Has anyone got a good bike to bike intercom that they would recommend? I've been looking at the Scala Rider's and could maybe do with a owners opinion of them. I don't need a music, RDS, or satnav capable system, just one that'll reach maybe up to half a mile (ish). Ohh, my lid is an older Caberg flip front thing.
I used to use a starcom (only reason for not any more is due to bike and ex leaving the scene )
Does all the additional of phone, mp3, satnav etc etc but always found it to be great reliable system, may be a bit pricey depending on your budget
My helmet is a flip front too and had no probs in that dept
Shell and I use the Scala Rider Q2 dual set, and have very good results with them. The Q2 doesn't give the range you require, but the G4 does (1 mile is claimed).
Shell and I have toured France with the Scalas, and they worked faultlessly. I *really* like the self-contained, minimalistic nature of the scala. No wires, freedom to get on and off the bike whilst staying in touch (Great for finding a parking space in a busy French market town!).
We both wear custom ear protectors with 80dB filters in them, and the scala is perfectly audible at motorway speeds (and more!).
Mine is linked to the SatNav and Phone, and I've had a conversation at speed, where the other person had no idea I was travelling, let alone on the bike!
Shell has used hers on a flip-front helmet with no problems.
As mentioned, we have no experience of the newer G4 sets, but have no hesitation in recommending the Q2. I'd expect the G4 to be better!
I'm starting to write the 'pro's and con's of each and every system that gets mentioned down,... after I've had a few more ideas and views, I'll be hitting the piggy bank on the head, and getting something.
I wear a caberg flip front and use the scala team rider. I cant remember the exact model, but will look it out for you tomorrow.
We find it great rider to pillion, although I never put phone, mp3 or anything else through it so couldnt comment on that.
Ive also used it bike to bike a couple of times, as it only takes a few minutes to take off the mrs lid and fit to another.
Easy 1 hour charge, from a dual charger is great, and gives us easily 8 hours talk each day.
One thing to mention with a flip front . . . make sure the flexi mike boom is completely out of the way before pulling the front back down - nothing a bit of tape hasnt sorted though!
I think that may be a problem with any boom mike, however, it's a good point. We swapped Shell's intercom to a flip front helmet, and occassionally had the "Won't close" syndrome :-)
hmmm .. I have also used mine when riding on my bike without Ian, to phone & sat nav, it was also easy to hook up to an instructor when I was learning as he had one so that we could talk to each other not just have him telling me stuff.
For me to use it, it had to be easy (thought I would get that in before anyone else did) and we can easily do a days riding with it charged up
I love it from a riders & a pilly point of view, also if anything does go wrong (i didnt clip it on right & the water damaged the boom mike contacts) ... it was easy just to get hold of that part without having to replace the blue-tooth unit & it was only £25
I would recommend an Auto com. not cheap but it works very well. you can connect a 2 way, radio phone, satnav and MP3 player.
If you are looking at long range radio communications then stay away from pmr446 (the license free ones) purely because you cannot connect an external antenna so if you put the radio under your seat you will reduce the range. if you have the radio externally to the bike then then range will be improved. if you buy a small business license from ofcom for around £50 you can pickup radios on ebay for the same price as a pmr 446 radio. these radios will operate up to 5 watts and you can mount an external antenna.
if you do go gown the radio route then you add simplicity to the equation. all you have to do is agree a channel and away you go. with the Scala rider and other bluetooth based systems then you have a lot of fiddling to do to allow a group of you to talk to each other.
I gave my old auto com to Fraglette when i upgraded and we used to run bike to bike radio. give her a pm and she will tell you here thoughts. just remember that she does not have the Push-To_Talk option fitted to her bike so her radio kept transmitting over a certain speed. this was due to the wind coming through her arai lid and is a known problem. the fix was fit the ptt option or to tape up the vent.
Hiya Phil, I have 26 of them PMR446's (Cobra's)! We've used em for maybe the last 15 years for site comms, from one machine to another, up to about half a mile in forestry, and recreationally too (me dad keeps leaving them on the machine wheels and running over em!). I got the gear to make them into a bike/bike set-up, with a PTT on the grip on the ST, the problem I had with using them that way is that the wiring just wasn't sturdy enough, and it kept breaking inside the ear pieces.
I bought a set years ago for use with the wife on the back, we only did one trip with them and then they got binned, I just couldn't take anymore back seat driver, silence is bliss:-)
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