Helmets with speakers and microphones

[salty_monk]

The main useful difference between the SMH-10 and the 20/20evo for Sena is an extra Bluetooth receiver. That means twice as many people can potentially group together and also that you can play music / have navigation running from your phone at the SAME time as having a conversation. It’s overlaid. The 10’s you have to switch from one to the other, it’s a royal pain...

the 30’s are really buggy. The new 50 supposedly sorts that out but who knows... all brand have their lovers and haters. Senna was the go-to for sure with the 10. Cardo might be these days...

[Burque73]

The main useful difference between the SMH-10 and the 20/20evo for Sena is an extra Bluetooth receiver. That means twice as many people can potentially group together and also that you can play music / have navigation running from your phone at the SAME time as having a conversation. It’s overlaid. The 10’s you have to switch from one to the other, it’s a royal pain...

the 30’s are really buggy. The new 50 supposedly sorts that out but who knows... all brand have their lovers and haters. Senna was the go-to for sure with the 10. Cardo might be these days...

I can count on one hand the times I've ridden with other folks and don't use a GPS so most of the cool features of the 20 it seems will go undiscovered for me. I did take a ride last Memorial Day weekend with a friend who used some sort of Sena unit. That was fun to chat bike to bike.

I made a call to my wife and rode for a while just to see if it worked. She didn't even hear the wind. Too distracting though. Think I'll just wait till I stop from now on.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I have this helmet from Bilt. Got on sale at Cycle Gear.

https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/bilt-techno-20-sena-bluetooth-modular-helmet?rrec=true

I use it primarily to listen to music over bluetooth from my phone. Have received a few calls from my wife while riding, pretty much just to test it. Works really well, but agree with Roger, that it is really distracting. Listening to music is passive. Conversing with someone require my attention being taken away from more important functions. I have never ridden with anyone else in a group but I like the possibility if the situation comes up, to be able to communicate with others. One minor gripe on the phone part. Siri doesn't work with it, so I can't say " Hey Siri, call the wife". That's OK, I didn't want to talk to her anyway. The audible alert for a text message does come through in the headset, so at least I know I may need to stop and address it.

Just last week, I had the phones navigation on to test the turn by turn directions when riding to someplace I'd never been before. Worked great rather than stopping when I wasn't sure where I was, getting the phone out, checking the map, repeat.

I want to get a handlebar mounted phone mount like all the motorcycle vloggers use, something like this by Rokform. But I'm afraid that having something else in my vision could be too distracting.

[Burque73]

Rich, that bar mount looks useful. Maybe throw an old phone in it strictly for GPS so notifications of calls or messages don't distract. In fact, I may do that with an old android phone...maybe.

I'm ashamed to admit on a deserted stretch of road after not seeing another vehicle for miles, I took off my gloves and pulled the phone out to check how far it was to the next town. Tucked the phone away and put gloves back on. Long straight boring road and throttle lock. I could've made a sandwich and had lunch on the bike, LOL.

[cowboyup3371]

Cardo's newer Packtalk Bold works with Siri just fine though it took me a bit to get used to it. I do a decent job of concentrating on the road while talking but I also won't hold a long conversation as I'd much rather ride.

[salty_monk]

I find that if you make a phone call it’s distracting but if you’re talking to someone who is riding (even if on a different bike) then it’s not at all....

[Redman]

My son had experince with helmet communication systems, and recently investigated what is available these days. He got a set of Sena SMH 10R for him and wife, and my SonInLaw got a set for them also. But those are guys that have full bluetooth, and unlimited data on smartphones, and have phones mounted on bike for navagation. ANd they both have full bluetooth to thier phones for making and recieving calls while riding. Oh, and music.
I am not set up with full data, and dont use phone for navagation, and dont use phone for music...... but if I were to get a helmet communication system, I would get that to be compatible with thiers.

SonInLaw had the expereince of travling down the road, and he hears over the communication "911, what is your emergency? what is your location? what is your emergency?".
Apparenly something about the way the phone (Samsung) mounted in the holder it would somehow push one of the side buttons in some manner to call 911.
He tried to modify the holder, but eventaully had to get a different brand of holder that had a different arrangement.

[Noreg]

Kerry, Let me stress a point that others have mentioned.
THese days you dont get a helmet that has communication.... you get a helment that will accept such (some have a little compartment) and add a communcation system into it.... or get a commuciation system that goes onto the side of a helmet.

I cant give you any specifics of what is available, because I am too cheap to gett something that I havent had for 35+ years of riding.......

I recently ordered the packtalk slim. It has a unit you put in the back of the helmet, and a button part on the side. Probably overkill for my use (I just want spotify while wearing earplugs for the wind noise).

[Steve]

I made a call to my wife and rode for a while just to see if it worked. She didn't even hear the wind. Too distracting though. Think I'll just wait till I stop from now on.

A commendable choice, to be sure, but it doesn't have to be that way.

IF you wish to "stay in touch", you can answer your phone (by whatever means necessary), let the person that is calling know that you are riding, so please keep it short. I have had music in my helmet for about 20 years now. Have had passengers on the back seat for over 40. Having the communication through helmet speakers sure beats shouting above the wind noise, and you're right, it is somehow not quite as distracting as trying to handle a phone conversation. My phone connectivity has been limited to a wired earbud that I could wear, along with the speakers in the helmet. No connection to the bike there, just phone and earbud. Callers could not tell I was moving, let alone on a motorcycle. OK, it was the Wing, so it was more like a car.

One minor gripe on the phone part. Siri doesn't work with it, so I can't say " Hey Siri, call the wife". That's OK, I didn't want to talk to her anyway.

As I had just mentioned to Roger, you can leave it connected, just let whoever is calling know that you are going to keep it SHORT. Let your wife know that it's OK to call and say "call me at your next stop", just don't expect to discuss all the details of WHY she wants you to call.

I want to get a handlebar mounted phone mount like all the motorcycle vloggers use, something like this by Rokform. But I'm afraid that having something else in my vision could be too distracting.

That is an interesting mount, but WOW, it's $120.

If you are going to use it for navigation, you DO want it "in your vision". You don't want to have to look too far away from the road. On the other hand, if your navigation is talking through your helmet speakers, you could bury your phone in a tank bag. Just run a power cord in there to keep it charged, you'll be set.

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