How Bluetooth Works in Motorcycles

There's nothing quite as enjoyable as riding your motorcycle on a nice summer day while listening to your favorite tunes. The combination of mild weather, warm temperatures, and background music offers ideal riding conditions. While you can always install traditional stereo speakers on your motorcycle, a newer and more effective solution lies in the form of Bluetooth.

Bluetooth Explained

Originally developed by the telecommunications company Ericsson in the mid 1990s as an alternative to RS-232 data cables, Bluetooth is a type of wireless technology that's used for transmitting and receiving data over short distances. Technical jargon aside, it's used to send and receive audio, video and other types of data without the use of wires. For instance, you can access a steaming music app like Spotify or Pandora on your smartphone, beaming the audio data to your motorcycle's Bluetooth speakers.

Motorcycle-Mounted Speakers vs Helmet

There are two different ways to integrate Bluetooth audio into a motorcycle, the first of which is to install speakers on your bike. You can't use just any ordinary stereo speakers, however, as they must support Bluetooth connectivity. Once the speakers have been installed, you can pull up music on any Bluetooth-enabled device, such as your smartphone, and beam it to your speakers. It's a simple and straightforward process that anyone can do, regardless of technical expertise.

A second solution is to use a motorcycle helmet with built-in Bluetooth speakers. This is often the preferred choice, as it delivers clearer sound when riding at fast speeds. Just remember to keep the volume low enough so you can hear sirens and horns in your surroundings.

Both the transmitting device (e.g. your smartphone), as well as the receiving device (e.g. your motorcycle's speakers or helmet speakers) need Bluetooth connectivity in order to work. If only one of these devices supports Bluetooth, you won't be able to play audio – not through Bluetooth connectivity, at least.

Bluetooth Handlebar Controller

If you're thinking about using a Bluetooth audio system on your motorcycle, you should invest in a handlebar controller. This otherwise simple controller allows riders such as yourself to control Bluetooth functions with the press of a button. So instead of fiddling with your smartphone – which is dangerous while operating a motorcycle – you can change songs, adjust volume and perform other functions via a handlebar controller.

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