The sun has finally come back out in the Pacific Northwest, which means it's time again to get on the bike. I went riding today with Matt and Dan. We cruised a long loop in Columbia County that goes past my house. It's a great ride with lots of fun turns and rural scenery. It was in the mid to upper 70's today and the next couple days will be much warmer than that.

But spending time on the bike means when the stupid cell phone rings, it goes unanswered. I know what you're thinking - why am I worrying about the stupid phone when enjoying a day on the bike? Yeah, yeah... Okay, I get the point. But since I will probably ride it to and from work more and more now that it's nice out, it would be nice to be able to answer the phone in the helmet - but only if I never have to take my hands off the motorcycle controls. It would also be a very cool way (with free mobile-to-mobile minutes) to do a full duplex intercom between riding partners.

So, today I ordered the Cardco "scala-rider" Bluetooth headset that's made specifically for use in motorcycle helmets. It clamps on (no glue, which is nice) and allows you to answer the phone, as well as (if your phone allows) place calls using your voice. Plus it automatically adjusts its own volume to accommodate for road noise. It's built and designed for use at highway speeds and has some special circuitry to deal with the noise. Plus, tons of standby and talk time, and a good all-around feature set.

Receive and initiate calls.
Weather protected headset fits open-faced and full helmets.
Self-installation within 5 minutes, leaving no traces on helmet.
High impact balancing microphone for inter-city speed conditions.
AGC Technology automatically adjusts volume according to noise and speed levels.
VOX Technology enables you to receive or reject calls by voice control.
Special clamp allows attachment and release of the headset within seconds.

  • Up to 7 hrs. talk time / 1 week standby (recharging from regular outlet).

Once I receive it and have a chance to try it out, I'll post a review.