this information is useful if this question ever comes up again.

[Grumpy Goat]

Thanks for sharing the fix and closing the loop. I am sure that it will benefit others who are inclined to use bluetooth earbuds.

[runnerhiker]

I took a phone call today from a contractor while out riding at 65 mph and when I told him I was motorcycling so hoped he could hear me he said it sounded like I was sitting at home and he could hear me clearly as I could him.

Not that Darrell needs confirmation, but, I called Darrell once and he was riding the motorcycle and he sounded like he was sitting in his living room chair!  This is so amazing, it still blows my mind when I think of it, I just had to say so here.

[imreddy]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for your help! I finally got it working!

Here's what worked. 
...

are you able to actually hear anything from the airpods. i've done the above steps and can connect to the airpods via the bike (music and media show up), but i don't hear anything.

[36654]

I understand how the earplugs with speakers could allow you to hear the incoming call, but where's the microphone mounted for your response?