Communication System Questions

[wswartzwel]

My wife and I are going to start traveling a bit more, and I am looking at making the trips a little more comfortable for her. Being able to talk to each other about various landmarks along the way would be nice. Has anyone used the SCALA Rider products?

I see some communicators, can pair with your phone, or music..

Also as far as communicating with other riders, is there a more common frequency to buy so the odds of being able to talk to others in a group would be more probable?

I have never used any type of communicators, and perhaps the whole thing is a distraction and a bad idea??? if so tell me now.

Thanks!

[brentw1]

I have the sena 20s which is interoperable with some other brands and
works well.

[sgoodwin]

I tried one when my daughter started riding with me. It was a total distraction with her singing & babbling constantly. Perhaps with an adult who doesn't talk just to hear themselves it would work, but in my case I couldn't remove it fast enough. Don't remember the system but it worked too well.

[BadToTheBown]

We have the Scala and they work. Some acclimation, not a big deal and worth it if the old lady enjoys it more so she'll go more.

[Jeff Roof]

Originally Posted by BadToTheBown

We have the Scala and they work. Some acclimation, not a big deal and worth it if the old lady enjoys it more so she'll go more.

+1 on the Scala. Changed the whole riding experience for my son and I. It does get monotonous sometimes when you are busy concentrating on a tight road and you are having a casual conversation. Totally worth it though.

[CoffeeGuy]

My wife and I used the Scala Rider 2 from 2008 until 2010. The autotalk feature was annoying, as it would turn on from wind noise- we disabled that feature and they were fine. The mic stalk broke off of hers- otherwise we'd still use them.

[bradzdotcom]

Originally Posted by CoffeeGuy

The mic stalk broke off of hers- otherwise we'd still use them.

oh yea, right...sure it broke off...probably on it's own...with nobody around...yep, it's a completely mystery as to how that happened...but she can still hear you...she just can't comment.

brilliant!

[wswartzwel]

LOL…. reminds me of that bridgestone tire commercial…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRofF_v6kk0

[Ricochet Rabbit]

My wife and I each ride our own R1100S and never use any communication device or hand signals. We ride together but are each in our own world. If the rider in the front - usually her, to set the pace - wants to stop she simply pulls over and stops. If the rider in the back wants to stop, she passes the front rider and pulls over. It's simple and effective. Need gas? No need to talk about it, pull over and buy gas. There's no need for a lot of chatter while riding. We can talk about what we saw during the stop or when we get home.

[CoffeeGuy]

Originally Posted by bradzdotcom

oh yea, right...sure it broke off...probably on it's own...with nobody around...yep, it's a completely mystery as to how that happened...but she can still hear you...she just can't comment.

brilliant!

Now that I think about it- I have the enhanced version!

[RIQUE]

My riding buddies and I just got the Sena 20S they suck! It seems the first batch is defective and we are returning them for exchange. Watch out for 14xxx serials.

[throttlemeister]

I know the BT crap is all the hype these days, but personally I'd never use it. I don't want no dongle thingie clipped to the side of my helmet increasing wind noise, I don't want to also having to charge my helmet every day and I don't want to deal with dodgy connection problems.

My friends and I also use (bike2bike) communication, and we all have a Baehr Capo 3 installation (as neither of needs rider to pillion) with a wired headset. GPS is plugged directly into it as well. Reliable, always works and no 'made in China' build quality. But perhaps if your main use is for when you are on the road together for 3-4 weeks at a time all day every day, demands are a little different from common use.

That said, if I were to use BT I would use the Cardo SHO-1 for a Shoei helmet, Schubert SRC-System for Schuberth helmets, BMW EVO Motorrad Communication system for BWM helmet or NCOM for Nolan helmets. All 4 are designed to completely integrated into the helmet as a fixed installation with no protruding elements, things that can fall off or things that can be bumped into.

[iminspaaace]

Highly recommend Sena. My buddies and I use them often, and I've been very happy. I have the SMH10, and they have the SMH10R. Only complaint is the battery life on the "R" isn't great, a full day at most and it's done for, but that's the trade off of a smaller, lighter setup. I looked at the Scala and others and while there are a few more features, it's not worth the big increase in price for me.

[shreddr]

+1 on the Sena

[Sophus]

I have the older Scala rider Bluetooth kit. It is phone/GPS only. Clipped onto my helmet and easy install. I mostly ride alone and can't get my wife to ride passenger after we had kids, so no need for intercom. I am ok with that though

Anyway, I am impressed by the Scala. Feedback is that the call quality is good, better than some car handsfree solutions I have used. Quite impressed actually.

I would not hesitate to go with their intercom products based on my experience with them.

[RBMann]

No charging needed.

[AZ-J]

The Sena 10R is the best unit! I have it and Sena sent me extra attachments when I got a new helmet!