Motorcycle Intercoms are awesome! - Fodsports FX8 review

I've been using headsets for years, I am a big fan and of course, I want to share my experience with you!
Bluetooth intercoms are great cause they let you listen to music, pair up with other riders and even communicate with your phone (and take phone calls obvisouly), but sometimes its hard to pick one for your budget and needs.
Today I explain the 4 main reasons why I think this technology is awesome, and test the FX8 model from Fodsports, comparing it to my older SENA SMH10 system. Hopefully, this will help you understand what these things can do and to make a more informed purchase in the future :)
Link for fodsports European Amazon.de store: shortest.link/...
Link for their official global store: www.fodsports.com
-Diogo Guerra
#intercom #helmetheadset #fodsports
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[@KenpachiZarakiX]

Here to help the algorithm. Shout out to Diogo for getting his first sponsor!

[@dustyboots2693]

I am one of those riders who just enjoy the peacefulness of not being connected all the time.

[@noelbrown6771]

Thanks for the introduction/tutorial in the beginning. I was not at all familiar with headsets. Well done as always 👏

[@luisfilipe153]

Ola Diogo, quando quiser fazer um comparativo de intercoms, diga. Sou o novo representante da Midland em Portugal e tenho imenso interesse em lhe fazer chegar um kit. Vai ser surprendente ver o power do nosso bluetooth no modelo Rush alcançar entre 1600 e 3,5 km..... e a duração de 23 h das nossas baterias em modo ON ! Interessante seria tambem um comparativo de camaras p capacetes e camaras para motos. Abraço e curva bem.

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

Vivas Luis! Isso é fantàstico! Obrigado por quererem trabalhar comigo. Podemos continuar a conversa por email? [e-mail]

[@porkulator3]

Hi, Diogo. Very interesting but I think I need a comparative between this fx8 and other principal brands like sena, midland, interphone...

[@TheDyingScotsman]

he already talked about that in this video. Clearly you didn't watch the entire video or weren't listening?

[@ricardob.6264]

You can't compare a budget freindly intercom like these with Cardo, Sena...its like comparing a Ducatti vs a Benelli bike (both good bikes at their price range). Low budget intercoms may work Ok in various instances, and may fullfill some uses but will have their cons vs top brands - ex. the range, sound quality, and even their materials and durability.

[@porkulator3]

Why not? Because it's worse? How much?

[@Niki_Parvanov]

Just in time, our pair of AliExpress ones failed after 3 years, and we were looking for replacements (budget ones). Thank you!

[@hellderson]

I cannot understand how people ride together without intercoms, for me it is so part of trail riding to be chitchating with your friend , about whatever, making jokes, talking about life, telling about the potholes ahead... Now the few times I ride with people without intercom it is so weird and unpractical. Onroad I put music, though I have to wear earplugs in order to hear the music over the wind noise. Nice vids Mr War.

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

I could agree more! With the intercom and a good friend its like being in a bar talking to him...except that you are both sitting on your own bikes :D

[@TheDyingScotsman]

quite easily. By riding your own ride.

[@manuelbritorides]

I cannot live without my intercom sistema. One more great vídeo👌

[@west_adv]

Congrats for 1st sponsor

[@GreaseAndGravel]

Great test vid! Last week I received the M1-S from Fodsports to test. Don't have much experience with these systems.

[@theailer]

Awesome soundtrack! I've have been rocking fodsports since a couple of years back and they are truly awesome in many ways. Compared to the cheaper Ynetphone they are miles ahead

[@ar1stippus739]

A comms system was the best motorcycle accessory I own! being able to wear earplugs of my choosing was a really big bonus. i've grown to love the sound of podcasts/ music with the dampening of the earplugs. protect your hearing friends!

[@PeterR0035]

Hi Diogo, please also mention some of the negatives of a headset. After using many different headsets for many years, my conclusion; I find them dangerous; they change the carefully researched outline of the helmet. Meaning; more drag and wind noise and an extra risk to your head in case of an accident. There are very few headsets that are completely integrated in the helmet sadly. I have yet to find a headset where i can connect its microphone so that I can use it on a gopro for recording voice while filming. A BIG oversight in my idea. Range is usually a LOT less than the manufacturer states, even the 400m you mentioned is very optimistic. Yes, I still use an (integrated) headset because of all the pro's you mentioned. I would never use an external model. PS at 6:50 should you be riding in shorts & T-shirt...? Thanks for your channel and drive safe!

