For Johnny L.A.
Came across this and for me I’m really wrestling with it
"You don’t stop riding because you got old…You got old because you stopped riding ”
Got out for a longer ride yesterday after a too long layoff and all pumped this morning and had a good sleep.
now if I could convince my newly bony ass to grow some new padding - downside of losing 60LB 
Don’t wrestle with it. Ride it. 
Some days I just can’t get going - part of it a horrid sleep pattern, I get enough sleep but at the wrong time of day.
I should riding every other day this time of year when its winter. 15-27C.
Once it gets above 30 it’s iffy and over 33 ( rare ) fugedabout it.
Guy that owns the same CB500F as me in WA has 304,000 km on his and rides daily …he’s 87 …a decade older than me 
a real role model. My goal is 80 in 30 months. There comes an age point where I might have to take a mandatory road test …would break my perfect record 
I have to have a light medical every year now - just minor and I’ve got a friendly doc…I think he figures I’m still riding so must be good for it. 
I looked it up and only need a riding test if doc asks for it 
The sales person at the store made the same mistake. The Parlare version with the built in Bluetooth only comes in black or black. I was hopeful when she said they had white ones, but they don’t.
I’m guessing that is the older version, with a round button in the middle of the Bluetooth controller? How easy are the buttons to use with gloves on?
I’ve only ever have used helmet Bluetooth with big wheels. I find the wheel to be very easy to use with gloves, because for my most common task, skipping ahead, I can just push the whole wheel with my palm and rotate it.
Why go with built in BT ?..better to be separate in my view.
SENA 20 is proven Sena 20S EVO Bluetooth Communication System - MC Powersports
Yeah, that’s the one. The buttons were pretty good, decent size and movement. I use textile gloves and generally haven’t had any issue with them.
why not stick with it?
Have you ever tried IEMs plugged into the SENAs
Sound quality is far better.
Purely money. They discount the built in Bluetooth.
Base + 20S (or Sena Spider)
$300 + 240 = $540.00
Helmet with built in
$440
(OK, that was really weird, I wrote that $300 + 240 = and Discourse filled in the $540.00 all by itself. I added a space between = and $.)
Thank you, it’s good to hear they got it right at least once.
Long, stupid story. My brother used to use IEMs with his Sena 10s, and he liked that. My current helmet has a port for the 10S, so it snaps directly to the helmet instead of using a clamp. I do have the 10S clamp with a headphone jack, but the wiring on the clamp broke just out of warranty, making the headphones intermittent. So my brother gave me his 10S, because he couldn’t use it with his IEMs, and it snapped into my helmet. That’s what I’ve been using for 8 years or so.
So I’ve never tried it for three reasons: the headphone port is broken; I can’t put on the helmet without knocking out of my ears all of the wired and wireless ones I’ve tried; and I ride with earplugs, so I’d need IEMs that provide adequate passive and active noise reduction.
Um there really is not much on ANC available for motorcycle use afai - passive with IEMs gets to about 26 -dB
Pioneer had ANC set that fell apart.
The physics of trying to deal with audio energies inside a helmet is formidable.
Is SENA claiming ANC on the in helmet system?
Yes, but they are very ambiguous about it. I think that when they say ANC, they mean for the microphone, so block any sound except the riders voice before transmitting it. This is a common use of the term “ANC” with things like office or gaming headsets. Headsets with this type of ANC rarely mention that it is for the mic, so even though this usage is confusing, it seems to be standard.
IEMs that passively block 26 db seem great. I think the earplugs I prefer are at about -22 db. There are even IEMs that look exactly like my earplugs. I could even do wired IEMs directly to my phone, and add a handlebar mounted remote control for under $40, total. Downside is no mic.
That still leaves the problem of trying to put on a helmet with wires coming out of my ears. In the past I never found that possible, so gave up years ago.
That’s where a silk balaclava helps immensely. Helmet easy on and off even FF and keeps the lid cleaner.
I’d be chasing a white or orange helmet and not lock into a proprietary system.
