Sena Intercom Headsets
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 29
Likes: 12
From: Utah
Sena Intercom Headsets
Hey Gang, just a few words to say about the Sena intercom headsets. If this is something you're planning to install into your helmet and link to your Harley Davidson, you must buy the Sena units specifically made for
Harley Davidson and sold by Harley Davidson. If you decide you don't need to do this and go ahead and buy the Sena Mesh, it won't interface well with the WIM on the Harley and won't play in stereo.
Just before Christmas, my wife and I stopped at a Cycle Gear near us and decided to upgrade our helmets to the new Shoei Neotech II, knowing we were getting a newer Harley in the spring.
We discussed our plans with the tech and were told that the Sena Mesh would be our best bet. So, $2,100.00 later, we thought we were set. The tech at Cycle Gear installed the headsets into the helmets and now, all we needed was a bike.
We found a 2017 Electra glide CVO in St. Louis we loved, set the flights for May 25th and planned to ride it back to Utah. Prior to purchasing the bike, we called the dealership in St. Louis and made sure the bike was equipped with the "WIM" (Wireless Interface Module) If your bike does not have the WIM, it won't link with the SENA units.
We flew into St. Louis, made the deal, donned our helmets and... no sound. no radio, no music. The dealership tech worked on it for an hour and gave up. We couldn't wait around any longer, we had to get back on the road to Utah.
We stopped in Topeka for the night and the next day hit Heritage Harley Davidson where they told us the same thing, "We don't know why it isn't working." OK, see ya.
In Vail, Colo, we had bike trouble and ended up taking an extra day in Grand Junction. While we were at the Harley store, their tech looked at it and said, you've got the wrong headsets. You need the one made for a Harley. WHAT!!
We made it back to Utah and back to Cycle Gear where they told us, it would still work. OK, I called Sena and they said it might work, but if it did, wouldn't play in stereo, it would be mono. At this point, I was so frustrated, I just wanted it to play, I didn't
care if it was stereo.
But, alas, it gets better. We ended up at the Golden Spike Harley in Riverdale, Ut and the tech there figured it out in 5 minutes. "Your bike doesn't have a WIM, the computer says it does, but when I pulled the fairing...no WIM. Sh*t !!!
How much is a WIM? $740.00
Put it in, I'm sick of dealing with this and I'm not riding for 14 days through Canada in a month with no radio and no intercom.
They installed it, but he couldn't get the intercom to work and it wouldn't play the radio? What the hell?
He was frustrated and I was on my last nerve. I said, "Button it up, I'll take these units back to Cycle Gear and have them rip them out and give me a refund."
NOT!! Cycle Gear wouldn't refund my money. The manager, Eric, was super cool and went way above and beyond to try and help me, but corporate shut him down. I ended up with a $771.00 store credit, which is better than nothing.
Back to Harley Davidson where I purchased the Sena 50S made for a Harley. Had them install it in the helmets and it worked awesome with the WIM.
But... it was so complicated to program, so technical, and the instructions are written by a SENA 5 year old, it's impossible for a lay person to make this happen at least not for this technically challenged 66 year old lay person.
I ended up going to Salt Lake Harley Davidson where their tech worked his magic, showed me a 1/2 dozen things I needed to do that were not listed in the instructions and we are now Golden.
What an absolute nightmare!! I'm now $1500.00 poorer just so I can hear my wife yell, "You missed the turn back there!!"
Trust me, if you buy the Sena, take it to the Harley dealership, drop off the bike and the helmets and say, "Call me when it works."
Harley Davidson and sold by Harley Davidson. If you decide you don't need to do this and go ahead and buy the Sena Mesh, it won't interface well with the WIM on the Harley and won't play in stereo.
Just before Christmas, my wife and I stopped at a Cycle Gear near us and decided to upgrade our helmets to the new Shoei Neotech II, knowing we were getting a newer Harley in the spring.
We discussed our plans with the tech and were told that the Sena Mesh would be our best bet. So, $2,100.00 later, we thought we were set. The tech at Cycle Gear installed the headsets into the helmets and now, all we needed was a bike.
We found a 2017 Electra glide CVO in St. Louis we loved, set the flights for May 25th and planned to ride it back to Utah. Prior to purchasing the bike, we called the dealership in St. Louis and made sure the bike was equipped with the "WIM" (Wireless Interface Module) If your bike does not have the WIM, it won't link with the SENA units.
We flew into St. Louis, made the deal, donned our helmets and... no sound. no radio, no music. The dealership tech worked on it for an hour and gave up. We couldn't wait around any longer, we had to get back on the road to Utah.
