Ridemaster Corporation
RIDEMASTER Group Communications System
“Design 1st was a great partner to work with; they approached our project with a high degree of collaboration and provided us with several options at each decision point. They took our Ridemaster concept and turned it into something real that was both practical and had a high quality feel to it.”
Dave Gilmour, President
Project
Develop a communication device for motorcyclists to communicate with each other while on the road.
Summary
Ridemaster Corporation produces an inter-vehicle communication system called the “RIDEMASTER” which is primarily used for communications between motorcycle enthusiasts, but has potential for use with snowmobile, ATV, car and biking enthusiasts as well. The initial product was targetted to service the motorcycle community. Each motorcyclist has a RIDEMASTER unit, which has a keypad and indicators with up to ten icons that range from “need fuel” to “need to eat” or “turn left” or “turn right”. The units intercommunicate via 2.4 GHz radio transceivers to alert the group of someone’s needs, group status, or that a navigational alert has been given.
Solution
The Ridemaster team had already pieced together the required electronics, a basic family of icons and some commercially available mounting hardware before engaging with Design 1st. What they needed was to collaborate with a physical product specialist to design a robust outdoor product with a form and graphic image that would be practical in rain, dust, and sun environments and still meet a practical instrumentation purpose. Another important factor was the product needed to appeal aesthetically to the spectrum of motorcyclists from “bikers” to “recreational riders”. The end result was a form factor that was both weatherproof and ergonometric with a dynamic graphic treatment that fit the brand image of the Ridemaster Group.
Benefits
Design 1st was able to provide the Ridemaster team, who did not have the expertise in packaging, materials selection or manufacturing, with a practical solution that fit both the required look and feel and could be manufactured at high volumes to attain the desired cost per unit. In addition, Design 1st supported the product’s initial sales campaign by providing prototypes that looked exactly like the real product and were robust enough to put on a motorcycle. This support was critical to the successful launch of the RIDEMASTER product.
Company Profile
Ridemaster Corporation is an innovative company, dedicated to one primary market, and one very unique customer base. We are managed by an efficient team of highly experienced engineers and business professionals. At the core, we are bikers and share the same passion for riding as our customers. Ridemaster Corporation specializes in inter-vehicle communications systems for motorcycles. The RIDEMASTER product line is a wireless group communication system that improves the enjoyment and safety of travelling in a group.
