Rating: *****

Most Bluetooth Wireless promises have never been realized. Bluetooth is a wireless technology that was supposed to make appliances ‘talk’ to each other. Your alarm clock could talk to your coffee maker. The acceptance was not as widespread as first imagined and many of the more interesting applications never met the marketplace. Cell phones have been the exception. The Cardo SCALARIDER is a shining example of form and function. It connects to your helmet painlessly (two set screws) and the earphone is loud enough to fit beneath the chinstrap near your ear. The mic is on a flexible cable and allows easy placement near your mouth. I have a Shoei SyncroTec (a flip up type of mask) and the installation took about ten minutes. It must be mounted on the left hand side of your helmet.  Of course your phone must be Bluetooth enabled and be able to recognize Voice Commands. I was able to connect wirelessly to my Motorola V710 Cell phone in the time it took to press the buttons. If you already have a Bluetooth hands free in your car, you know the drill. The instructions guide you through the procedure and it worked for me on the first try. One suggestion, make sure you have stored your most frequently dialed numbers in your Cell Phone. It’s a bit of a stretch to try speaking numbers into the mic at 60 mph. It's a lot easier to say “Home” and have the voice recognition software do the rest. I have a windshield and was able to use the phone at speed in excess of 60 mph. The most common response from the ones I called was, “I can’t believe you’re riding a motorcycle!” The sound is that good. I rode from Chicago to Santa Monica on RT66 and used the cardio much of the way. In fact, I was holding conversations while crossing the Mohave Desert! Sure, it’s a bit surreal, riding and talking on the cell phone. But if riding and talking are your cup of tea, this unit can’t be beat. The power supply and transmitter easily snap off of the mount for charging. But SCALARIDER never ran out of power before my cellphone. The controls take a little getting used to but never require more attention then a push of your finger. You just need to know where to push, but you get it after a few try’s. And it looks cool at night, a bright blue LED flashes every 3 seconds to let the world know something is going on.  All in all, the SCALARIDER is a Bluetooth winner. Now, if only I could have my alarm clock talk to my toaster.