We stopped in Topeka for the night and the next day hit Heritage Harley Davidson where they told us the same thing, "We don't know why it isn't working." OK, see ya.
In Vail, Colo, we had bike trouble and ended up taking an extra day in Grand Junction. While we were at the Harley store, their tech looked at it and said, you've got the wrong headsets. You need the one made for a Harley. WHAT!!
We made it back to Utah and back to Cycle Gear where they told us, it would still work. OK, I called Sena and they said it might work, but if it did, wouldn't play in stereo, it would be mono. At this point, I was so frustrated, I just wanted it to play, I didn't
care if it was stereo.
But, alas, it gets better. We ended up at the Golden Spike Harley in Riverdale, Ut and the tech there figured it out in 5 minutes. "Your bike doesn't have a WIM, the computer says it does, but when I pulled the fairing...no WIM. Sh*t !!!
How much is a WIM? $740.00
Put it in, I'm sick of dealing with this and I'm not riding for 14 days through Canada in a month with no radio and no intercom.
They installed it, but he couldn't get the intercom to work and it wouldn't play the radio? What the hell?
He was frustrated and I was on my last nerve. I said, "Button it up, I'll take these units back to Cycle Gear and have them rip them out and give me a refund."
NOT!! Cycle Gear wouldn't refund my money. The manager, Eric, was super cool and went way above and beyond to try and help me, but corporate shut him down. I ended up with a $771.00 store credit, which is better than nothing.
Back to Harley Davidson where I purchased the Sena 50S made for a Harley. Had them install it in the helmets and it worked awesome with the WIM.
But... it was so complicated to program, so technical, and the instructions are written by a SENA 5 year old, it's impossible for a lay person to make this happen at least not for this technically challenged 66 year old lay person.
I ended up going to Salt Lake Harley Davidson where their tech worked his magic, showed me a 1/2 dozen things I needed to do that were not listed in the instructions and we are now Golden.
What an absolute nightmare!! I'm now $1500.00 poorer just so I can hear my wife yell, "You missed the turn back there!!"
Trust me, if you buy the Sena, take it to the Harley dealership, drop off the bike and the helmets and say, "Call me when it works."
Moderator
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 107,687
Likes: 20,116
From: Ft. Worth, TX
We just took a 6200 mile run on our CVO Limited with new FF helmets and the SENA HD 50s package. it took a little while to figure out mic setting, PTT or VOX but we went with the PTT.
There was definitely a process to start up if you wanted CarPlay to work.
There was definitely a process to start up if you wanted CarPlay to work.
Last edited by Juan L; Jul 26, 2023 at 11:35 PM.
Club Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 7,684
Likes: 8,429
From: Utah
I ordered a new Neotec 2 for our trip, unfortunately it is on backorder so will have the half helmet.
In preparing for the Modular I read the attached thread, @DWKen and @RiderX did a lot of testing. I bought a used Sena Freewire and a used Cardo Packtalk slim, (the Cardo was the second in a dual set that was unused) Less than $250 for both. Found both on FaceBook Market place. Hopefully following Ken's instructions in post 45 I'll have stereo music and be able to use voice commands.
Hope they answer to verify.
Freewire Sena FREEWIRE User's Manual & Documentation | Sena
CarPlay & PackTalk Bold - Harley Davidson Forums (hdforums.com) post 45
In preparing for the Modular I read the attached thread, @DWKen and @RiderX did a lot of testing. I bought a used Sena Freewire and a used Cardo Packtalk slim, (the Cardo was the second in a dual set that was unused) Less than $250 for both. Found both on FaceBook Market place. Hopefully following Ken's instructions in post 45 I'll have stereo music and be able to use voice commands.
Hope they answer to verify.
Freewire Sena FREEWIRE User's Manual & Documentation | Sena
CarPlay & PackTalk Bold - Harley Davidson Forums (hdforums.com) post 45
Last edited by Vernal; Jul 27, 2023 at 07:40 AM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,974
Likes: 914
From: Omaha
All of the frustration that the OP experienced could have likely been avoided if they had just did some research before buying the Sena system.
From the OP’s comments the decision was made to purchase the Sena based on the single recommendation from a “Cycle Gear” Tech who obviously wasn’t familiar with the Harley system.
When I was researching the Neotec II helmet, I found that the Sena SLR2 was designed to integrate into the helmet which I thought was a pretty good option.