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

Hello Peter! Thanks for the feedback and for your concern! As you know, i am young and stupid, but i have my own reasons so let me explain my perspective xD 1-aerodynamics: Because i am an offroad rider that rides with motocross helmets/adventure helmets all the time, the 3-5cm intercom doesnt affect at all the aerodynamics in any significant manner. I also have a helmet camera that is much bigger...i guess thats more of a concern for the "R" street riders or very long range travellers. 2- Rolling risk: The thing is made of plastic with a very thin clip-on mount. I seriously doubt it will increase the risk that much. If you crash hard, it will disintegrate or just pop out. 3-Range: The intercoms i've been testing along the years (2 different Senas and many different "cheap" ones) have worked better up to 200m, but sometimes up to 1km away. 400m has been kinda easy to get (when reasonably good conditions are met of course, like highway or elevated spots). 4-My beautiful shorts: My boots and reinforced kneepads protect me from my toes to the bottom half of my femur. I dont see how having enduro pant instead of shorts would protect me significantly more :p Most pants people use are just pants with big pockets, they dont offer any special/relevant protection. As for brambles or branches or whatever, they come from the front, not the side, so i am still protected..in case i fall into a bush or something I am willing to risk a few skin-cuts once in a while if that means feeling comfortable all summer :D Remember i am a tour guide and an instructor, so i spend 99% of my time riding slower than my skill level permits (and in well-known tracks to me). Falling and getting hurt is always a possibility, but its not something i feel the need to be over-zealous about.

[@PeterR0035]

@@OFFroadOFFcourse Thanks for your reply! For what it's worth; I still have 2 big permanent scars on my knees from making a slider at 60 kp/h on bitumen road and that was with a jeans... A friend of mine had some serious nerve damage from a twisted neck, very likely due to an external intercom (it stayed on, did not detach after his 100kp/h crash) Here in Belgium you get a big fine when not wearing protective gear; long sleeved shirt, trousers, boots, gloves. Quite some countries (and in some states in the USA too) don't allow external devices like camera's or intercoms. Any way, thanks for your wonderful channel and great talks, I really appreciate your video's!

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

I tend to suffer from the opposite... so many years without any serious crashes and whatnot... I dont have the illusion that I am immortar or anything, but I think its fair to relax a bit :D Thank you very much for watching my stuff and for taking all this time to reply ^^

[@stoatsngroatsuk5012]

Hi Diogo, thanks for this review…. 2 questions, can this connect to a Garmin Zumo satnav, and what’s the runtime for the battery? 👍

[@MadeiraMotard]

Ainda não senti a necessidade de usar um, porque as minhas viagens de moto na estrada têm sido curtas. Mas vejo grande utilidade das minhas voltas na terra. Mas agora vou esperar pelo comparativo que foi proposto nos comentários. Parabéns pelos "patrocínios". Continuem o bom trabalho.

[@ricardoribeiro4266]

Olá Diogo, antes de mais os meus parabéns pelos vídeos! Qual é o capacete que costumas utilizar? Aconselhas algum em específico?

[@armarra]

Ok.. so can fx30 Pro connect with a second fodsports headset to chain them together into 4 helmets?

[@ricardob.6264]

Hi Diogo, great video! I agree that these budget freindly intercoms are usefull, and have their cons in relation to sound quality, etc and thats part of the deal when you pay alot less vs. a top brand. Fodsport seems to be a serious brand, and the unit looks ok....Have you tried the Ejeas Q7, or Q8?? I've seen them also and look pretty Ok...and would be great to have your opinion of these vs.the Fodsport FX8.

[@dsd-downshiftdave8056]

Does this have to be installed on the left side of the helmet

[@danielferreirapt]

Top. Venham mais vídeos 👍

[@joaofernandes4994]

Já a algum tempo pondero a compra de intercomunicador. Contudo, embora me digam que o meu capacete é dos melhores a nivel de insonorização, parece existir muito ruido dentro do capacete e tenho receio de comprar algo que poderá não resultar. Qual a sua experiência nesta situação?

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

Ola! Se a ideia for falar a menos de 100-110km/h, entao quase qualquer intercomunicador assim de gama media-alta vai funcionar bem (estes por exemplo), se for para andar mais depressa, entao recomendo so Cardo ou os Sena, porque os filtros de cancelamento de ruido sao perfeitos :)

[@gbner9991]

I also want to try it and am currently in intercom-hell trying to decide which one to take. I think it would be important to be able to take it off for when you lock the helmet to your bike but it seems only few models have it. Then there is the thing of having to buy similar brand as your friends so my options are already very slim it seems... :D

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

Hey man! Thanks for the comment! Let me try yo helmet: 1-Only the intercoms that come integrated with the helmets are non-renovable (i think). All intercoms i've ever tried have a detachable module (the thing with the buttons and the receiver/transmiter), so only the speakers stay on the helmet. 2-All (or almost all) intercoms pair with each other. Cardos, senas, fodports, they all pair up :) 3- if you have the money, go for a top brand. Why not? There are differences to these "budget" ones. If you only want to listen to music the fx8 did an awesome job, but for communicating the Sena was better (never tried a Cardo so i dont know)

[@gbner9991]

@@OFFroadOFFcourse thanks for the advice. I was specifically looking at the Sena 50R or 50S. The Sena 50R is very slim and nice but it is not removable weirdly. The 50S has the standard Sena clamp but it seems really huge on the helmet. Can I ask what Sena you were using and if the clamp ever gets in the way?

