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My buddy got a Sena and now he wants me to get one so we don’t plow into stuff while using sign language on the highway. Which models should I look at? I’d like to spend under 400 and my biggest demand is decent quality speakers.
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Aug 17, 2020 15:56
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| # ? May 4, 2024 21:23 |
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I have a Sena 20S. It's fine. Does the job when riding and communicating with my bike instructor no problem. Also good for receiving directions from my TomTom GPS. Fine for music and data-based calls (e.g. apple voice calls from the iphone). For some reason, it doesn't seem to receive/answer/transmit regular voice calls from my phone at all, even while sitting still at home. Also, top tip to make sure everything connects smoothly together after you have connected all the things together individually: 1. Turn off bluetooth on your phone. 2. Turn on the Sena. 3. Turn on your GPS. 4. Turn on the bluetooth on your phone. If you don't do it in this order, the phone's bluetooth for some stupid reason prevents the GPS from bluetoothing to the Sena (but if you turn on the phone bluetooth last, everything connects together just fine). Honestly, it's ok. The app sucks balls though. And trying to get radio to work is not worth the pain. I will be switching to a Cardo as soon as Cardo make a bluetooth 5 and USB-C enabled version, as I imagine a bluetooth 5 iPhone and communicator will have fewer problems than current bluetooth 4 devices (and I hope TomTom updates their rider series to be BT5 and USB-C too). The Cardo app looks a lot better too. The 20S cost me just shy of £300 if I remember correctly.
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Aug 17, 2020 17:09
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I've been using the Sena 20S forever and it's worked really well for me. It works great for phone calls for me unlike Steakandships experience. In fact, mounted in my Arai, the call quality is good enough that no one knows that I'm on a motorcycle.
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Aug 17, 2020 17:41
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10c evo is $400 and the added benefit of a camera, if you want it. It is easy to operate while riding, and like Yuns, no one knows I am on a motorcycle, that I’ve asked. Audio quality seems fine to me, but I’ve never used anything else.
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Aug 17, 2020 18:18
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if you're only gonna be with one other person, get the oldest, cheapest sena used off ebay like a smh5 for 50 bucks. gently caress sena (I owned a 10c and currently use a 30k)
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Aug 17, 2020 18:22
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Rolo posted:... my biggest demand is decent quality speakers. Cut up a pair of Koss Porta-Pros and plug them in via a Sena headphone adapter cable, or use earbuds. There's no such thing as decent quality helmet speakers; they're all varying grades of crap, and they still have to compete with poor placement in your helmet and a shitload of road noise. FWIW I have one of the Cardo JBL packtalk sets, and compared to the non-JBL version it's just a tiny bit better. Cardo charges like $85 for those speakers separately. A $15 pair of Koss headphones sounds just as good if not better.
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Aug 17, 2020 18:30
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Rolo posted:My buddy got a Sena and now he wants me to get one so we don’t plow into stuff while using sign language on the highway. When I bought my last helmet, the only Sena they had in stock was the 3S. $89 and I've never had any problems with it. It's also super small and doesn't look incredibly stupid, as nearly all Sena and Cardo devices do. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sena-3s-w-bluetooth-headset-wired-microphone
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Aug 17, 2020 19:08
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Trip report: I bought a bluetooth media remote control and mounted it to the bike. Works well and it connects to your phone fairly fast once you press a button (it disconnects after a bit to save the battery). My main complaints are it doesn't seem to have the ability to fast forward, only change tracks, and the buttons are a little small when you're wearing gloves. Still, it lets me at least skip bad parts of my playlist or pause the music if someone is trying to talk to me. 
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Aug 17, 2020 19:54
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GriszledMelkaba posted:if you're only gonna be with one other person, get the oldest, cheapest sena used off ebay like a smh5 for 50 bucks. gently caress sena (I owned a 10c and currently use a 30k) Seriously this. I have a 10S and as far as I can tell the only improvements they've made since then have been to the mesh network functionality, which is only meaningful if you're doing big group rides. All I use mine for is listen to music and communicating with gf's SMH5, for which both are perfectly adequate.
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Aug 17, 2020 20:35
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The Sena mesh stuff is great. My 30K to a friends Sena BT helmet using “intercom mode” would predictively cut out if you were going to go out of LoS. It was useless. 30K to cheapo unit, if you got it to pair, would disconnect if you sneeze. But getting it to pair is the trick. 30K to 30K over mesh just seems to work. Flip up the antenna, push the button roughly at the same time and you’re talking. Hills, trees, and moderate distance don’t seem to faze it. But, totally useless if nobody you ride with has a Mesh unit. The multi-device pairing (eg phone, GPS and intercom) on the 30K is good too but other models might have that.
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Aug 17, 2020 20:55
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Horse Clocks posted:But, totally useless if nobody you ride with has a Mesh unit. and the next generation will have some other poo poo that has no compatibility with mesh for $690. gently caress sena
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Aug 17, 2020 21:31
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I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the Cardo Packtalk Bold JBL speakers. Crystal clear even at hwy speeds through earplugs, and from what I know you can pair with a Sena if you’re not planning on riding in a group.
