The down sides to the wired system are that I have multiple bikes, so I had to fabricate a wiring harness for each of my bikes to be able to 'readily' switch the unit from bike to bike, a process that could take up to 15 minutes each time as I had to remove the seat and or tank to gain access to the wiring. Further, before I could simply get on and go, it would take 5 minutes to setup my system, plug in my everything (Mount the GPS, plug in the MP3, plug in the Phone, connect the Headsets.. and oh the balancing act of finding the headset wire when you're sitting on the bike and your wife gets on the back - then starts to look for the headset wire thrashing about like a fish on deck). And the volume control was non-existent and terrible in some cases. Until I bought an adapter to allow me to use in-ear canal earphones, I couldn't hear my cell phone. Occasionally when riding two up, the wires would get yanked out when my wife would sit on a cable. What's worse is the damage the unit seemed to experience from use. Many times, the wires chaffed and broke. I had to do roadside repairs with electrical tape and my knife on more than one occasion, then solder the connections when I got home. Finally, the last time the connection box broke and I searched the Internet for a replacement part, it took a long time but I found the part for sale at nearly $80. I was tired of this system (Once rated the best system) and I took my spaghetti mess of wires and threw it in a box, did a lot of research and ordered the Sena!
Wow, what a difference! Life without wires is great! I get the same great sound quality, flexibility, and features at a price that is a fraction of the wired system (without all the accessories required to make it as functional as the Sena). Let me restate that - for a lot less money, the Sena (Out of the box) provides more functionality than my wired system (with a lot of accessories that cost a lot of money). The Sena is really easy to use, with only two multi position buttons you have amazing flexibility and control. Tap your phone button to control your phone or rotate or tap the volume and Sena button to manage your other wireless connections. It's that easy!
For reference, I have the Droid X phone and Zumo 550 GPS with XM Radio. Now my Zumo doesn't support A2DP Bluetooth stereo streaming - so to listen the XM radio I still need to connect a standard stereo cable from my Zumo to my Sena (great option!). However, every other connection is wireless. I can stream Internet radio, like Pandora, from my Droid to my Sena. I can even have my Droid set to read messages like texts or respond to voice commands, all wireless from my Sena. I can listen to the GPS or MP3's wireless from my Zumo 550 through my Sena and control the phone functions. It's amazing! I even found various adapter mounts from Sena to accommodate the use of in ear earphones or different microphones for my full face helmet. However, because the Sena unit has such a strong volume output, I no longer need the in-ear canal earphones which after a long ride cause irritation. I simply use foam ear plugs and still get great loud sound!
And one of the best features for me is that switching from bike to bike is never a problem any more! I still take a moment to mount my EZ-Pass and GPS - but there are no wires to connect other than the power cable.
Now life is still not perfect with the Sena, but it never is... is it? Here are a few things I would like to see updated on the Sena in a new release. My Droid and every other new mobile phone on the market uses a standard micro-usb charging port on the device, sadly the Sena does not. It uses a proprietary cable, but the other end terminates in a USB connection that does make it easy to charge using and standard USB charger (including my laptop). In addition, the Sena doesn't support music sharing, so if I'm listening to some great tune on my Zumo, my passenger will need to find her own source of music (like her phone or mp3 player). Music sharing would be a great add-on.
When I go to work, I store my helmet in a GIVI trunk. Unfortunately, the mount for the Sena extends slightly below the lip of the helmet causing the helmet to be slightly taller overall making it difficult to close my trunk with was the exact height of the helmet. But this doesn't seem like something that we can work around as the microphone boom needs to extend below the helmet so that it can tuck it's way near your mouth. And while we're speaking about helmets, if you're not careful closing your modular helmet (e.g. Nolan N-102), the microphone can get caught in the flip front and get nicked.
Several last 'wish list' items would also further improve on a great unit. I understand that certain new Bluetooth phone headsets will speak the called-id of an incoming phone call. The more functionality I can get from my phone (which is also an amazing device with many gadgets built in), means one less device I need to carry, like my GPS. I would like the ability to hold a group chat with my other users and store more than just 4 buddies Sena profiles while riding in a group. I would also like to see the development of an open Bluetooth standard that would allow riders of various types of Bluetooth headsets to communicate. For easier configuration, it would be great if you could post on your site or in the instructions popular configurations and the correct settings. For example: To connect the Sena to the Droid and Zumo, pair the Zumo to the Sena as a Headset, pair the Zumo to the Phone. Power the devices on in the following manner etc. Next, similar to bluetooth headsets by Motorola for your car, it would be great to hear the caller ID announced through the headset. A battery status indicator would also be great and an AM/FM radio would be real handy, but not at the expense of adding cost to the unit.
My last recommendation is to fellow riders for all your electronics on your bike. Especially if exposed to harsh weather conditions, many electrical connection will degrade. To combat this place Silicone Dielectric Compound on all of your pins and connections. It will help seal the water out and lubricate and moving parts like the contact pins on the back of the Sena. I have already experienced some of the pins stick on my Sena stick (I had to get tweezers to retract the pib), but placing some dielectric compound seems to have lubricated the connection. Perhaps Sena would be so generous as to pre-lubricate the pins or provide a little tube with purchase.
A little more about me; I don't have a car and I use my bike for just about everything. I commute to work, day rides and my favorite activity - long distance road trips. I have ridden from NY as my starting point to as north as Newfoundland, as south as Miami, and as west as Los Angeles. I ride both solo and two-up. And though my commuting is relatively short, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, my long distance riding can cover 1,000 mile days, with my long stretches of about 2,000 miles in 2 days and NY to Pheonix in 3 days. (I'm not officially an Iron-Butt rider, but I enjoy the challenge occasionally) Recently my wife has expressed the desire to get her own bike - and the Sena system will make it much easier for me to teach her to ride. I can keep in contact with her and help guide her through difficult situations with ease.
So far since purchasing the Sena I haven't ridden any long trips, and it doesn't look like I'll have the chance anytime soon (weather and new baby) - but I expect to be able to charge unit while riding, at rest stops, or in the evening from my laptop, which also charges my phone. The battery life seems great so far, lasting my commute for several days without additional charging. I've ridden to work every day with it since purchasing it and it's simply great. I love the freedom, the sound quality, and the cool factor. In fact, I'm so happy with my Sena I wired a charging station next to my helmet rack to marvel at the greatness and help make sure I'm always charged to go!
The bottom line, I highly recommend the Sena SMH10!
