Unless you’re seriously old, you’ll know how important an intercom is when doing rider training to pass the bike test. BMW UK’s Rider Training department is very pleased with its Cardo Systems communication devices, which it adopted a couple of years ago. BMW’s head instructor, Ian Biederman, has more than 30 Cardo units in operation and plans to add more this year. “We’ve come a long way since using Private Mobile Radios (PMR) units,’ he told us.” They worked well but required mounting and cable routing and were also heavy and cumbersome. Moving to Bluetooth was quite a step – and then mesh connectivity even more so. The range of the units is fantastic, the pairing process smooth, and the units themselves are lightweight and slim; often customers forget they’re there. It’s been a revelation.”
Biederman also points out that constant communication is essential – and a legal requirement with learners – so the trainers must be able to rely on the units completely. “The clarity of transmission is a definite bonus. The connection must be consistent and stable, and we find that the Cardo units work exceptionally well here. Range through the DMC system is effective and easy to set up through the app or on the unit. For learner customers, it is a legal obligation that radio units are used, and we need a stable platform to achieve this. We get this from the Cardo units over and above any other Bluetooth intercom. Riding with the Cardo units allows us to be confident in the transmission and train both customers (learner and advanced) and instructors alike.”
The complete product line-up from Cardo Systems is available at:
www.cardosystems.com.