However one thing that I specifically recall while doing the Sena SLR2 research was I found numerous search results to include some from this forum that made it clear that no Sena system was fully compatible with Harley Davidson unless it was designed specifically for Harley Davidson.
Seems like this all turned out to be a $2100 lesson.
But along with a lesson the OP has an awesome helmet along with an awesome communication system resulting in a positive final result.
From the OP’s comments the decision was made to purchase the Sena based on the single recommendation from a “Cycle Gear” Tech who obviously wasn’t familiar with the Harley system.
When I was researching the Neotec II helmet, I found that the Sena SLR2 was designed to integrate into the helmet which I thought was a pretty good option.
However one thing that I specifically recall while doing the Sena SLR2 research was I found numerous search results to include some from this forum that made it clear that no Sena system was fully compatible with Harley Davidson unless it was designed specifically for Harley Davidson.
Seems like this all turned out to be a $2100 lesson.
But along with a lesson the OP has an awesome helmet along with an awesome communication system resulting in a positive final result.
Last edited by Bluraven; Jul 27, 2023 at 08:24 AM.
Club Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 7,684
Likes: 8,429
From: Utah
This thread is a great example of why you really have to do your research.
When I was researching the Neotec II helmet, I found that the Sena SLR2 was built to integrate into the helmet which I thought was a pretty good option.
With my Sena 20S being a few years old even though working great I thought along with the new helmet perhaps it’s time for an upgrade.
After a quick Google search of the SLR2 system I found it to be a very basic system and not highly regarded.
So I decided to go ahead and just keep my 20S system and just install new batteries.
One thing that I specifically recall while doing the Sena SLR2 research was I found numerous search results to include some from this forum that made it clear that no Sena system was fully compatible with Harley Davidson unless it was designed for Harley Davidson.
When I was researching the Neotec II helmet, I found that the Sena SLR2 was built to integrate into the helmet which I thought was a pretty good option.
With my Sena 20S being a few years old even though working great I thought along with the new helmet perhaps it’s time for an upgrade.
After a quick Google search of the SLR2 system I found it to be a very basic system and not highly regarded.
So I decided to go ahead and just keep my 20S system and just install new batteries.
One thing that I specifically recall while doing the Sena SLR2 research was I found numerous search results to include some from this forum that made it clear that no Sena system was fully compatible with Harley Davidson unless it was designed for Harley Davidson.
Problem is, so many people we think should know are clueless.
Cycle gear sold the unit knowing it was going on a HD
HD Dealer try's to get it working
Sena says it should work
I hope he can get a Freewire and Cardo packtalk bold from Cycle gear to use up the credit.
Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 129
Likes: 84
From: NM
I am hoping that the electronic whiz at my HD dealership is back from vacation today to help me set up the intercom for my system. I've had the 50S for my WHIM equipped CVO for a while and it's worked flawlessly, but I recently got another 50S for my wife to ride 2-up and for the life of me, I cannot get the intercom to work... it's ridiculous.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,583
Likes: 1,029
From: East Flanders - Belgium
I have a 2022 SGS, installed WHIM myself and I have the Senna 3S in all my helmets, even the cheap Chinese junk intercoms in my "trow away" helmets works with the WHIM, oke not in Stereo but it works. I only use it
for GPS and phone, for me is the mono sound enough, just saying this for people who does not want to spend HD money on a Sena.
for GPS and phone, for me is the mono sound enough, just saying this for people who does not want to spend HD money on a Sena.
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 209
Likes: 34
From: Dallas, Texas
Reading this makes me angry with Harley Davidson all over again!
They have screwed their customers in order to sell WHIMs and Harley Senas.
I went through some of the same with my 2019 and an installed WHIM, thinking it would easily interface with my Cardo PackTalk. It kind of would, but I'd lose comm when playing BoomBox music and the music would be in low-quality mono.
Now, I use a SENA Freewire to get sound from my BoomBox to my Cardo. It's works perfectly, except no Cardo voice control. I don't need voice control of my BoomBox, anyway. So I'm relatively happy.
They have screwed their customers in order to sell WHIMs and Harley Senas.
I went through some of the same with my 2019 and an installed WHIM, thinking it would easily interface with my Cardo PackTalk. It kind of would, but I'd lose comm when playing BoomBox music and the music would be in low-quality mono.
Now, I use a SENA Freewire to get sound from my BoomBox to my Cardo. It's works perfectly, except no Cardo voice control. I don't need voice control of my BoomBox, anyway. So I'm relatively happy.
