Costumers Testimonials

By Gary ‘bogie’ Bogolin

I was looking for an alternative to the hand mic used with the CB radio on my Ultra Classic – the hand mic is inconvenient to hold, catches a lot of wind and other noise and looks less than attractive stuck on the handlebars. My options seemed to be a headset of some sort. I live where helmets aren’t required – I personally prefer not to wear one, so a headset designed for use with a helmet isn’t a good option. Then there is the helmet-less headset, but this still requires wearing speakers over your ears, with a harness wrapped around the back of your head. I prefer to use the regular speaker system for listening to incoming transmissions.

Then I found the “Throat Microphone for Harley-Davidson’s Motorcycles” by hzfenterprises.com. Think of the aircraft pilot with the mic that wraps around their neck and uses the vibrations of their vocal cords to pick up speech. You use the push-to-talk (PTT) button on the handle bars when you want to transmit. Safer and easier to use – you keep both hands on the bars, you don’t have to hold the big hand mic in front of your face to talk and your ears are not covered allowing you to hear the environment around you. Clearer sound for those listening to you – since it picks up the vibrations from your throat and has no pick-up that is open to the wind or other sounds (yes - that Harley sound), those receiving your transmission hear only you.

I tested the throat mic at all speeds; various road and weather conditions; group and individual riding - the folks on the receiving end say the transmission is very clear, many who don’t know I am on my Ultra find it hard to believe I’m riding a bike, due to the lack of wind and pipes noise. To properly pick up the vibration from your voice, the mic has to be positioned correctly to receive as much of the vibrations as possible. Each person will need to determine where this position is based on your neck size and shape. You generally speak at normal levels (i.e. you don’t need to shout). I had a few riding partners try the mic so I could hear it on the receiving end – it took a couple of moves for them to get it positioned correctly – but then it was very clear. Best positioning can be determined before you ride by putting the mic on your neck, then speak normally while very lightly resting your finger tips on the pick-up pods – when you feel the most vibrations, then you have it in the best position. The pick-ups do need to be snug against your throat, but I do not find this uncomfortable. I have a 17-17.5” neck. One riding partner that helped me has a slimmer neck – it took a couple of tries to find the best position because it did not fit as snuggly on his neck. Another riding partner that helped has a larger neck – the extra padding in his neck required him to speak at slightly elevated levels to be heard clearly, which he indicated was no big deal. Only criticism was from a 6’7” rider – he thought the coiled cord needed to be longer; or stretch easier; or have an extension available – but still plans on getting one.

The throat mic comes with a removable earpiece to direct incoming transmissions directly into your ear. While I found the earpiece does accomplish its intended purpose, I preferred the sound thru the speaker system. It is literally a snap to remove the earpiece if you choose. Fitment is for 1999-2008 HD bikes with CB radio units. The bikes used in the testing were ’05 (older style radio), ’06 and ’08. The mic plugs directly in to the socket on the console where the standard headset would. The mic plug only has 5 pins (the socket has 7) because the PTT circuit used by the hand mic is not required. The throat mic is only for use with the CB, it does not work with the intercom.

In this writer’s opinion – if you want a CB mic that doesn’t require to be held, doesn’t have to be part of a headset over your ears, provides clearer sound and safer operation and is about the same cost as a hand held mic, and less expensive than a headset – the “Throat Microphone for Harley-Davidson’s Motorcycles” is the answer. I classify it as a Great Buy.

Tell ‘em ‘bogie’ sent you when you order.