Modern Vespa

Look what I found as a simple solution to carry a smartphone or Bluetooth speaker along on your ride.

I do have Scalia headphones, which I use sometimes, especially when sharpchick is riding along.

But sometimes I just want my phone nearby, or have it charging, or even listen to music or radio, etc. on the scoot.

JAMBOX by Jawbone
We use a Jambox at home. Rugged, big sound, long battery life, Bluetooth. We bring it on vacation, too. If you use this on your scoot, you will also have it at your destination. Okay, the Jambox is not cheap, but neither is its engineering. Fills a room with good sound. Since I am a musician, I care about this quality.

I found a simple netted pouch with Velcro straps so that my phone or the Jambox, or other equipment can travel along with me without damaging the scoot or mounting hardware.

The pouch is CaseSmpl for bicycles, or scooters, or motorcycles.

Here's some pics.

Pretty cool!
Do the mounting straps have a wide range of adjustment?
My MP3 has the handle bar covers so that area is pretty thick.

I use Velcro tape from Home Depot. Just a roll of Velcro with one side the 'hooks' and the other side the 'loops'. Then you can make it any length you want.

You may notice in the photos the narrower Velcro connecting to the wider. Of course, you may use scissors to make the roll stock narrower to match.

First of all, that is a great piece of gear (we have one of those and one of the Logitech Mini Boombox in our house. Both work really well).

However, my problem is with riding around while broadcasting your music (or books on tape, or NPR, or whatever) to others around you who might not be so happy to hear it.

I lived in Washington Heights for several years and went crazy having to listen to the neighborhood cars blasting Salsa and Kumbia music from their open windows. Don't get me wrong, I love latin music and played in a couple of bands that leaned heavily on Latin influenced jazz.

But getting back to placing speakers on an open, moving two wheeled vehicle... I'm personally against it.

In a car you can close your windows and not disturb those around you (although many seem to be unaware of this option).

But on a scooter or MC, in order to have it loud enough to hear over the wind and engine noise, you will, by default, be playing it at a volume that will disturb people as you drive through neighborhoods, stop at lights, etc.

And I don't have to mention the early morning/late evening issues with noise laws, do I?

If you want to take your music with you, many of the Bluetooth in-helmet set-ups have surprisingly good sound quality (especially if you use foam pads to move the speakers closer to your ears). And you can play your stuff at a volume that allows you to maintain situational awareness while not bothering the people around you.

Just my two shekels...

Good thoughts, Treppenwitz. The "open" sound idea works best on rural rides - not uban, agreed. For that, I use the BT headphones.

Get an Parrot SK4000 blue tooth headset and only you hear the music.
you can find them on Ebay for less than $40 now.

Hey, great find! I have the exact same audio/phone equipment you do. So that case will work the same for me. Love Bluetoothing off my iPhone to my Jawbone! Often while in the bathtub. But now on the scooter too! Wahooo!!!

PS: What is that gauge I see on the left side?

Okay, I did a test today, of collateral sound from this setup.

The Casesimpl pouch turns the Jambox speaker at precisely the correct angle towards my ears. Yhe helmet actually helps "scoop" it up. There are no side speakers on the Jambox. The result is that very little speaker sound goes to the sides. Just standing immediately beside the scooter reduces the sound over 75%, I would estimate.
Great ride with sound from Lakewood to Denver this morning.

VegasGeorge, that gauge is this: Handlebar Clock or Thermometer - Better Than Stick On. Has a nice little night viewing button, too.