Hey Gang, just a few words to say about the Sena intercom headsets. If this is something you're planning to install into your helmet and link to your Harley Davidson, you must buy the Sena units specifically made for
Harley Davidson and sold by Harley Davidson. If you decide you don't need to do this and go ahead and buy the Sena Mesh, it won't interface well with the WIM on the Harley and won't play in stereo.
Just before Christmas, my wife and I stopped at a Cycle Gear near us and decided to upgrade our helmets to the new Shoei Neotech II, knowing we were getting a newer Harley in the spring.
We discussed our plans with the tech and were told that the Sena Mesh would be our best bet. So, $2,100.00 later, we thought we were set. The tech at Cycle Gear installed the headsets into the helmets and now, all we needed was a bike.
We found a 2017 Electra glide CVO in St. Louis we loved, set the flights for May 25th and planned to ride it back to Utah. Prior to purchasing the bike, we called the dealership in St. Louis and made sure the bike was equipped with the "WIM" (Wireless Interface Module) If your bike does not have the WIM, it won't link with the SENA units.
We flew into St. Louis, made the deal, donned our helmets and... no sound. no radio, no music. The dealership tech worked on it for an hour and gave up. We couldn't wait around any longer, we had to get back on the road to Utah.
We stopped in Topeka for the night and the next day hit Heritage Harley Davidson where they told us the same thing, "We don't know why it isn't working." OK, see ya.
In Vail, Colo, we had bike trouble and ended up taking an extra day in Grand Junction. While we were at the Harley store, their tech looked at it and said, you've got the wrong headsets. You need the one made for a Harley. WHAT!!
We made it back to Utah and back to Cycle Gear where they told us, it would still work. OK, I called Sena and they said it might work, but if it did, wouldn't play in stereo, it would be mono. At this point, I was so frustrated, I just wanted it to play, I didn't
care if it was stereo.
But, alas, it gets better. We ended up at the Golden Spike Harley in Riverdale, Ut and the tech there figured it out in 5 minutes. "Your bike doesn't have a WIM, the computer says it does, but when I pulled the fairing...no WIM. Sh*t !!!
How much is a WIM? $740.00
Put it in, I'm sick of dealing with this and I'm not riding for 14 days through Canada in a month with no radio and no intercom.
They installed it, but he couldn't get the intercom to work and it wouldn't play the radio? What the hell?
He was frustrated and I was on my last nerve. I said, "Button it up, I'll take these units back to Cycle Gear and have them rip them out and give me a refund."
NOT!! Cycle Gear wouldn't refund my money. The manager, Eric, was super cool and went way above and beyond to try and help me, but corporate shut him down. I ended up with a $771.00 store credit, which is better than nothing.
Back to Harley Davidson where I purchased the Sena 50S made for a Harley. Had them install it in the helmets and it worked awesome with the WIM.
But... it was so complicated to program, so technical, and the instructions are written by a SENA 5 year old, it's impossible for a lay person to make this happen at least not for this technically challenged 66 year old lay person.
I ended up going to Salt Lake Harley Davidson where their tech worked his magic, showed me a 1/2 dozen things I needed to do that were not listed in the instructions and we are now Golden.
What an absolute nightmare!! I'm now $1500.00 poorer just so I can hear my wife yell, "You missed the turn back there!!"
Trust me, if you buy the Sena, take it to the Harley dealership, drop off the bike and the helmets and say, "Call me when it works."
Harley Davidson and sold by Harley Davidson. If you decide you don't need to do this and go ahead and buy the Sena Mesh, it won't interface well with the WIM on the Harley and won't play in stereo.
Just before Christmas, my wife and I stopped at a Cycle Gear near us and decided to upgrade our helmets to the new Shoei Neotech II, knowing we were getting a newer Harley in the spring.
We discussed our plans with the tech and were told that the Sena Mesh would be our best bet. So, $2,100.00 later, we thought we were set. The tech at Cycle Gear installed the headsets into the helmets and now, all we needed was a bike.
We found a 2017 Electra glide CVO in St. Louis we loved, set the flights for May 25th and planned to ride it back to Utah. Prior to purchasing the bike, we called the dealership in St. Louis and made sure the bike was equipped with the "WIM" (Wireless Interface Module) If your bike does not have the WIM, it won't link with the SENA units.
We flew into St. Louis, made the deal, donned our helmets and... no sound. no radio, no music. The dealership tech worked on it for an hour and gave up. We couldn't wait around any longer, we had to get back on the road to Utah.
We stopped in Topeka for the night and the next day hit Heritage Harley Davidson where they told us the same thing, "We don't know why it isn't working." OK, see ya.
