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Helmet Comms - Anyone use them? Buy one?

Discussion in 'General' started by RS250Ape, May 11, 2023.

  1. RS250Ape

    RS250Ape Well-Known Member

    I posted this in other rider focused forums but not much info gained there. Plus...there tends to be more "uh hum" "experienced" users here.

    Looking for more knowledge.
    Anyone use one? Any recommendations?
    This would be bike to bike street riding. Not 2 up riding.

    Thanks all knowing....
     
  2. stk0308

    stk0308 Well-Known Member

    My friends and I have been having good luck with Cardo PackTalk Bolds. Once you get someone running the mesh correctly, if you get out of range the rejoin is seamless. Good near all day battery life, so far after 2.5 years. Clear speakers that can go plenty loud, and I run earplugs. Decent mikes that, in a full face helmet, can be setup to only get your voice and very little, if any, background. We originally got them for the CO-BDR trip a couple years ago, and we've continued using them after for street riding, and ADV riding.
    I only use it for rider to rider comms, and maybe GPS instructions. I do not listen to music, or take calls.
     
    BrentA, Youpaiyou and r1owner like this.
  3. sharkattack

    sharkattack Rescued pets over people. All day, every day

    I have a Sena 10S & my wife has a 20S. Works great for us. I ride solo most of the time, so I just use it to play tunes. But it works and sounds good to me.
     
  4. rd400racer

    rd400racer Well-Known Member

    I had a Sena SM5FM in my Neotec and then got the Sena built in system for my Neotec2. The built in is excellent because you hardly know it's there.
     
  5. Bruce

    Bruce Tuck & Roll

    I'm running the same setup as stk0308. I got gifted one as a wedding gift. Makes it really nice to signal road hazards, stops, directions, and sometimes for GPS directions. Other than that we don't talk to each other and I don't, nor will I ever, ride to music.
     
  6. Booger

    Booger Well-Known Member

    Hell no. One of my favorite parts of street riding is to get away from all the “noise” of life. That includes hours lost in my head not talking to or being talked to. Me and my riding buddies can swap tales of the day over beer and wings later at the bar.
     
  7. Steeltoe

    Steeltoe What's my move?

    This.

    I've thought about getting one for music but headphones are working fine but I ride so I don't have to talk to anyone.
     
  8. Kurlon

    Kurlon Well-Known Member

    Getting a set of Senas for when my wife joins me has been AWESOME. Massive improvement in ride enjoyment for both of us. Solo, having Google Maps saying directions to me is nice as well.
     
  9. G2G

    G2G I feel the need

    Cardo Pack talk. Love mine. Wife has one and all our friends have them. We do alot of long trips with friends and its a blast talking while we ride. Also helps identifying cops, gravel, deer etc before the next person comes around the corner. I can also listen to music while talking to everyone.
     
    Youpaiyou and younglion like this.
  10. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    I agree.....my favorite quiet time is when I'm in my helmet.
     
  11. r1owner

    r1owner All cars suck!

    I use Cardo packtalk bold. Love it. Whichever one you get, get one that has mesh communications.
     
    Youpaiyou likes this.
  12. younglion

    younglion Well-Known Member

    Another vote for the Cardo Packtalk Bold - 2 seasons now and me and a buddy use them often - it's saved us from MANY issues - brilliant for giving a heads up to a following rider and for chatting during some of the lesser fun parts of our rides.
     
    Youpaiyou likes this.
  13. Smilodon

    Smilodon Wannabe

    I put a long post in this thread, which has a lot of additional information about intercoms.

    https://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/sena-is-really-a-mess.379109/page-2

    In short, I've used them for a long time (back to pre-wireless days) and like them a lot for two-up rides. I don't use them when riding alone, but can see the use case some people have for that.

    Just took mine (and a spare) on my big Japan bike trip, and they worked great, but the batteries are starting to lose that last hour or so of life, so another complete re-buy is probably in the cards. Their biggest flaw in my opinion, but makes lots of money for the manufacturers.
     
  14. nigel smith

    nigel smith Well-Known Member

    Lock the thread. No more needs to be said.
     
  15. Bruce

    Bruce Tuck & Roll

    You guys act like we are just gabbing away endlessly. :crackup:

    I get it you don't want someone talking your ear off while you're trying to enjoy your ride. But there isn't a single person I know who has tried one that hasn't kept it. And we're talking guys in their 40s and 50s. So not just youngsters. Our talking is informational only.
     
    G2G, BrentA, stk0308 and 1 other person like this.
  16. Rhino48

    Rhino48 Well-Known Member

    Have a packtalk slim, connected intercom with 3 other guys with various Sena and Cardo units, no problem. Helped us a lot with a wild traffic incident on 285 in Colorado - I got a bit of warning when a drunk a-hole in a t-rex almost ran me over.

    Once I got a new Samsung phone with Bixby, though, functionality went to shit. Bixby and Cardo don't get along well, and I don't feel like popping for a newer phone (S22 and later allegedly can be made to work) just to make my headset work. My bikes lack real fairings, so the audio is never great enough to make me want to jam tunes, which I don't like to do really anyway. The voices in my head amuse me enough.

    Even with what I thought was a lot of wind noise, people I called couldn't tell I was on my bike unless I was accelerating and the engine noise broke through. They are pretty amazing little systems.
     
  17. skidooboy

    skidooboy supermotojunkie

    Sena 20s, evo's. been using for close to 10 years, dirt, sleds, sport bikes. it is not like you are jibber jabbering away, the whole ride. it is nice to warn people about hazards, and help them when passing other autos. no more turning around, looking... or looking in mirrors that are useless, to figure out where your partner is. just ask... is everything ok. Ski
     
  18. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    I imagine a beautiful, twisty back road when, suddenly, ...
    "Comin' up on some loose gra... OH! SQUIRREL!"
    :crackup:
     
  19. Britt

    Britt Well-Known Member

    Allman Brothers: Blue Skies = 65mph
    Obsidian Sky: Bury the Hatchet = 100mph easy....
    MotleyCrue: KickStart my Heart=120'ish

    Talking about the upcoming turn, or the one missed...worth the price.

    PackTalk Bold w/JBL
     
  20. SteveThompson

    SteveThompson Banned by amafan

    I’ve found the Sena’s to be more common if you care about that. Most brands can be connected to each other one way or another, but it’s easier if they are the same manufacturer. The Sena 50s is a known turd. I’ve has a 20s and 30s and they both worked perfectly.

    Ignore the grumpy old man stuff about alone time. You can easily turn it on and off. I’ve never ridden with a group that wants to chit chat. It’s more like… hey we missed a turn, I need gas, etc. I do like music or a podcast if it’s a boring stretch. For me, the communicator has enhanced my riding experience.
     
    rd400racer likes this.

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