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from SHELTON WASHINGTON on 9/4/2007
MY WIFE AND I USED THE SCALA RIDER ON A 1000 MILE TRIP AND LOVED IT. THIS WAY SHE COULD JUST TELL ME THAT I WAS GOING TO FAST INSTEAD OF HITTING ME ON THE BACK OF THE HEAD.
from Phoenix, Arizona on 5/25/2007
After researching all available head sets we found this best for us. It's easy to use and can attach easily to helmet and best of all we can talk and he can hear me over the loud pipes even though he has a hearing loss. Just have to keep the battery charged.
Easy to use once button functions learned.
Light weight, non bulky,wheather tight,durable.
Handsum and aerodynamic.
Easy bluetooth conection with phone and Garmin GPS. Needs passenger GPS/mp3/bluetooth capability
Boom was flimsy and kept falling out of position
even at low speed.
Had to yell to initiate voice intercom. Needs sensitivity control.Needs speaker cushions.
I find two major faults, hurting an otherwise fantastic product. First, the 'stereo headset' profile in Bluetooth is not supported. All this requires from Scala is to support it. Little, if any, cost to them. The pro would be that the headset could be used w/ any phone for listening to music as well. Big oversight here. I can 'force' it to work, but it freaks my phone out & causes it to randomly shut off.
Other other downfall is that the intercom function is very problematic for me. It disconnects @ random times, and alternates between being too quiet or so full of static that nothing is understood.
Great product if Scala can work out these couple of problems.
A recommended product, but only AFTER these issues are addressed.
from Bakersfield, CA on 5/15/2007
I can still talk with my passenger on the freeway (not a conversation, but you can get a message through). On the street it's fine to converse.
You can feel the large buttons through your gloves - don't have to guess if you're hitting the on/off or the volume control.
Two speakers Velcro into your helmet, but it's monaural sound. The unit clamps onto the helmet, and the control piece comes off when you want it to for recharging or security (like the removable face plate in your car stereo).
This Bluetooth system will work with your cell phone.
This is a great product. Never thought I be able to talk on the phone while doing 75mph on my bike. Great buy!
I have owned the Original Scala Rider unit for about 8 months and really liked it for talking on the phone.
My wife and I wanted to talk to each other on rides but with a full-faced helmet you cant hear each other(normally she would point at something and I would try to decipher her hand movements). We wanted something to talk to each other but we have multiple bikes and don't want to buy a unit for each bike. I also don't want to plug into the bike.
I bought the Scala Rider Teamset and 1st impressions(before I tried to use it) were pretty good. Both units had dual speakers, an improvement over the older single speaker. The wires were plenty long enough to snake through my helmet liner with plenty to spare(I have Scorpion EXO700's). The boom mic was a little short so I had to mount the main unit a little more forward of my original unit. Unlike the original unit, this mic must be directly in front of your lips. I still love the fact that nothing needs to be drilled on your helmet. 2 allen screws is all you need to tighten.
After installing them I was very disappointed with the quality of sound. The other person sounded very quiet and crackly like they were in a phone booth. I contacted Cardo and they told me to make sure the mic boom had the yellow arrow pointed toward my lips and to have the mic right against my lips. This made a big difference, you must have the mic right against your lips like you were going to eat it. The center of the mic needs to lay right against your lips for the VOX to work as well. The volume from the other person is pretty loud even with earplugs. I have also adapted their BTAII unit to my MP3 player so now my wife and I can listen to music in the background and still hear each other pretty well.
When your bike isn't running or is at a stop the volume goes pretty low but as soon as you start moving again it jumps right back up. The volume is based on outside noise. This is definitely a unit that you will need trial while riding since it is too quiet when you are just in your garage trying to test.
Battery life is pretty much as listed, about 7hrs of talk time. With the MP3 I get closer to 5hrs.
The downside of this unit is getting the controls to work the way you want them. It's a little confusing until you've used it a few times. I still haven't figured out how to have the intercom on all of the time(a claimed feature) but the VOX seems to work OK.
Overall I think this was worth the money. Cheaper than most quality wired units and you can take it from bike to bike. I wouldn't be surprised if they added an FM Radio to this unit in the future.
from Brooklyn, NY on 4/24/2007
Very easy to install. Took me 5-10 min for two helmets. Great product. Looks and works perfect.
Easy to attach and install on Helmet. [...]. I am using it as an intercom and with my wireless GPS unit. I actually had to turn volume down as it was definately loud enough. Not near as bulky as other units. Have not used it on long ride yet so dont know how long it will last on charge. Satisfied customer.....
from A very cold NY. on 3/6/2007
Although I have yet to use the headsets on the road, setting them up and trying them out was a doddle. 1 word of warning - it is necessary to talk loudly for the intercom to pick up your voice, but I presume that this is necessary to avoid it being activated b wind noise once on the road.
Mounting the units to helmets was easy and secure. Earpieces went in easily as well.
Bluetooth to Zumo was easily established but seems to drop off from time to time. Cardo tech support is looking into it. It may well be Zumo, not Cardo's issue. It is a minor pita.
Sound quality is limited, from thin and small earpieces, but I did not buy it for hi-fi listening. The clarity to/from passenger is quite good and I am enjoying having the communication without shouting.
from Duvall, WA on 2/27/2007
I don't carry passengers so the Scala Rider Team Set allows me to transfer the main unit between my Nolan flip-up and my HJC full face helmets without removing the mike and speakers. I have the headset paired to my Zumo and the Zumo is paired to my Verizon LG8600 Phone. On a few short rides the system has worked great! People I've called don't even realise I'm on the bike and I can hear them quite clearly even though I wear earplugs
from Medford, OR on 2/8/2007
At 35 mph people on the other end couldn't tell I was on my bike. Sounded like a regular Cellular. I have a w/shield but think 70mph won't be a problem with phone or intercom.
Might want to wait. The next Gen. will probably have music too.