A guide to motorcycle intercoms

Intercoms

A motorcycle intercom is the perfect accessory to stay in touch when on your ride. As well as direct bike-to-bike communication, intercom units can connect via Bluetooth with your smartphone for music and telephone calls; they also often have a built-in radio making them a brilliant investment. We offer some of the best units on the market from brands such as Cardo , Sena , Twiins , Schuberth and Shoei .

Why get an intercom?

The inability to be "disturbed" on the bike is a significant advantage to many riders - but an intercom isn't just about talking on the phone. The ability to listen to music, podcasts, the radio etc., can add another aspect to your ride. Just imagine you're out on the open road, your favourite song playing or the latest Podcast (we can recommend Off Track - The Motorcycle Racing Podcast .) BLISS!

With modern life's busyness, you can fit more in with an intercom. Directions are another reason for embracing an intercom! No more frantically staring at your tank bag at a map or your phone; listen to the directions via your intercom easily to reduce the stress of getting lost!

The social aspect of an intercom, not just connection via phone but the ability to speak to other riders in your group, is another convenient feature. Road closed? Shout it out. Turn left, not right! Keep in touch seamlessly without the fuss of hand signals etc., easily.

Gone are the days of clunky and heavy intercoms - the streamlined speakers and the majority of helmets providing speaker recesses mean a genuinely comfortable and easy integration. Brand-specific helmets make it even easier!

All are now waterproof, with Bluetooth capabilities for ease of use with your phone and sat-nav - they can work for you how you want them to work with the ability to control usage through an app on your phone - they are now a bonus addition to your riding life rather than a hassle!

Top 3 recommended by J&S

Speaking to our helmet expert here at J&S HQ, I wanted to know our bestsellers and his recommendations. He sells them day in, day out, fits them, lives and breathes them! He also happens to own one, so who better to ask? Here are his top three intercoms:

3) Cardo Spirit HD

In third place, and this is a very tight top three, is the Cardo Spirit HD intercom range . It is an excellent intercom. It boasts rider-to-rider communication, an FM radio, larger 40mm HD speakers advanced processor for immersive sound with wideband voice. It is fully waterproof to keep you connected in all climates and conditions with a two-year warranty. Over-The-Air Software Updates keep your unit updated via the Cardo Connect App. Universal connectivity connects the Spirit with any other Bluetooth headset of any brand, so the connection is easy and painless. Cardo's Automatic Volume automatically adjusts your sound volume based on the outside ambient noise. All the music you ever wanted is streamed directly from your smartphone, or you can have an FM radio with six preset station memory. So control, share and experience your favourite tune on the road. A robust and universal USB type C connector gives easy connections to any device. So make calls and control your GPS with a touch of a finger or the sound of your voice. It is fast charging with 13 hours of talk time with 2 hours of charging and 2 hours of talk time with a 20-minute charge and standby of 10 hours. Easy to install and ultra-simple to use. Amazing.

2) Cardo Freecom 4X

In second place, but again, just a whisker away from the first position is the Cardo Freecom 4X system . The Cardo Freecom 4X helmet intercom offers communication for up to four riders with premium sound at a range of 1.2km / 0.75 mi. It features 40 JBL mm speakers with JBL sound profiles. It is fully waterproof to keep you connected in all climates and conditions with a two-year warranty. Over-The-Air Software Updates keep your unit updated via the Cardo Connect App. Universal connectivity connects the Spirit with any other Bluetooth headset of any brand, so the connection is easy and painless. Cardo's Automatic Volume automatically adjusts your sound volume based on the outside ambient noise. All the music you ever wanted is streamed directly from your smartphone, or you can have an FM radio with six preset station memory. So control, share and experience your favourite tune on the road. A robust and universal USB type C connector gives easy connections to any device. So make calls and control your GPS with a touch of a finger or the sound of your voice. It is fast charging with 13 hours of talk time with 2 hours of charging and 2 hours of talk time with a 20-minute charge and standby of 10 hours. This slick-designed intercom is smaller than the pictures give it credit for and is a bestseller - for a good reason!

1) Cardo Packtalk Edge

Beating out the very close competition, in first place, is the Cardo Packtalk Edge communication system ! The Cardo Packtalk Edge communication system is the most capable communication system in the world, with extremely low maintenance. Just set your intercom once and forget about it. You can stay connected with up to 15 riders with the second-generation Dynamic Mesh Communication and high-quality long-distance reception. Cardo has partnered with JBL for superior sound. The ultimate listening experience for you with powerful 40mm-wide high-definition speakers and a specially tuned audio processor for total clarity. It is universal. You can connect to any Bluetooth headset of any substantial brand and stream all the music you want from your smartphone and control, share or listen to your favourite tune whilst on the road. The latest Bluetooth 5.2 technology improves natural voice operation with improved noise filtering. The Packtalk Edge allows you to answer calls, make calls and control your mobile device with a finger or via voice control. This has up to 1600 metres (1 mile) range in perfect conditions but up to 1000 in normal conditions (twice as much as the competition) with a built-in FM radio with RDS for automatically selecting the strongest signal, so you don't miss out. It is technology proof - you can merge any Bluetooth intercom with your mesh group conversation, you can switch the unit from DMC to Bluetooth mode to act as any high-end Bluetooth system, and this automatically adjusts your sound volume based on the outside ambient noise - one more thing you don't have to worry about. Sophisticated algorithms ensure that all your audio sources, such as FM radio, music, mobile calls and intercom, work together in parallel, so you don't have to juggle them yourself. You can share your playlist or favourite radio station with your passenger and get complete control through one simple and intuitive app, the Cardo Connect app. Why not download it now to see what it offers? The Packtalk Edge also charges while you ride. Just plug your unit into a battery pack or your 12V charger and turn your unit on. It will charge while you ride and give you 13 hours of talk time. Merge any incoming phone call into the intercom conversation. No friend is ever out of range with a call to an intercom. Tired of the chatter? Choose just one member of the group and enjoy an intimate conversation. It is also fully waterproof to connect you in rain, shine, mud, dust or snow. Always. It features a highly-innovative Air Mount - just a secure magnetic mount. This is state-of-the-art yet straightforward to use. It is ultra-slim, ultra-modern and features no external antenna. A robust USB Type-C port and Over-The-Air software update it via the Cardo Connect app. This is highly versatile. 

Yes, there are three Cardo intercoms in the top three. It is not an insult to any other brands. All intercoms nowadays are amazing. Cardo intercoms beat the different brands to the top because they are so simple to use yet packed with features and intuitive. Cardo has got it right with their intercoms; the sales reflect this.

Until next time, stay safe,

Alex