My Partner has just passed her test and despite having ridden for 38 years with only my own thoughts to listen to, I have agreed that communication will be useful for us. I have no desire for music, radio or telephone distractions so basic and simple would do. However, the finances will extend to higher quality equipment if the lower budget offerings do not perform well. Thankyou
Recently bought a Cardo packtalk edge and am pleased with it. Easy to connect and can natter away to my young lad on the back. It’s magnetic so easy to click on/take off/swap between my various lids. It does loads of other stuff that I’m not interested in.
What helmets do you wear ? Some offer an integrated solution, some the only solution is a clamp plate or bonding a plate to the helmet. Andy
I’ve used Sena for a number of years whilst on tour with my mate. Pretty good range and clear at ‘reasonable’ speeds. Mine is built into my Schuberth and he has a Neotech. I also had an older Interphone system (with an upgrade to the speakers) which was probably slightly easier to operate and change modes (sat nav, music etc)
When I was actively riding for my local blood bike group, I tried several and the most reliable proved to be the BMW system 7 helmet with the built in comms. The helmet may well be made by Schuberth, but the comms is nothing like theirs. It survived numerous Sat Nav and phone upgrades and I still use it occasionally. a quick goog indicates it maybe a Sena
Cardo PACKTALK Bold is by far the best I’ve had. 12+ in our ride group and no issues, easy connectivity and super clear. Lots of other features if you want to use them.
I have just returned to a Shoei (X Spirit) after a few years experiencing the cheaper price and lower quality of a Shark. The Boss has a Shoei flip-top thing which is OK for short shopping trips, but really wants something lighter for longer rides. The ideal solution would be Mic & Speakers fitted in the Helmet with a wire connecting to the battery pack/control box in my pocket, as I don't like the idea of sticking lumps onto my new lid, but it doesn't look like anyone makes such a thing yet.
I have an Interphone Tour on two helmets, and the latest inbuilt Shoei in another. Both are great systems, but the Interphone is much easier to use, is a doddle to connect to other comms, and works bloody well. The only downside is that it’s stuck to the outside of the helmet, but I’ve been using Interphones since about 2010 and haven’t had a single issue.
I think the connection between the mic/speakers and control on the Cardo is a fairly standard looking 2.5mm jack but could be wrong. Probably similar on others. Hence if you added an extension wire you could stick the unit in your pocket. However, the issue would be accessing the controls when it’s in your pocket and especially with gloves on.
I’d recommend a Cardo system. If you just want bike to bike intercom and not interested in connecting to multiple riders and half a mile range is fine then you could probably go with a Freecom 2x system, if you want a bit more range and the added voice command then a freecom 4x or for the whole hog go for Packtalk bold or edge. I had the packtalk slim one but it failed in heavy rain (supposed to be waterproof) got my money back and bought a packtalk bold, found it easier to control with gloves on etc although not as slim and neat. I find the voice command bit works well (as long as you set it to UK English otherwise you have to speak with an American accent for it to work (the mistake a lot of people make) it’s great for switching music etc and it will further connect to Siri etc but if your not interested in all that then maybe not bother. They all come with a mount clip option that slips between the shell and the lining so you don’t have to bond/stick anything to the shell if you don’t want to, I’ve fitted it to an Arai Chaser, Shoei NXR and currently a Roof Boxer. Can be bought in dual kits and often on offer at Infinity?
I've had a Sena 10U for coming on for 8 years. Well, TBH I did replace it a couple if years ago as one speaker packed in. However, suffiently happy with the 5+ years that I replaced like for like, was still available. These only fit specific helmets and are maybe a bit old school but mine, and my touring buddy who bough the same, work very well for our purpose. Mainly bike-to-bike whilst on tour (about 1km line of sight), also sat nav, occasional music when on long autoroute stretches, phone use (basically long range full duplex comms if you have an 'at home' roaming tariff) if we get separated. I don't accept or make calls on the move though. Fiddling with any tech whilst riding can have serious consequences. A mate had a head-on years back due to this. Only just manged to keep his leg as the air ambulance had to divert to a military training hospital due to bad weather and they saw saving it as a challenge. The 10U, not sure if you can still get them, is designed to be enclosed within the helmet shell which has obvious benefits; far more robust/protected, water ingres not a problem, no wind noise issues caused by 'limpet' on the side of your lid. I'd definately get one if the same design and a Sena if they still do one like that. Bear in mind that if you ride with others and want group bike-to-bike comms then, in practice, you need to all use the same brand as that tech isn't Bluetooth but proprietary radio. Some claim to be able to connect with each other but in my experince this never connects or works satisfactorily. Not like the days of Autocom bike powered modular intercom systems hooked up to PMR radios.
People still use the old school radios (direct access seem to) but a bit outside my experience to comment. If you do decide to go bluetooth, both Cardo and Sena have the latest Mesh technology although they are not inter brand compatible on Mesh, only bluetooth. Andy
This forum is THE best knowledge base available. I really appreciate the time taken to share your real world experience of these products. I will report back when we are up and riding and hopefully talking. Thank You.
So we bought a Sena Spider setup. works pretty well, loud n clear for a good half mile with line of sight. breaks up a bit at higher speed and if I don't want to talk I can always accelerate out of range! Battery life is good, more than 4 hours between charges. I just have to remember to switch off the Bluetooth on my phone before we set off to stop it making nuisance noises.
I have a Cardo Packtalk Edge. I had a few Sena units but I use a scooter for the commute and they didn’t stand up to being daily beaters that got wet. The Cardo has a better battery and better build for sure.
Interfone F5 here....me and my mate bought one for TT use...handy as fuck if you get split up...! - never connected it to any other comms though...well, had a go but never managed it...that being said i didnt spend too much time trying! Comms are a game changer i would say....even just for music...use mine every day...
