Need help and thoughts on Sena two way communication while riding

[Ride On]

My wife and I would like to be able to talk with each other while riding. Does anyone have any experience with Sena's Pi or M1 helmets or Sena products in general. We also like to play music if that is possible. We have Sena headsets we use for our motorcycle helmets that have multi-tasking which means you can be playing music and still have a intercom conversation. When you go to talk, the music will soften in the back ground allowing you to hear and have a conversation and still listen to your music. I don't know if there is anything in the Sena line for folks who like to E-bike cycle it. Greatly appreciate any and all info you folks may have!
Ride On

 

[Prairie Dog]

My wife and I use the Sena Pi and they are just, OK. Range is limited to 400 meters and talk time is around 5-6 hours which is adequate for most of our rides. However, after only 6 months of use, mine bit the dust but thankfully I was able to get it covered on warranty. We only use them for intercom purposes and didn’t want to spend $$ on new Sena helmets. Conversing is, for the most part, clear but ambient noise/wind can still filter through. They do come in handy but just wish they had more range and longer battery life.

 

[Ride On]

Hi prairie dog, thank you so much for the info, can I ask, would you buy them again? Also, do you use them and play music and if so, is it easy to change between utilizing intercom and listening to your music? I have read some places where people say you can connect the two headsets together without utilizing your phone and Bluetooth, have you had any experience with that? We are like you folks, we did not want to shell out all that money for two new helmets that have Sena in them. Probably the biggest question, would you buy them again and do you really get six hours of you side of them? Thanks again. Ride On

 

[PatriciaK]

My only thought/question would be, can you hear everything you need to if you're playing music in your helmet?

 

[Prairie Dog]

Hi prairie dog, thank you so much for the info, can I ask, would you buy them again? Also, do you use them and play music and if so, is it easy to change between utilizing intercom and listening to your music? I have read some places where people say you can connect the two headsets together without utilizing your phone and Bluetooth, have you had any experience with that? We are like you folks, we did not want to shell out all that money for two new helmets that have Sena in them. Probably the biggest question, would you buy them again and do you really get six hours of you side of them? Thanks again. Ride On

In hindsight, if there was a more enhanced comm device out there I likely would not. For the time being, however, they are our only option. The headsets serve only one purpose and that is to allow us to safely keep in touch with each other. I would say that the Pi has accomplished that task as we no longer have to shout or look back which in itself can be a distraction. Since we are both satisfied with the lids that we currently wear, there was no reason for us to expend cash on another pair of redundant helmets. Their compact size and ease of operation meet our needs rather well but reliability and range could be improved. Talk time and battery life of the Pi tends to vary and the helmets would likely be a preferred option for those who are maybe on the lookout for new ones.

We also have no need for the app to pair our phones, to answer calls or listen to music so I'm afraid that I can’t comment on those particular features. My concern now is with my wife’s Pi and hope that it doesn’t suffer the same fate as mine.

 

[Ride On]

Thanks Prairie Dog for all the input. So if I understand you right, your Pi headsets are only connected to each other and your phone plays no part in their use? What I am thinking is then we could put one earbud which would be Bluetoothed to our phones and listen to music while still being able to talk with each other. Please let me know if I am thinking right from your response. Again, thank you for all your help.

 

[Ride On]

Hi Patricia K, we only wear one earbud so we can still hear what is going on around us.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Thanks Prairie Dog for all the input. So if I understand you right, your Pi headsets are only connected to each other and your phone plays no part in their use? What I am thinking is then we could put one earbud which would be Bluetoothed to our phones and listen to music while still being able to talk with each other. Please let me know if I am thinking right from your response. Again, thank you for all your help.

That’s correct and we continue to use them in that manner. Neither my wife or I have the need for music and taking calls while riding would be a huge distraction. I guess that your approach is one way to get around it as long as you have the mic side of the headset attached. Best to contact Sena directly and have all of your questions answered. As for talk time, I think six hours is an embellishment. It even states in the manual that battery performance will be reduced over time with usage. We have noticed that charging them has become a more frequent but necessary evil but it’s something we are willing to do to keep the comm channels open.