Shark Motorcycle Audio 2 ch 800 W Bluetooth Audio with SD FM Radio USB Aux in (Black)

Biggest problem: short cables and the special connector for the remote which made a big problem into a HUGE problem.This is the 5th aftermarket motorcycle stereo I have owned and installed so I have a pretty good set of expectations. In the early-90s I had a JBL. in the early-2000s I made my own (I'm an A/V engineer so don't laugh, it was pretty good). In the mid-2000s I had a Shark (same brand but very different model). In 2016-May 2019 I had a Bose (BEST of the bunch BY FAR) but sadly it was sold with my last bike and discontinued by the manufacturer. I was happy with all of them.All but the Bose, were the kind that you could only plug in a headphone cable from your Walkman, CD or iPod. No BlueTooth, no FM radio, no MP3 player (no SD/USB reader). The Bose and this current Shark had BlueTooth, FM tuner and, most important to me, an SD card slot for playing MP3s.I seem to be one of the very few people who do not want to play my music from my phone. I do not want to wear down my cell battery especially when on backroads in the middle of nowhere where the phone might be searching for signal and killing the battery FAST even when not playing music. I also don't want all the robo-calls or even real calls ringing through my speakers interupting my peaceful state when riding those kind of roads. Because of this, my choices were EXTREMELY limited. I chose the Shark because of the built-in MP3 player, my prior experience and price.Every step of buying and installing this thing has been a challenge. Every step.Thankfully, Shark's customer support is friendly, helpful and responsive. I want to emphasize that: they are friendly, helpful and responsive (thank you Tina!). How do I know this? At least a dozen or more emails back and forth, they even instantly accepted a refund when the first unit didn't work....of course I'd have to pay to send it back to China....sigh.I know this review is already wordy but if you plan on buying this I strongly suggest you read the Pros/Cons.Overall: I like it. It was a month-long, stress-filled ordeal to get it where it is but I am content. If Bose ever decides to manufacture an MP3 player motorcycle stereo like their MCBK500 I will instantly buy 3-4 to cover any future motorcycles I buy. It had some faults but not like the Shark.PROS:- Sound is good, not amazing but quite good (you have to cycle through the EQ modes with the IR remote to find a good sound)- Volume is good. I don't have a Harley with straight pipes but on my Honda CB500X with stock exhaust I can hear this loud and clear at 1/3 volume on the highway with cars and trucks around in a full-face helmet- It has an SD card slot and a USB thumb-drive reader for MP3s- Friendly and responsive support. They try to help but you don't always want to see their answers (see below)- Wired handlebar mounted remote- Separate volume and track/tune buttons (one of the big short-comings on the Bose)- The wired remote's mount has rubber inserts to fit any handlebar from a bicycle to a Boss HossNEUTRAL:- Available in black but the speakers' black is gloss so you still get glare, not as bad as chrome but still can cause spots in your eyes when the sun is just right. My old Shark, JBL and Bose all had matte finish which is so much more practical- Has multiple EQ profiles but they can only be accessed using the handheld IR remote, not from the front panel or handle bar remote. Don't mount it where you can't point the remote at it until you choose your EQ setting! The 2nd or 3rd press sounds the best, too bad it didn't default to that- Comes with an FM antenna (but see cons below) and headphone connector for an iPod- It remembers what MP3 you are playing but not where you are within that song. If you are doing some quick local errands around town and Freebird is on, be prepared to hear the beginning of Freebird repeatedly (also a short-coming of the Bose)- The speakers' handlebar clamps are thick and heavy but they are thick enough to not fit on short bars or with limited space (ie: cables, brake/cluctch lines, close-fit fairings). I had to make my own mount (as I typically have done with all my stereos except the JBL) but in this case it was only a Home Depot L-bracket grinded to round the corners and painted black to attach to my mirror-mount clamps.CONS:- First unit arrived dead and they wanted me to pay to send it back to China until I argued.- Initial customer support contact showed me pictures of where the power buttons were located (duh) and that it needed 12V to operate (duh again). I explained that their spec says 10-24V and that I tested it connected directly to the battery which read 12.6v off and 14.8 running...they then changed their attitude.- SHORT SHORT SHORT CABLES!!!! 1 meter per the manufacturer's email, 3.3 feet (the remote's cable is 6 inches shorter than the speakers!). In theory, the cables need to go from the top of your handlebars down to your frame with enough slack to not interfere with your steering then reach back to a location with enough space to mount the amp. I have a Honda CB500X, a VERY short wheel-base bike, there is NO WAY the wiring would have made it to the trunk. I was extremely lucky there was enough space under my seat. The cables are unlikely to be long enough for most motorcycles...maybe a moped or bicycle. But that's ok because no one would ever want to use a stereo on a touring bike like a Concours or FJR, right? Oh wait, yes. Yes you would.- The wired, handlebar mounted remote had a special connector, longer than a standard 3.5mm TRRS connector (like the headset connector on a cell phone but longer, see pic). I could not find one to buy even online unless I ordered 100 of them at nearly $2 a piece. The manufacturer offered to sell me an extension but the picture showed a standard one so I was doubtful and they wanted $20 including shipping, $30 if I didn't want to wait another 2 weeks- The FM tuner is horrible. I live about 10-12 miles from a certain radio station's transmitter and I still get a lousy signal even that close.- No random funciton for the MP3 playback (also a problem with the Bose). There is freeware to remove all the MP3 tags and rename the files randomly which mostly emulates a random playback.

Works good just balcky does not log very good on handalbars.