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

@@gbner9991 i have used the Sena Smh10 and the S20 (they are old modules). They never got in the way in anyway :)

[@hazcat640]

Radio (music) is great as well and I often ride with my son so communication between bikes is great. I also recommend 'mesh' technology wich makes pairing much easier. Now, when am I gonna be able to get a sticker like the one on your laptop, DG?!

[@osvaldoramos70]

A mim interessa saber se o emparelhamento de um grupo de pessoas é ou não fácil de se fazer. Tenho os baratinhos V6, mas é tão complicado e moroso emparelhar com 3 ou mais pessoas que acaba por não acontecer. De resto, parabéns pelo video. Gosto bastante do formato.

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

Ate agora tem sido facil emparelhar os fx8 com outros (senas e cardos). No caso dos cardos o fx8 quis logo emparelhar, mas precisámos de ir ao manual do cardo para ele conseguir aceitar o emparelhamento. Infelizmente ainda nao tentei emparelhar com mais do q um intercom de cada vez, mas manda-me um email q eu respondo-te quando fizer o teste :) (provavelmente ja n vou fazer video sobre isso)

[@Niki_Parvanov]

I hope the promo code still works :)

[@whitedrguy6503]

I started to listen to music when riding 30 years ago with a small cassette player, Sony Walkman , and now graduated to an IPod listening through ear buds and ear moulds with speakers and works perfectly. As for a communication system I go riding partly to escape people, so don’t really want to be connected to the outside world, if I am focused on what I am doing I don’t I tend not to focus on what I am hearing, even music and podcasts disappear into the back ground. I think a lot of technology that has appeared over the years are not really essential or even needed, a lot of it can take away the living in the moment, bit like comms, you can get lost in your own little world then someone says something to you or the phone rings and you lose your train of thought and then it is gone. Each to his own but motorcycles are very much to me a selfish pastime, I do it for me, so don’t interrupt me. 😂😂😂😂

[@robertpeters1027]

I hate riding with people who have bluetooth intercoms. They are always toying with them, having charging issues and issues in the rain. I rather ride with a GMRS radio that has good range and battery life. Something like Baofeng UV-9G GMRS radio strapped to the shoulder work really well for everything except highway riding (where the bluetooth headsets have a clear advantage).

[@LuizHSR88]

Bom!

[@skippyify]

Yet people who use their phones in cars are breaking the law in some states. Intercoms, video screens and maybe watching KZbin while you ride are becoming trendy. Riding can be dangerous enough thanks to inattentive car drivers; so are intercoms an invitation to join them? Off road sure i would have thought simply paying attention to staying upright was more important.

[@MotoRiderTube]

Fod-s, que raio de marca...

[@OFFroadOFFcourse]

O nome nao é muito feliz... Ou melhor, a maneira como escolhi ler o nome é que nao foi mt feliz :p

[@xau]

Só pelo nome ... adorei... quando te perguntarem qual foi o teu prineiro patrocinador de produtos, podes orgulhosamente dizer fod sports... brilhante... não consegui parar de rir e até fiquei com vontade de aderir ao desporto...

[@OMotoViajante]

sem isso andar com a pendura não tinha piada , principalmente quando lhe entra um insecto para o capacete ahahah, abç

[@guilhermesempiterno]

Fodsports deve ser o branding mais infeliz de sempre em terras lusas. Pela mesma razão que levou a hyundai a mudar o nome do SUV Kona para Kauai :D

[@osvaldoramos70]

🤣

[@Niki_Parvanov]

Chrome says their site is dodgy :)

[@TheDyingScotsman]

good stuff. However, please wear gear. Bare arms and no gloves is a big no no and as you are a possible influence on other younger riders you should be setting an example by doing the right thing. ATGATT. Thanks

[@andrewpaton8819]

What a crap comment. You’re obviously a “dress for the ride & not for the slide”. Don’t be such a wet blanket. You wear what you want to wear, and leave others to enjoying wearing whatever it is they choose to wear. People are individuals just because you choose to be a big girls blouse don’t try preaching to others what they should wear.