iPhone Tank Bag and Helmet Speaker Mod

[eljaywilson]

Well, it ain't much, but I hate having to put on headphones when I ride and I need my tunes. I have been wanting to do this mod for quite awhile and just recently found some headphones that had the right profile. Here is the gist of the mod:

• Mount the headphone speakers inside the helmet and hide all the extra cable.
• Get you a 1/8 Stereo coupler from Radio Shack ($4.99) and shave one side of it so it has a flat surface (I used an exacto knife)
• Buy a Griffen coiled stereo aux cable from WalMart (13.98). They sell em in the iPod section at my WalMart.
• I mounted the stereo coupler on the left side of the helmet right under the shield hinge using high strength Loctite super glue.
• On my Ninja 250, I had a custom mount for the iPhone (an Otterbox belt clip custom mounted to a homemade mount). For the FZ6, I am going to use the tank bag (the map section). The clear plastic allows for touch operations and is fairly water-tight.

Here are some pics
Speaker mounted in Helmet (Helmet is a Shoei Qwest

Here is where I mounted the coupler

The extension cable coming out of the tank bag

The sound is better than with headphones, I can wear earplugs now and still hear the music great and I don't have to worry about the headphones getting pulled out of my ear when I put the helmet on. The coiled aux cable also does really good in the wind. It doesn't get blown around like my Apple ear buds did.

Total Cost:
$13.98 (Coiled AUX cable)
$4.98 (Extension Cable)
$4.99 (Coupler)
---------
23.95 + tax

Not too bad and it is much more comfortable than the earbuds were.

 

[malicious439]

Looks cool, what speakers did you use?

 

[eljaywilson]

I used one made by Philips. Got them at Wal Mart on clearance for $1.00. Cut off the over-the-head part from the speakers themselves. Here is a pic of them before cutting.