Skull Candy Ink’d Earphones Review

Do You Ride with Ear Plugs or Earphones?

Being a music aficionado with extremely eclectic tastes, just a few months after getting my bike I wanted to be able to enjoy listening to music when I rode on my daily commute. I had acquired an Apple IPod Nano a short time back which I had won in a contest at work and did not use very much. I had filled up the Nano’s four Gigs with great music including Oldies, Classic Country, Classic Rock, Contemporary Country, Blues, Disco and, Jazz genres. I still have a hard time keeping just my top favorites on the Nano’s limited storage space, there are still other music and genres I would like to include.

One of the things I did not like about the IPods was those uncomfortable ear buds that came with them. They are large, bulky and extremely uncomfortable. Since I ride with a half helmet I decided to look for some comfortable earphones so I could listen to music during my work motorcycle commute. I had heard of earphones with active noise cancelling and since I have Cobra exhaust I figured that feature would be helpful. I found some at Wal-Mart and they did have active noise canceling that required a double A battery to power.

I rode with them on to work and home one time before I donated them to one of my teenaged sons. It was not that they did not work; it’s that they worked way too well. I cannot even remember what brand they were. The problem I had with them was that I could not hear anything. I couldn’t hear my exhaust nor could I hear the sound of the vehicles on the freeway coming up along side me. My motorcycle, a V-Star 1100 Classic does not come with a tachometer and without the sound reference I could hardly tell when to shift.

Part of the problem was at the time I was a fairly new rider. Not being able to hear the traffic around me really scared the beJesus out of me. It almost scared me as bad as the time on the way home late in the day on a two lane freeway. A vehicle passed me on the left lane and its shadow followed it on my right. I happened to be passing an onramp on my right at the time. I about jumped off the bike catching the shadow to the right in the onramp lane in my peripheral vision, overtaking me.

It’s been a year and a half now and I decided to try again with non noise cancelling ear buds. I guess you figured out I live close to a Wal-Mart now. I picked up a pair of Skull Candy Ink’d Earphones. Here is the description with specs from their website:

Ink adds permanence. It forces the visual representation of an idea, concept, ideal or experience, and tangibly commemorates it. Like a tattoo, graffiti, or stretch marks. Until you're really ready to commit, go with the INK'D ear buds. Big sound, little price, no visible scarring.
Speaker Diameter: 11mm
Magnet Type: NdFeB
Frequency range: 20 -20K Hz
Impedance: 16 ohms
Max Input Power: 100mw
Cable Length: 1.3m
Plug Type: 3.5mm Gold Plated

Accessories: 3 Silicon Gel Sizes


They came with three gel ear bud sizes and the middle size worked perfectly for me. I had started off with the larger size but they kept the body of the speaker housing out too far. This distorted (lessened) the sound and made the wind rush around them louder. The gel part makes cleaning the Ink’d earphones easy enough. Just hold the gel ear cup upside down, slightly squeeze and shake. I cannot believe I’m writing about earwax.

Sound quality is not too bad for MP3 files playing through small earphones. I did have to turn on the IPod’s bass boost setting, found in the EQ section. This helped with the trebly tinny sound inherent in small speakers. Then I dialed in the sound level to the desired comfortable level. I have the level set to where I can enjoy the music and still barely hear the traffic and Mistresses Mighty V-Twin purr.

I am fairly sure I would not want to ride a motorcycle with all the sound blocked out by ear plugs. I feel you need to use all your senses when guiding a metallic rolling horse down the rode. Skull Candy did a real good job with these Ink’d earphones. They are small and compact, extremely comfortable, size adjustable, and sound good. On top of all of that, they come in numerous colors and are inexpensive on the pocketbook. Torch gives the Skull Candy Ink’d Earphones a M.M.M. rating of 8.

Ride on,
Torch

A Few Things I’ve learned about Motorcycling

Image by GmanViz via Flickr

I have compiled a list of a few things I’ve learned while commuting back and forth to work and taking several longer trips in the short amount of time I have been riding. Not in any particular order;

Gasoline fueled V-Twin motorcycles will not run without gas.

Even light sprinkles of rain sting bare skin at 80 mph.

If you don’t know where your horn button is you might hit your high beam switch instead.

On a 40 degree day the wind chill at 80 mph makes it feel like 23 degrees.

Metal storm grates are slick as ice when they are wet.

If you forget to turn your fuel cut off back on your bike will stall about two blocks from your house.

Non-waterproof shoes, your socks, and feet will be completely soaked after riding in the rain even with a rain suit on.

Yes, motorcycles do make you invisible.

It is not safe to talk on a cell phone while riding, (no Bluetooth).

Even if a cage drivers does see you they do not consider you a large enough threat and will still pull into your lane running you off the road.

Most cage drivers do not look before changing lanes.

The loudest decibel horn cannot be heard inside a closed cage with the radio on.

You cannot trust gas station nozzle pumps to stop in time.

At night in a hard rain with clear ridding glasses on you cannot see the lines on the freeway.

When passing or being passed by large trucks in the rain you cannot see anything for a few seconds.

Goggles are better than glasses on a windy day.