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Aug 17, 2020 21:48
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Martytoof posted:I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the Cardo Packtalk Bold JBL speakers. Crystal clear even at hwy speeds through earplugs, and from what I know you can pair with a Sena if you’re not planning on riding in a group.  Just bought a double pack last week for me and my brother and it’s good.
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Aug 17, 2020 21:53
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Horse Clocks posted:30K to 30K over mesh Have you had any issues with how fast it starts to transmit? When me and my brother got it in mesh mode we got issues with the first word not getting transmitted some times. Also when just having connected and not started riding we've had instances where it does not pick up whole sentences. After we start riding it picks up talk better. and I don't think we talk that much louder when riding.
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Aug 17, 2020 21:59
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Do you have it in some default mode, where it's waiting for you to speak in order to transmit? Because the other mode is press button and it's an open connection from that point on. My friend had that problem and that was the solution. I've used 5, 10 and 20 systems interchangeably in the same group and can't tell the difference. My major complaint are thin terrible speaker wires that begin to break inside their insulation jacket, cutting out sounds intermediately. Shouldn't have this problem for the amount of money I've spent, but here we are.
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Aug 17, 2020 22:24
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GriszledMelkaba posted:and the next generation will have some other poo poo that has no compatibility with mesh for $690. gently caress sena Sena pushed out a firmware update for their 30K units to make them compatible with their 50 series units new mesh protocol. Seems to me that they’re trying to not be dicks about it. Supradog posted:Have you had any issues with how fast it starts to transmit? When me and my brother got it in mesh mode we got issues with the first word not getting transmitted some times. Not that I recall. The only issue I’ve really had is it seems to “unmesh” after long periods of not talking (e.g lunch stop) and you need to press the mesh button again.
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Aug 18, 2020 10:09
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Schuberth hast two different (Cardo and Sena) solutions that integrate nicely into the C3, but I just can't bring myself to buy anything because I am afraid I'll eventually want to use it for comms and will specifically have the wrong one.
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Aug 18, 2020 10:59
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Whoa. Someone makes what I was talking about https://www.webbikeworld.com/quiet-ride-helmet-review/ And they make a kit to retrofit your current helmet http://quietridemuffs.com/order_now.html   Essentially it’s slimmed down over-ear muffs with an air bladder in the back to allow you to get your helmet on then pump up the bladder to push the muffs against your ears. Strongly considering this.
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Aug 18, 2020 16:39
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Seems like a great concept, but getting it on seems complicated
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Aug 18, 2020 18:05
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That looks amazing, considering that it fits into your average helmet
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Aug 18, 2020 20:14
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I ordered them, we’ll see how it goes
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Aug 19, 2020 02:30
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How much paint cracking is too much on EPS foam in helmets? Mine is apparently quite old, so I’m trying to figure out if it’s time for a new  helmet or not. Plus getting something that’s ECE and has an internal visor would be dope. I got caught coming back late recently and a smoke visor at night isn’t fun.
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Aug 19, 2020 05:09
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kloa posted:How much paint cracking is too much on EPS foam in helmets? ...your EPS foam is painted? Have you been riding around with a cycle helmet all this time? Just so we know we're talking the same thing here, (almost) all motorcycle helmets are basically three layers. The outermost bit is the shell, which will be a plastic of some sort, over an EPS layer that does the majority of the actual head-protecting, over a cloth and foam inner layer that is what actually touches your skin. Some cycle helmets don't have the outer layer for weight and cost reasons, relying instead on paint or stickers to protect the EPS from the environment, but I'm not aware of any motorcycle helmet built this way. If you mean on the outer shell, scratches through the lacquer are okay, scratches all the way through the paint less so, anything actually into the shell means it's time to start pricing up replacements. It doesn't mean the helmet is unsafe, but the paint and lacquer are there in part to protect the shell from the environment, water or sunlight getting in there will weaken the shell over time, so like I say start pricing up a replacement. Actual cracking/orange-peeling of the paint or lacquer suggests either heat or UV damage or a major QC fuckup and I'd just go ahead and bin it. Visible cracks/crazing on the EPS itself is likewise an instant replacement job - any weakness in the foam means more impact transferred to your brain. Didn't someone do a semi-effortpost on helmet construction etc a while back? Maybe in the newbie questions thread?
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Aug 19, 2020 14:20
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Well, everything I was reading about helmet lifespan mentioned the 5 years of life said something about the EPS foam degrading/hardening and becoming brittle, and to check if the black paint on the foam was coming off or not. Maybe some bicycle stuff was getting mixed in with my motorcycle helmet search  I just noticed some cracking on what I thought was the EPS part below, meaning it's shrinking and hardening. 
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Aug 19, 2020 16:41
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Huh, never seen painted interior foam like that. I'd say that's getting very close to replacement time, yeah. Pull the liner out a bit and have a look at the stuff under there too.
