Sena Impulse Helmet Review

[Gone in 60]

I've always worn Scorpion helmets, because they're comfortable and are pretty economical. 

When I started my new job, it came with a uniform, including everything but boots. Mesh pants and jacket, a Helite airbag vest, and a Sena Impulse modular helmet.

I was a little worried about the fit of a helmet brand I've never worn, particularly if I was going to wear the lid all day long. Going by the sizing chart, I showed as a large, but wearing one for a full day, it was too small and I started getting a headache, but the boss ordered me an XL and all is good. The shape is "intermediate oval", and I've found it to be very comfortable, with my longest stint being about eight hours and 340 miles.

Typically I wear a regular helmet with Bluetooth earbuds for music and Waze directions if I need navigation, so the prospect of having built-in speakers was intriguing. The Sena boasts Harmon Kardon audio, and I can say that it is impressive. With normal earplugs to keep the road din out of my ears, I can still hear music, navigation and phone calls easily. The buttons to control the audio are on the side and are easy to find with a gloved hand. When it's turned on, a pleasant voice says "hello", and tells you the battery status - high, medium or low. It supports Siri voice commands, so you can simply tell it "Siri, call xxx" as you would normally for hands-free calling. I've had several conversations while riding, particularly calling Mrs. G to let her know when I'll be home, and she reports that the phone audio is very clear.

I also usually put a Brake-Free light on the back of my regular helmets, but the Sena has a built-in light on the back that can be programmed through the Sena app on the phone that's paired with the helmet. It doesn't go brighter under braking like the Brake-Free, but has a day or night setting that is either bright or dim, plus a pulsating setting where it flashes. The battery life is more than adequate for a full day of music and comms. 

It's been a long time since I've worn a modular, but it's a valuable feature for me here, as it makes it easy to flip up when I'm walking into a facility, and my hands are already full. Plus, it's a blessing in hot weather (we've already experienced summer temps here in California), especially at low speeds. The flip-down sun shade is very convenient too.

If I were going to spend $600 on a new helmet, this would be an easy choice!

[peterbaron]

Gone, you need medical attention ..for a cut on your left thumb. Do you have Medicaid or Medicare or Humana? 

[Gone in 60]

Gone, you need medical attention ..for a cut on your left thumb. Do you have Medicaid or Medicare or Humana? 

Ha Ha - you caught that...

No mater what, I've always got some sort of cut or abrasion on my hands. In the case of my thumb, thank you very much, General Motors for placing the oil filter on the 3.6 V6 in Mom's Saturn Vue above the catalytic converter. If you are patient and drain the hot oil out of the pan, then let the engine cool, you can reach up around the cool catalytic converter to replace the oil filter. 

I wasn't patient enough on Saturday.