Which intercom is right for YOU?
Sena’s wide range of intercoms means there’s one to suit not just your type of riding but your budget, too.
As products become more sophisticated and ranges more diverse, it becomes more difficult to choose the correct, most cost-effective model.
Motorcycle intercom specialist Sena recognises this and has published a product guide to help bikers buy the right system. After all, the model with the most technology is not necessarily the one you need.
Sena’s guide tackles this by asking a simple question: ‘How do you ride?’ Here we summarise that guide and identify which Sena intercom suits you.
Solo rider?
If you ride alone you don’t need an intercom, right? Think again. A Sena intercom can give access to your smartphone for things like hands-free calls, music and satnav directions and Sena’s VORTEX, €169, provides smartphone connectivity plus also Bluetooth communication with a pillion or another rider. There’s also up to 27 hours of talk time, Bluetooth Intercom range of 1.2 km and IPX7 water resistance.
Vortex : https://store-eu.sena.com/fr/products/vortex
What if you take a pillion or ride with a friend?
Sena says for a rider and pillion or two riders travelling together, its VORTEX remains sufficient. However, if long riding days make battery life critical it recommends its APEX (€239) which also has two interchangeable batteries, each offering up to 20 hours use, for a total up to 40 hours.
Apex : https://store-eu.sena.com/fr/products/apex?variant=54538558374215
What about two bikes with three or four users?
For this, Sena recommends its APEX PLUS (€289) which connects up to four via Bluetooth, with a range of 1.6 km, with two interchangeable batteries.
Apex Plus : https://store-eu.sena.com/fr/products/apex?variant=54551586832711
Or three or more bikes?
Groups of bikes rarely stay together and cars get in the way which is when Sena recommends its Mesh intercom system whereby, instead of a chain of individual Bluetooth connections, participants join a communications network. Sena offers
three different models. The SPIDER X Slim (€279) is cheapest and is also light (23.2g), small (16mm thick) has Sound by Bose, AI-based noise reduction, voice commands, water resistance and up to 11 hours communication.
Spider X Slim : https://store-eu.sena.com/fr/products/spider-x-slim
And if you want more?
Sena’s two other Mesh intercoms offer even more features. The 60X and 60S EVO, both €429, combine Bluetooth, Mesh 3.0 and Wave Intercoms so work as well for a ride with one other or a group of up to four via Bluetooth, up to 24 via Mesh and a virtually unlimited number via Wave when a mobile network is available. Both also have Sound by Bose, noise reduction, water resistance and up to 19 hours Mesh talk time.
The difference is their operation. The 60S EVO retains Sena’s traditional ‘jog dial’ and the 60X has a joystick and two customisable buttons.
60X : https://store-eu.sena.com/products/60x
60S EVO : https://store-eu.sena.com/fr/products/60s-evo
Anything else?
If audio quality is important (receiving occasional satnav directions or making calls doesn’t require the same quality as listening to music) Sena recommends its SPIDER X Slim, 60X and 60S EVO as they offer Sound by Bose alongside AI-based noise reduction.
To find out more, visit sena.com
A vastly-experienced motorcycle journalist and bike tester, Phil West is also an ex-Executive Editor of MCN, former Editor of Bike and What Bike?, author of numerous motorcycle books and has ridden virtually every bike of the last 30 years.
