J & M CB Radio Unit

Commentary

The unit has two switches, one for passenger & one for driver. Both are identical. There are three positions: Radio (that is walkman, both swithes have to be in this position for it to work), CB (both are hooked to this circuit by default), and push to talk (spring loaded, both passenger and driver can talk). We have not tested out the unit with the Walkman option yet, you can hook up an AM-FM radio, casset player or CD player, your option.

This unit would run off of batteries, there is no provision that I know of to handle power from the bike, but I am still looking. There is an intercom volume switch on the side of the adapter unit. I have found that if the volume is not turned up high enough, the override will not work, but the intercom overrides either the walkman input or the CB/Weather, depending on where the switches are. Push to talk for the driver is on the clutch assembly, for rider it is supposed to go on the frame by the seat. I don't have that anymore so it is velcroed to the body of the trike right now. I am toying with moving the entire unit to the trunk and running the passenger connection to the driver and putting the unit next to the passenger with walkman. I did not get the optional antenna. Reason is that when I asked if it was ground plane, that is had to be mounted to a metal frame, they just looked at me like I was an idiot. So, I did not waste my money on that. I need to do something about it.

Drawbacks:

Cost is high, I bought two new Arai 3/4 helments because my old Shoei are three years old and have been dropped more times than I can count (wife keeps dropping them in the parking lot at K-Mart, and they get dirty after awhile with all the quarters that keep getting dropped into them). With head sets, helmets, boom mikes, PC-450 J&M adapter, PC-350 CB/Weather radio, adapter kit for passenger, the total bill was at 1K, and that was with a 15% discount. I am sure you could do better, but it is the only passenger intercom unit on the market that I have found.

The installation using the rubber duckie puts the unit in your view on the left side. I can drive but would prefer not to have it quite so high. I am looking to modify the mounting bracket (you get two with the unit) and lower the bag. I also am going to try and find a compensating antenna that can be mounted on the non metalic part of the body. That will get rid of the rubber duckie. This is one option, the other is mentioned above.

It is advertised as totally removalbe, but, there are five cables all of which inter connect with white, square connecter plugs. These wind up hanging right in front of the tank and below the handle bars. It was so ugly, that I taped the whole mess together just to try and hide it. Now, the pac is not removable, but the radio is. I am going to look for some rubber automotive weather proof connectors and clean the thing up. J&M should be able to do a better job of this.

Pluses:

It works great so far. I can converse with the missus, she can spot potential road kill (read that deer) better than I. And she can talk to me, something we miss from our Wing days.

The unit installs easily even if you do have to remove the tank and all the parts fit. Instructions are extremely simple, they have read Pirsig, and accurate. With the exception of four of the cables (the fifth one if for the passenger headset and it is the same type as seen on the Wing), the fit and finish is good.

The CB can be removed and taken with you in a snap, this can then operate on batteries. I feel a little better knowing that this is more reliable (gets power from the bike) than my hand held which does not always work (batteries run down at the worst times).

As far as I know, it will work with any CB radio, it should work the same as mine. There are three connections: Power, mike, and speakers. BTW, pull the speaker wire and the external will blast you out of the seat. Good for solo.

Franklin F. Wechsler

Shadow Trike, Louisville, Ky.