Scala Rider

[cougar8000]

Have you looked into Sena? They have been rated much better then Scala. Look it up.

 

[maddad]

Always have the scala on the helmet. Have been caught in some pretty hard rain and never an issue.

 

[squeezer]

I'm also thinking about getting new communication system. I have been using the Chatterbox X1 for years and has worked very well. I keep it in my tankbag so weather is not an issue. I'm leaning toward the Scala Rider but I'm wondering how weather proof it is as far a rain. Any of you Scala rider users get caught in rain for several hours? How did it hold up any issues?

As I mentioned above, my original Scala Rider has been on my helmet (two different ones, actually) for 4 or 5 years. It never comes off. It's been through thousands of miles of rainstorms.

Got a note from newenough yesterday that they've now purchased the remaining Q2 inventory from their distributor, so those sale prices will continue for a little while longer.

 

[VTFJR13]

That's good to hear that they seem to hold up in all kinds of weather. I guess next spring I will be going wireless. :yahoo:

 

[Drew]

I picked up the Q2 (2 sets), mainly due to the low cost, but I've wanted a set so these are my first ones. Anyone have issues with Vol Up/Down on them? They just don't seem to want to adjust. What about the FM Radio sounding like crap? Can't get the units to search either.

Thanks.

 

[RaYzerman19]

I picked up the Q2 (2 sets), mainly due to the low cost, but I've wanted a set so these are my first ones. Anyone have issues with Vol Up/Down on them? They just don't seem to want to adjust. What about the FM Radio sounding like crap? Can't get the units to search either.

Thanks.

Had those and upgraded to G4's.... The FM sucks, forget about it. Your other problems are likely that you have to press very firmly on the buttons, but the volume buttons should be OK. To hold the Power on while holding the multi button takes some effort before the pairing will start. The Power on button especially is hard to hold down unless you're in the right spot with enough pressure.

But, they work great for intercom, GPS. Not so much for music as the speakers lack bass response. Speaker placement is critical, so be prepared to experiment to get max volume.

 

[airportcop]

Have the G4 Powerset and like them overall. Static and noisy at times but my boy rides a Ninja so no windshield to speak of. Not nearly as much range as advertised maybe .5 miles if line of sight is good. Music not bad at all for me. Work well in rain and holds to helmet well. Good operating and standby time. FM does suck! Bought online for $289 & free shipping so look around.

 

[kswebber]

Have you looked into Sena? They have been rated much better then Scala. Look it up.

I bought the chatterbox Q2 headset and a Sena headset this summer. I have to say for music the Sena is great. Plenty of volume and they sound great. Love the volume knob. Easy to use with gloves. I liked the Scala better for using with cell phone. The Scala doesn't have the lows like the Sena has.

 

[networkguy]

Thanks to this thread...just ordered the Scala Rider Q2 MultiSet from newenough for $169.99. Still on closeout!

 

[matalex60]

Just picked up a Q2 on NewEnough.com. Great price! I can't wait to get it and try it out for myself. THANKS to all you at the forum for the great tip on NewEnough, saved me $200!

 

[squeezer]

Good to hear that deal is still going on. They must have been able to pick up more inventory.

 

[Pale Rider 07]

I have the Sena and could not be happier! If you don't care about FM radio and instead want the best speakers and sound available, the Sena is at the top of the list. Visit Web Bike World and read the reviews. The blue tooth shootout pretty much answers all the questions.

 

[BlueRidgeFJR]

I'm also thinking about getting new communication system. I have been using the Chatterbox X1 for years and has worked very well. I keep it in my tankbag so weather is not an issue. I'm leaning toward the Scala Rider but I'm wondering how weather proof it is as far a rain. Any of you Scala rider users get caught in rain for several hours? How did it hold up any issues?

I have Scala Teamset Pro. We rode about 6 hours in HARD rain last year on the way back from NAFO. :Snorkle: No problems at all. Gps, phone, & communication all bluetooth, worked flawless!

 

[ionbeam]

...Visit Web Bike World and read the reviews...

>>LINK<<

 

[Jim Morrison]

I have the Scala Rider Q2 MultiSet and have had no problems at all

 

[kebo123]

I had Scala Rider team set before, now I have Scala Rider G4 - I am happy with both, but can not compare with other. I have been in discussion about this topic in other forum with Sena users and they rated Sena very high. Price of Sena is also better for Cardo.

