Intercoms and bike communications kit guide

[Seawolf84]

(oh and that he WILL hear me singing very badly in an attempt to remember to breath whilst going round corners )

Oh, do you do that too???

Yeah, that puts me off comms, that and the swearing

 

There are two modes in the intercom: you can activate it via pressing a button or it transmits everything (when it is in VOX mode). But I haven't got a suggestion for swearing, I couldn't manage to filter it yet.

[uk190]

well. after 515 miles of riding up to and tazzing around the lakes i can now say that these are worth the money.

i bought the scala g4 multiset with the corded mics for full face helmets for £295. came from italy but are the same spec as the uk ones, just a lot cheaper. in the uk, the corded mic kit for two g4's retails at about £100. thats on top of the multiset at £300+.

the bike to bike comms worked well. only at 95mph did they start to crackle which could be down to wind noise from rachs hjc lid as she couldnt here the crackle that i could.. range was more than enough with atleast 3/4 of a mile between bikes.

the vox works fine, as did the fm radio.

the connectivity to my nokia N8 was excellent (it even worked with an i-phone 4 ). both voice activated telephone calls and listening to MP3s were clear. audio quality suffers slightly at speed due to wind noise as i ride an unfaired tuono v-twin. the wind noise overpowered the bass notes leaving the sound a bit tinny. i am sure if you have better wind protection on yours then you will be even more impressed.

the sat nav in my n8 phone sends voice instructions to the helmet at the same time as playing MP3s which was useful.

the G4 lasted all weekend without needing recharging.

all in all. highly recomended and talking bike to bike was really useful. i relayed back to rachel when it was clear to pass. this took the stress out of making progress on unfamiliar twisty roads and increased her enjoyment of the whole weekend.

[Paul]

Good write-up Martin. Cheers. Might have to get one now!!

[Boothy]

Good write-up Martin. Cheers. Might have to get one now!!

 

Make sure that you check that the range capability's are the same for inside a car as it could cause some problems with limited Bluetooth reception.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Boothy

[Paul]

Whats the icon all about?

[Boothy]

Misclick was supposed to be a

[Rebel Rach]

Good write-up Martin. Cheers. Might have to get one now!!

 

Make sure that you check that the range capability's are the same for inside a car as it could cause some problems with limited Bluetooth reception.

 

nice one boothy. i can just see paul in his mondeo wearing his helmet

[Mutiny]

We've just had delivery of a new bluetooth system - Sena SMH5, it sounds very very similar to the Scala Rider but retails at £90 for a single unit and £170 for a dual kit.

Like the Scala Rider, they are very easy to install, fixing directly to the side of the helmet with either a sticky pad or a clamp (the unit can easily be unclipped and removed for charging).

Stereo ultra-slim speakers, directional mike and easy to pair up. I had the unit fitted to the helmet and paired to my phone in just a couple of minutes.

You can pair it to up to 3 other devices, but I think, like the Scala, you can only talk/listen to one device at a time, which is annoying if you want to hear listen to your satnav and talk to your mate/missus.

On the plus side though, the sound quality was superb and the range isn't bad either ~100m in heavy traffic and a stated 500m on the open road with direct line of sight.

It's a good quality headset and I'd buy one for myself to connect to my phone, which I would use for music, satnav and incoming calls. But it's not for having a ride out with your mates and chatting with them (unless you only have one mate).

[m312]

Hmmm, I'm a bit late on this one.....

I bought a Scala Rider Solo recently, mainly because I need to listen to Sat Nav, and take phone calls if necessary, although I try to avoid that! Trial telephone calls to and from home proved to be excellent clarity and easy to do via my Iphone4 using voice control.

The one down side differs from other opinions on this thread, in that I found attaching the bluetooth bracket to the helmet a bit of a faff, but that might be my helmet design. I found the screws to tighten it up work ok up to a point, but they start to push the mount off the helmet if overtightened, as my helmet tapers to the bottom edge. Overall though, I have found it excellent.

[klingelton]

Hmmm, I'm a bit late on this one.....

I bought a Scala Rider Solo recently, mainly because I need to listen to Sat Nav, and take phone calls if necessary, although I try to avoid that! Trial telephone calls to and from home proved to be excellent clarity and easy to do via my Iphone4 using voice control.

The one down side differs from other opinions on this thread, in that I found attaching the bluetooth bracket to the helmet a bit of a faff, but that might be my helmet design. I found the screws to tighten it up work ok up to a point, but they start to push the mount off the helmet if overtightened, as my helmet tapers to the bottom edge. Overall though, I have found it excellent.

 

You could use the stick on pad. That would solve the bracket problem.

[m312]

The one down side differs from other opinions on this thread, in that I found attaching the bluetooth bracket to the helmet a bit of a faff, but that might be my helmet design. I found the screws to tighten it up work ok up to a point, but they start to push the mount off the helmet if overtightened, as my helmet tapers to the bottom edge. Overall though, I have found it excellent.

 

You could use the stick on pad. That would solve the bracket problem.

 

I really didn't trust the sticky pad.....!

[mailee66]

my mate and I both bought a Viper helmet with Bluetooth 4 fitted. Easy to pair the helmets together and a good clear sound bike to bike at close range. It does state a range of 800mtrs but I very much doubt it as we have lost the signal at half that range. The system is full duplex and also connects to the phone which can be answered by a tap on the side of the helmet. I also have it paired to the sat nav on my phone (Samsung Galaxy) and it works great and is very clear. Another great feature is that it even picks up my voice with the flip front raised! I have no idea where the mike is but it picks up well. Battery lasts well and I only need to charge it after about three ride outs. Now the downfall of it is wind noise which makes it inaudible at anything over 50 mph! All you get is a muffled sound which is not a lot of use. But around town and paired with a pillion, sat nav, phone, music it is fine at low speeds.