Originally Posted by Terminator1

Originally Posted by hillcountryflt

After reading through this thread, again, I am convinced not spending the $1000 or so on the WHIM and the headsets was the correct approach. I tried the SENA 10S for stand-alone use and have already sent it back. I had thought about going with the WHIM approach to go wireless with my built-in communications system, but not feeling the love for that expenditure. The cabled system works great for intercom and phone with very good overall voice quality and we are not experiencing any of the VOX issues.

Originally Posted by 16HDFLHXSECVO

So with the returned Items I purchased the Rider and Passenger 7 pin din wires and 2 direct wire head sets. sounds so much better than Bluetooth and don't forget NO CHARGING REQUIRED. Big deal your tied to the bike, from the time your bluetooth connects i will be already good to go.

Originally Posted by Ronald Egalka

Like others, I’ve also been dealing with the problem with using the HD WHIM wireless module. In particular, that problem relates to WHIM modules on two Harleys and:1) two Sena-branded Cavalry helmets (my girlfriend and I on separate Harleys), 2) two Sena-built comm modules (Schuberth SC1A) for two Schuberth C4 helmets, Let’s be clear that in the worlds of Harley and Sena there are two types of “intercoms” used and they can confuse the issue. The first is what has been available on Harleys for decades and is defined as to when a rider and passenger want to communicate with each other electronically. In the past, the wired headsets provided this capability and, currently, even with WHIM, this continues to work with both wired and wireless Bluetooth headsets. The second is what Sena refers to as Intercom, which in their lingo refers to Bluetooth helmet-to-helmet wireless communication, whether rider to passenger or rider to rider (on one or more separate motorcycles.) Since mid-June, I’ve been in contact with Sena on a number of occasions. I began with a two-hour session with a very knowledgeable Sena “Outside Channel Development” officer, who, during the 2018 Laconia Motorcycle Week, spent two hours trying to get the above hardware to work. After checking the firmware revisions of the two Cavalry helmets and the WHIM, he was unable to get helmet-to-helmet (rider-to-rider on two bikes) to work once the WHIM became active. This was the first time he or the factory had heard of the inability of the Sena-branded hardware to have “intercom” connectivity between two or more bikes while the WHIM was active. After numerous attempts, phone calls, experiments, Sena’s conclusion was that the firmware on the HD-branded Sena hardware was specially designed to 1) have AD2P protocol offering excellent audio and 2) provide for two Bluetooth channels - one to WHIM, one to other Bluetooth helmets. According to Sena, HD will not allow Sena to employ that software/firmware to be utilized on Sena-branded gear.

I, like some other Harley wireless Bluetooth users, originally started with the Sena Freewire interface module. It interfaced perfectly with the Harley Infotainment System and all Sena-branded gear and also allowed for rider to rider Bluetooth (intercom) communications. (I don’t know and am not familiar with other brands of Bluetooth gear). The only “problem” with the Freewire, at least to me, was the mounting location of the device (handlebar or externally mounted port) and the two connecting cables (power and interface cable that plugged into the 7-wire DIN socket that has been used for wired headsets.) I was also concerned that the Freewire module could be easily disconnected – potentially a $250 risk. Because both the Freewire and WHIM modules are built by Sena, I believed and I have seen no information to the contrary, that the WHIM, like the Freewire, would work properly as an internal integrated module.

I had heard early on that the WHIM, when connected with non-HD-branded gear, would not provide stereo (not a major problem for me) and would be of poorer audio quality (probably not a big problem). What I and I believe many people did not know is that unlike the Freewire, once the WHIM powered up, any helmet-to-helmet Bluetooth communications between two or more bikes would be impossible unless the wireless Bluetooth gear was branded HD. I had hoped that Sena could find a solution to the problem before I began on my 26-day, 7,078-mile ride from New Hampshire to Sturgis and back. They did not. But, I can report on what worked and what didn’t. 1) Both the Sena-branded Cavalry and the Schuberth C4 with the Sena-manufactured SC1A Bluetooth module work fine with the WHIM/Infotainment System (NAV, Phone, Satellite radio, media). The audio quality suffers when not using Harley-branded devices, as we now know, but is acceptable. Rider-to-rider communications do not work while the WHIM is active.2) If you unpair (forget) the helmets from the WHIM (and use the bike’s speakers for the Infotainment System), rider-to-passenger and rider-to-rider communications work fine.3) I had the opportunity to purchase the just released HD-branded version of the Sena Cavalry helmet (Boom1 Audio HD-N01) at Black Hills HD during Bike Week. It works perfectly – Infotainment System and helmet-to-helmet (rider and passenger and rider to other riders, up to a total of 4 – as long as they don’t have WHIM paired with non-HD gear).It seems to me that this problem represents a disservice to both Sena and Harley-Davidson customers. Neither company nor its agents warned me of this “problem” as I purchased over $5,000 worth of wireless Bluetooth gear for myself and my girlfriend. The Harley dealers’ staff and Sena sales associates seem to be totally unaware of this problem. Not sure what the next step is…Sorry for the long post.

Ron