 

[spike747]

I definitely regret getting the G4. Range is rated at 1600 meters, but my best test with line of sight was 950 meters. Well short of spec. The audio quality is actually pretty good. I've talked to people while riding down the highway and they didn't know I was riding my bike. They said it just sounds like a speaker phone. Don't get me started on the firmware. They've done a really crappy job of fixing their bugs. Its very fussy about doing things in exactly the order that the manual says. My one buddy is constantly hitting the wrong buttons. He's a bit of an *****, but his mistakes often lock my unit up. And talking to tech support, they tell me the units are "obviously working fine" since I admit its my buddy hitting the wrong buttons. Bunch of morons over there. My boss would fire me if I design electronics like that. Hell, I'd fire myself.

 

[wfooshee]

A note about my Teamset, just as a quality report. The Teamset was an intercom-only system a couple of years back, no good for bike-to-bike. They basically took their Scala Rider Bluetooth headset and paired a limited-use heaset with it. You got the phone link for the driver, and intercom between driver and passenger, but no independant phone for the passenger (although the passenger could be tied into the driver's call.)

I was very impressed with battery life on the thing. A 1-hour charge would last 2 full days of use. I would sanp the electronic module off of the helmet every other night and plug it in. I never actually powered the thing off! Removing it from the helmet piece is no different electronically than unplugging a headset from a jack.

Voice clarity was very good, although there was usually a volume mismatch on phone calls. If she could hear me on Intercom, phone calls were faint. If she turned it up for the phone, the intercom was painfully loud. That, and the fact that VOX was useless are my only complaints. Battery life was good enough to just leave them connected all day, and just chat to each other. If she got sleepy, she turned it off.

The point of all this is to say that yesterday, after 3 years of daily use, my headset was actually not working. No audio from the phone. Checking, I found one of the four slip connectors was broken in the headset side. The electronics module was OK. Replaced the headset with a new one and it's still going strong.

Again, this is 3 YEARS, and the thing's not been powered off since the last time the battery actually ran down, which is very early in the life of the device, just to see how long it would actually last.

I certainly have no problem with build quality of the Cardo stuff. Other than the helmet clamp itself. First one I installed broke the clamp, and it's not available by itself, only as part of the 25-dollar headset assembly, which I didn't want to buy since I'd not yet even been able to use the thing! When I complained about it on the forum (this very one! and the fix!) they saw it and sent me a new headset gratis. That's good care right there, I don't care where you're from!

 

[NightShine]

It's disappointing to hear the quality problems many are having with the Scala G4 headsets, and the lack of support from the manufacturer.

I've had a pair of Cardo Scala Rider Q2 units for over three years now, which I've used for phone / gps / mp3 / passenger intercom. Other than its as-designed, less-than-stellar interface, and the limitations of its internally antenna'ed FM radio, they've performed admirably for what I've asked them to do. Audio quality is good, battery life is 12+ hours with intercom, phone and GPS connections are solid. Intercom range is over 300 feet (discovered as my helmeted passenger wandered off to take a few quick pictures . These units are head and shoulders above the earlier BlueAnt Interphone units I previously had (better battery life, better audio, more reliable bluetooth device connections).

But given the rider reports on the new G4, I'd probably skip that model.

 

[networkguy]

I picked up the Q2 (2 sets), mainly due to the low cost, but I've wanted a set so these are my first ones. Anyone have issues with Vol Up/Down on them? They just don't seem to want to adjust. What about the FM Radio sounding like crap? Can't get the units to search either.

Thanks.

Had those and upgraded to G4's.... The FM sucks, forget about it. Your other problems are likely that you have to press very firmly on the buttons, but the volume buttons should be OK. To hold the Power on while holding the multi button takes some effort before the pairing will start. The Power on button especially is hard to hold down unless you're in the right spot with enough pressure.

But, they work great for intercom, GPS. Not so much for music as the speakers lack bass response. Speaker placement is critical, so be prepared to experiment to get max volume.

As a side note...if you use your set as I do for music quite a bit, you can splice on a pair of earbuds too