If you do not secure your saddlebag lid down you will loose things while riding.

If you think there is a chance of rain and put on your rain suit it will not rain.

If you think there is a chance of rain and do not put your rain suit on it will rain.

In winter without proper gloves your hands will get cold and stiff even on a short ride.

Animals will run out in front of you at the most inopportune time.

You will not notice that your mirrors are not aimed properly until you are already underway.

Unless you have ABS your brakes can and will lock up when pushed hard enough.

It is a lot harder to stabilize a motorcycle at a stop riding two up.

You can get sunburned just as easily riding a motorcycle as not.

People give you strange looks when you are wearing leathers.

It is hard to get things out of your front pockets wearing chaps.

No matter how long you sit at some stop lights on a bike they just won’t turn green.

The more chrome you have the longer it takes to clean your bike.

No matter how fast you are riding there is always another motorcycle going faster.

Not everyone on two wheels waves back.

Even other motorcyclists think you are crazy when you ride all the time.

Parts of your motorcycle will vibrate loose and sometimes you may loose parts of your bike while riding.

Different parts of your body can get tired and sore on long rides.

A leg cramp while riding a bike is a pain in the rear.

Aside from shaving your head there is no sure cure for helmet hair.

Don't ask me how I know....

Ride on,
Torch

Lost the Old Bag at Highway Speed!

No, not the wife, but I got your attention didn’t I?

This embarrassing story actually started about five months ago. I had stopped for breakfast with a coworker on my commute to work one Saturday morning at the local Waffle House. I had just backed the bike into a parking space, removed my helmet, and started walking towards the Waffle House entrance when I glanced back at my Mistress, that’s what I call my bike, and saw the left Custom Classic Hard Leather Saddle Bag was off its rear bracket stud and was leaning down.

I had removed the bags only one time before to give the bike a good cleaning and commuted without them just that once. I rode it only partly “topless” because I had left the Memphis Shades windshield on. I have as yet never removed both bags and shield to ride her convertible style, top down.

I put it back on after eating breakfast and then rode to work and home afterwards. I looked at it again at home and the locking cam did feel like it was binding or just not closing all the way. So I emptied the bag and removed it and lubricated the mechanism with some WD40 and reinstalled the bag. I thought is felt secure, but was too lazy to take the locking bracket off the bag itself to get a better view.

Now, fast forward to a week ago, commuting back and forth to work every day as usual. I was on my homeward bound commute on a Friday in the usual D/FW rush hour traffic, wearing full leathers, impatiently weaving in and out of bog downs but mostly staying in the “fast lane”. I exited 183 Airport Freeway onto 121 north picking up velocity to normal highway cruising speed. I took my normal exit, Cheek-Sparger Rd. as usual and down shifted one time to start engine braking.

That’s when it happened. I rode over a small seam crack in the road and I heard a clunk from the left rear of my bike. I glanced back just in time to catch out of the corner of my eye the saddlebag hitting the ground and take off tumbling down the side of the road. Checking my mirror I see it go cart wheeling off the left shoulder of the exit lane and into the median grass on the side of the freeway. I merged with the access road and exited in the first parking lot.

As I park the bike I see a white pickup pulling over onto the shoulder with its hazard flashers turned on. I get off the bike and remove my helmet and start walking back up the access road. I see the driver get out of the truck and go get the saddlebag. He put it in his truck and started back down the access road in my direction. He sees me walking back up the access road and signals me he will pull into the parking lot where my bike is parked.

The Good Samaritan pulled in behind my bike and gave me back the prodigal saddlebag. I thanked him and asked if I could pay him for his extra effort. He declined and offered some bungee chords but I had a bungee net in the saddlebag. I strapped the bag to my pillion seat and thanked him again as he left.

That Saturday I took it completely apart removing the bracket from the bag. The bag itself was not damaged too badly. The hard plastic backing plate was cracked on one corner, it was scrapped and scuffed up and some of the stitching had come loose on the lid. Considering what it had been through it came out well. I managed to get the bracket lock to unbind so that it would fully lock the bracket in place. I remounted the bag on the bike and made sure it was secured properly. Then I reinstalled the contents I usually carry back inside.

This was a good luck bad luck story. It was bad luck that the Saddlebag came completely off the bike while riding, and it is not easy to get off the bike when you are purposely trying to remove it. Good luck that it did not happen while I was in the middle of traffic or the fast lane of the freeway. I believe my Guardian Angel was looking out for me again and I shudder to think of what could have happened…..

Ride on,
Torch

Motorcycle Helmet Photo Collection

Motorcycle Helmet Photo Collection

Motorcycle helmets are not just for protection. They are also an expression of the personality of the individual that wears it. They are also an art form all of themselves. They can be personalized and decorated in various ways including stickers, stick on decorations, pinstriping and custom paint.

Here is a collection of photos that are helmet related that I have collected from across net. Some are just works of art and are not even DOT approved. Others are humorous and quite entertaining. Then there are professional racing models with custom paint jobs, some very famous. There are also some vintage helmets and replicas of famous helmets from a bygone era. All are beautiful works of art in their own way. 

Ride on,

Torch