In Vail, Colo, we had bike trouble and ended up taking an extra day in Grand Junction. While we were at the Harley store, their tech looked at it and said, you've got the wrong headsets. You need the one made for a Harley. WHAT!!
We made it back to Utah and back to Cycle Gear where they told us, it would still work. OK, I called Sena and they said it might work, but if it did, wouldn't play in stereo, it would be mono. At this point, I was so frustrated, I just wanted it to play, I didn't
care if it was stereo.
But, alas, it gets better. We ended up at the Golden Spike Harley in Riverdale, Ut and the tech there figured it out in 5 minutes. "Your bike doesn't have a WIM, the computer says it does, but when I pulled the fairing...no WIM. Sh*t !!!
How much is a WIM? $740.00
Put it in, I'm sick of dealing with this and I'm not riding for 14 days through Canada in a month with no radio and no intercom.
They installed it, but he couldn't get the intercom to work and it wouldn't play the radio? What the hell?
He was frustrated and I was on my last nerve. I said, "Button it up, I'll take these units back to Cycle Gear and have them rip them out and give me a refund."
NOT!! Cycle Gear wouldn't refund my money. The manager, Eric, was super cool and went way above and beyond to try and help me, but corporate shut him down. I ended up with a $771.00 store credit, which is better than nothing.
Back to Harley Davidson where I purchased the Sena 50S made for a Harley. Had them install it in the helmets and it worked awesome with the WIM.
But... it was so complicated to program, so technical, and the instructions are written by a SENA 5 year old, it's impossible for a lay person to make this happen at least not for this technically challenged 66 year old lay person.
I ended up going to Salt Lake Harley Davidson where their tech worked his magic, showed me a 1/2 dozen things I needed to do that were not listed in the instructions and we are now Golden.
What an absolute nightmare!! I'm now $1500.00 poorer just so I can hear my wife yell, "You missed the turn back there!!"
Trust me, if you buy the Sena, take it to the Harley dealership, drop off the bike and the helmets and say, "Call me when it works."
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 148
From: Augusta, GA
The Sena headsets work with Harley radios when whim is installed. The only issue is radio does not play music in stereo. Not sure what the OPs issue is, but it is not Sena headsets paired to radio.
Thread Starter
|
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 29
Likes: 12
From: Utah
To alkindji, I can't help you there Bro: We don't talk as a group so I did not research that avenue, I'm sorry. Talk to your HD tech, he should be able to help you.
To Godsilla: One I found out that was crucial is that the software has to be updated. That was one of the biggest problems we were having. Once both headsets were updated and
the bike was updated, things started working as they should.
To Bluraven: I can't argue with you on the points you brought up, I should have researched the forums better. In my defense, the guys at Cycle Gear had always treated me really well when helping
with my dirt bikes and I trusted them. I'm finding out that the techs that truly understand the intercom/radio interface are rather scarce. When you find a good guy, let him know
how much you appreciate his help.
To DWKen: I agree, it seems like a racket to me and over the last two months, I've voiced my displeasure to a couple of dealerships saying, "If you're going to insist we buy this in order get what
everyone else gets easily, then dammit, have someone with the skillset on staff that understands it and can teach the rider how to use it!"
To All Contributors: All in all, I'm happy now, riding a lot lower in the seat because I'm sitting on a flat, empty wallet, but everything works. I picked up the bike this morning in SLC and drove it home listening to the Doobie Brothers
and enjoying the ride immensely!
I enjoyed all of your comments!!
To Godsilla: One I found out that was crucial is that the software has to be updated. That was one of the biggest problems we were having. Once both headsets were updated and
the bike was updated, things started working as they should.
To Bluraven: I can't argue with you on the points you brought up, I should have researched the forums better. In my defense, the guys at Cycle Gear had always treated me really well when helping
with my dirt bikes and I trusted them. I'm finding out that the techs that truly understand the intercom/radio interface are rather scarce. When you find a good guy, let him know
how much you appreciate his help.
To DWKen: I agree, it seems like a racket to me and over the last two months, I've voiced my displeasure to a couple of dealerships saying, "If you're going to insist we buy this in order get what
everyone else gets easily, then dammit, have someone with the skillset on staff that understands it and can teach the rider how to use it!"
To All Contributors: All in all, I'm happy now, riding a lot lower in the seat because I'm sitting on a flat, empty wallet, but everything works. I picked up the bike this morning in SLC and drove it home listening to the Doobie Brothers
and enjoying the ride immensely!
I enjoyed all of your comments!!