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Aug 19, 2020 17:34
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kloa posted:Well, everything I was reading about helmet lifespan mentioned the 5 years of life said something about the EPS foam degrading/hardening and becoming brittle, and to check if the black paint on the foam was coming off or not. Maybe some bicycle stuff was getting mixed in with my motorcycle helmet search Lots of helmets have that black coating on the interior EPS, and it will crack over time as the helmet is used, but it's not a definitive indicator that your helmet needs to be replaced. Pull the liner out and look for a manufacturing date somewhere on a sticker or on the strap/D-ring in the helmet. As an example, Arai helmets have the manufacturing date etched into the D-ring. My wife's Shoei has it printed on a label inside the chin bar.
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Aug 19, 2020 21:37
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It's probably just a coating on the foam to protect it from chemicals, waterlogging, and UV.
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Aug 20, 2020 14:08
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As I can't find the post about selecting a helmet (and as there's a really dangerously wrong bit of advice about that in the OP) I'm gonna throw something together tonight/tomorrow.
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Aug 20, 2020 21:51
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Gorson posted:It's probably just a coating on the foam to protect it from chemicals, waterlogging, and UV. If your head is giving off UV you've got problems that a helmet ain't gonna fix.
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Aug 20, 2020 21:52
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goddamnedtwisto posted:If your head is giving off UV you've got problems that a helmet ain't gonna fix. Wait, you haven't installed your cool cyberpunk UV helmet light to kill COVID? You're behind the times, old man
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Aug 20, 2020 21:57
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Every helmet I ever had, looked exactly like that after 6 months of wear. Wouldn't worry about that
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Aug 20, 2020 23:33
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goddamnedtwisto posted:As I can't find the post about selecting a helmet (and as there's a really dangerously wrong bit of advice about that in the OP) I'm gonna throw something together tonight/tomorrow. If I tried making a post about selecting a helmet it would just be a flow chart where everything points to Shoei RF1200.
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Aug 20, 2020 23:44
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goddamnedtwisto posted:As I can't find the post about selecting a helmet (and as there's a really dangerously wrong bit of advice about that in the OP) I'm gonna throw something together tonight/tomorrow. "it's to lose" has been bugging me for loving years
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Aug 21, 2020 00:49
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goddamnedtwisto posted:As I can't find the post about selecting a helmet (and as there's a really dangerously wrong bit of advice about that in the OP) I'm gonna throw something together tonight/tomorrow. Thread reboot? It's about time, the second post mentions newenough, and I read that post to help me buy new gear almost a decade ago.
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Aug 21, 2020 00:51
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A new OP could include the various airbag options out there too. The leathers section could also be expanded to include the differences between the more race cut "can't stand up straight when off the bike" suits compared to more street oriented leathers. *edit* Could also use more information on gloves (gauntlet vs shorter, having a wrist strap, Knox Handroids being the one true glove, etc), visors (different visor options like tinted, photochromatic), street vs dirt vs track, probably should have something about phone mounts and destroying the cameras on modern phones, bluetooth headsets, I'm sure more I'm forgetting. MomJeans420 fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Aug 21, 2020 |
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Aug 21, 2020 00:55
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the op should honestly just be every FortNine video hth
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Aug 21, 2020 01:16
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no then your recommendations are full of bike vloggers, who are the absolute worst. I'm still pissed youtube keeps on trying to recommend yammienoob's videos
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Aug 21, 2020 02:00
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MomJeans420 posted:no then your recommendations are full of bike vloggers, who are the absolute worst. but your avatar... Also is this the thread to talk about gear for your bike too like luggage? I have been thinking about pulling the trigger on blaze saddlebags for my MT-09 as I tried just the Kriega strap on to my tail packs when I road down 1 last year and it was not a very fun experience. I am not flexible and mounting and dismounting was so unfun I rode all the way to Ventura from the Bay before getting off, including some really really terrible traffic in Santa Barbara that I couldn't split. I am hesitant about $450, but the temp support bar things really do look and sound nifty and a pretty drat good solution.
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Aug 21, 2020 02:13
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MomJeans420 posted:A new OP could include the various airbag options out there too. The leathers section could also be expanded to include the differences between the more race cut "can't stand up straight when off the bike" suits compared to more street oriented leathers. I'm doing visors in my helmet post, could chuck in an appendix about bluetooth and cameras, but I've no real experience with gloves other than Dainese are the only ones that fit me and so I just buy the second-cheapest ones they make for the season I'm in. I don't mind doing a bit about cheap all-weather options as that's the majority of my kit. If people wanna volunteer to do some writing about better-quality and track/race kit including the airbags, and something about boots that isn't just a link to Forma Adventure Lows, feel free.
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Aug 21, 2020 02:16
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| # ? May 4, 2024 21:23 |
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TheBacon posted:but your avatar... have you tried mounting / dismounting your bike by standing on the peg while the kickstand is down and then swinging your leg over? I’m 6’, but have an abnormally long upper half (30” inseam lol) so that’s how I’ll typically climb on top of my bike if I’m running my top box
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Aug 21, 2020 02:20
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