I ordered some behind the neck IEMs today as mine are failing on one side tho okay for Audible not so good on music.
Good spec and price is excellent. Longer battery life as well.
I find the best -33 dB earplugs are perhaps a bit too quiet. -26 is just okay as little riding over 80 kph here - traffic fines are horrendous.
Good memory foam tips are the key for IEMs - silicone is useless.
Ooof. Big day on dirt today–only a 42 mile ride, and 10 of that was road, but the rest was seriously technical singletrack with consequences. I think I’m mentally worn out as well as physically. There’s not … fatal exposure, but it’s close. Perfect dirt, no peeps other than the USFS crew. Thanked them profusely. Glad I can still do this at 57yo!
Partner never comprehended how tiring motorcycling is - even road riding in the twists.
Motocross riders are some of the fittest athletes - second only to downhill racers but those racers are over quickly.
Motocross can be 40 minutes.
When Itchy Boots says she is “shattered” by a tough ride either distance or difficulty it’s true.
Good for you tackling tricky single track at 57 …were you alone?
I reluctantly gave up any off pavement adventures in the last couple years - at 77 just happy to be riding at all. The CB500F likely my last ICE ride tho maybe a small EV down the road.
Had some good fun on my KLR650 riding dual track outback routes - in hot weather was pretty tiring. KLR not very sophisticated but always started and huge range with the big tank.
Exciting in the rain with 606s on on pavement…no ABS for the early ones.
What are you riding?
I’ve got 2 300cc 2 strokes–a '22 Husky and a '24 Beta. Super fun. I was not alone, but my next oldest riding buddy is 12 years younger. The rest of the group is younger yet. The riding in Montana is all time but I’m having issues with exposure…
Go fast bikes …nice.
I received the final piece of information I needed from Sena to start making decisions. I hope this isn’t too long and boring.
The Sena Phantom as sold in the US is NOT ECE22.06 certified or compliant. It is only DOT certified and compliant. I want an ECE22.06 compliant helmet because of the rotational protection, which prevents concussions. In my reading, I don’t think the impact differences between DOT and ECE22.06 are that important; some accidents will be better with DOT, and others better with the ECE22.06. DOT has no rotational protection. Some DOT helmets may have MIPS or other systems that do provide rotational protection, but the Sena Phantom does not. It only provides rotational protection in the form sold in the EU.
So here are my choices as I see them:
These are in my price range of around $500, though the Scorpion option might end up being significantly more.
In the 2-3 weeks I’ve been shopping, helmet prices have gone up 10%. To lock in the July 4 sale price of the Sedici Strada 3, I bought one. I have 90 days to return it, as long as it is in like new condition, so it doesn’t have to be my final decision.
I did go on a brief highway test ride with the Strada 3. At highway speeds it is far quieter than my old Bell Qualifier DLX MIPS (gotta get those all in). That is a tradeoff with the helmet not flowing nearly as much air. I’ll need to do another test ride when it is properly hot out, and see if that is a problem. Wearing the Strada 3 is comfortable enough, but the drop down visor is a bit annoying. Mostly that when I’m checking over my shoulder the bottom edge of the visor is right in my site line.
It seems good, but not perfect. I don’t want to ride with it very much until I make a final decision to keep it.
This helmet is an amazing deal, with a Sena 60S built in ($450), and a deceleration detecting brake light built in ($150), all in a $500 helmet. ↩︎
Did you order a white 3?
I’ve always been a Shoei guy but I gave my helmet to my son after I sold my bike a couple of years ago. I spotted this helmet on Amazon for $100.
I like modulars.
Thoughts?
My concern is that DOT certification is done by the manufacturer and is basically on their honor, unlike Snell or ECE certs. I don’t know if I’d personally trust an unknown brand off Amazon that doesn’t have an independent certification.
Yeah thanks for that. The old saying about if you have a $100 head then get a $100 helmet comes to mind. I’ll look for any reviews of it. I used to be a long time subscriber to MCN. I wonder if they’re still around.