The iPods are Coming

I’ve recently been riding and evaluating a 2010 Kawasaki Voyager – 1700ccs of twin-piston thrust slathered in nearly a half-ton of metal, rubber, and plastic. It’s a brute, but not an oaf, as a bevy of extra controls on the right handgrip manage the digital display and the cruise control and AM/FM/CB/Aux stereo controls on the left handgrip demonstrate. There’s even an antenna on the rear topcase! For music, two speakers sit in the dash (two more for the passenger are optional) and the left glovebox includes a hookup for an optional iPod adapter.

The adapter consists of two parts – a small wiring harness with iPod connector and a large block of foam to cushion your iPod from the bumps and bruises of the road. The foam works well if you plan on keeping the iPod on the bike – the glovebox is locked. But if you’re using an iPhone or an iPod that you want to carry with you, the block becomes a chore, and can be quickly ditched for a rag or case.

How does it work? Pretty good, if a little buggy. An older iPod crashed after just a handful of songs, but a newer iPhone worked nearly perfectly. The controls on the left handgrip let you select playlists and artists and tracks, which are conveniently displayed on the dashboard. The two speakers in the dash clipped at higher volumes, but were still powerful enough to hear at highway speeds – with earplugs. Audiophile quality it ain’t, but it’s nice to tick off the miles with your favorite music.

I even managed to launch Navigon, a GPS navigation program, and run it on the iPhone while the music played. I couldn’t see the screen, but the nav’s computer voice dutifully turned down the music and informed me of my next turn. There are still kinks to be worked out though – in this mode the iPhone refused to charge, leaving me with a severely-depleted battery at the end of the day. Still, the iPod adapter is a good option on this bike.