Easily keep in touch with your riding buddies.

Several years ago, on a tour north of Lake Superior, I met a couple — perhaps the handsomest I’d ever seen — riding equally gorgeous Harleys. During our small talk, I asked if they used helmet communicators. 

 “No,” they said. “That’s the secret to our happy marriage!”

After the laughter, they went on to tell of a near-fatal accident they’d had. Riding in front, he had pointed down to warn her of a pothole on the right. But she misinterpreted his gesture and thought he was directing her that way. Their miscommunication had her cartwheeling down the highway. Miraculously, only the bike was destroyed, but I couldn’t help thinking that, while many of us cherish the solitude in our helmets, a helmet comm could have averted her near tragedy. 

Having an audio connection to a partner or a group can be invaluable — whether in busy cities, where it’s easy to get separated; on the interstate, when someone simply needs to pull over; or, as in our case study, when alerting others to danger. It’s certainly more efficient than hand signals, charades, or semaphore. 

Okay, so you’re convinced. Not sure where to start? Well, start with the reviews, of course — and here’s ours.

While there are a few options out there, Cardo has earned its place at the top by pioneering Dynamic Mesh Technology, delivering brand-name speakers, and perfecting reliable voice activation. So, let’s talk about them.

First, a quick overview of Cardo’s leading models: the Packtalk Neo, Packtalk Edge, and Packtalk Pro.

Cardo Packtalk Edge

Debuting as Cardo’s flagship communicator in 2022, the Packtalk Edge offered impressive range, long-lasting battery life, and cutting-edge technology. At the heart of the Edge is Cardo’s latest version of Dynamic Mesh Communication (DMC) which supports a connection for up to 15 riders. DMC’s standout feature is its auto-healing ability, which ensures that riders can join or leave the group effortlessly as they move in and out of range. It was also the first model to feature the innovative Air Mount system that uses a combination of magnet and safety clip to make attaching the unit to its cradle quick, easy, and secure. Conveniently, it can be charged while you are using it on your ride. 

Cardo Packtalk Neo

Also hitting shelves in 2022, the Neo was essentially a more affordable version with the same tech, features, and performance. It lacked only three things: First, instead of an Air Mount, the Neo uses a slightly less slick clip cradle. Second, it comes with a two-year warranty as compared to three with the Edge. And finally, it is not able to be charged while riding.

Cardo Packtalk Pro

The company’s latest release, in June of 2024, the Packtalk Pro takes things up a notch. Upgraded features include larger speakers (45 mm versus 40 mm
with the Edge and Neo); Crash Detection, which will send an alert to your emergency contact; and Auto On/Off: set your helmet down, and in short order, the Pro powers off to save battery life. Pick it up, and your comm is back. Looking almost identical, all three models allow riders to hear directions from their GPS. And all three boast an IP67 weatherproof rating, meaning they are both dustproof and waterproof.

Well?

This past season, I enlisted the help of three riding friends who joined me on a north-to-south tour of the Appalachian Mountains. Two of them used the Packtalk Edge and one the Neo. I kept the Pro for myself because I’m that selfish. Here is what we found. 

Along with the quick Air Mount system for attaching the Pro and Edge to the cradle, the cradle base itself was easily installed on our helmets, sliding between shell and padding — unlike earlier iterations that required fiddling with an Allen key to clamp it.

Next, we each downloaded the Cardo Connect app to our phones and ran an initial software update. With that done, it was a simple thing to create our group with DMC: we all simultaneously pressed the top button for five seconds, the LED flashed red and green, and as soon as each member joined, their LED flashed purple. That’s all there was to it. Our conversation had begun. 

We used the built-in Bluetooth feature to pair to our phones for calls and music and to our GPS for turn-by-turn navigation. (It can even pair to the TFT display on newer bikes.) Again, connecting was effortless.

Thanks to its Dynamic Mesh technology, which links riders together in a daisy-chain, we found the Packtalk’s communication range to be as claimed for the four of us — up to
eight km. Only on the tight mountain roads of Pennsylvania and Virginia did the connection fade and occasionally drop. The moment a major obstruction — a mountain, let’s say — was removed from the equation, all four Cardos effortlessly reconnected. 

Battery life was exceptional, still holding up to a 50 per cent charge after an all-day ride. A particularly useful feature was that every time we turned off a unit, it announced how much charge was remaining in four increments: Full, 75, 50, and 25 per cent.

Experience Old and New

My three companions had all owned Cardo’s precursor, the Packtalk Bold, and they were all very impressed with the new Edge and Neo. Over the course of our ride, they offered several key insights: “The new models start up more quickly. They connect — and reconnect — much more seamlessly. The volume is louder, and the speakers are better. We really like that there’s no antenna sticking up anymore. The mic pick-up is clearer. And when someone talks, it no longer mutes my music — it just nicely reduces the volume and then returns it when we’re done talking.”

Additionally, Cardo Connect offered three equalizer settings: Bass Boost, High Volume, and Voice. For music, especially with Bass Boost, the JBL speakers provided excellent sound, with crisp treble and reasonable bass for outside-the-ear speakers. 

Music to Some Ears

My three buddies on big cruisers behind large wind screens said the music levels were perfect. On my less-protected sport-touring-adventure bike, however, listening to music was unsatisfying. At speeds above 80 km/h, I found that wind noise virtually overpowered the music. Bass, and even a lot of the midrange, were nearly inaudible. 

Switching to High Volume did make a moderate improvement. But for music quality, the speakers could not compete with my noise-cancelling Samsung in-ear buds (which are remarkable). 

And that triggered an idea: With the advances in Bluetooth, perhaps Cardo might design noise-cancelling in-ear buds that connect to the external module for the best of both worlds. In fact, I did an online search to see if the Packtalk could be paired to my Bluetooth ear buds and while I found instructions, I could not seem to make it happen. 

Outstanding Communication

Nevertheless, the primary reason to own a helmet comm is rider communication, and here, the Cardo shone. The voices of my riding partners and the GPS was easily heard even at highway speeds. Many, in fact, would rank it Best in Class. 

More than once on the trip, I used voice activation to call my partner:

“Hey Cardo, call Stephanie.”

When she picked up, she could hardly believe I was riding: “It’s so clear! I don’t even hear any road noise.”

On my end, her voice was just as clear, and we carried on leisurely conversations sometimes for extended periods.

I also came to love the fact that Cardo could record my voice as an audio file on my phone. As a travel writer, how many times have I been riding along when suddenly a clever phrase or the perfect description comes to mind — and I can’t immediately write it down? I end up repeating my epiphany aloud over and over in my helmet and hoping I will remember it when I stop. With Packtalk, I could just tap “Voice Recording,” and my golden nugget was saved and sound. 

Of course, this was just one of the growing number of ways to engage in distracted driving, so instead of fiddling with gadgets while straddling a rocket, I would pull over to record my gem. But it was still more convenient than having to dismount and dig out my journal.

Different Options

Perhaps the biggest (and only real) drawback to the Packtalk trio is the price tag (see Comparison Chart below). So it’s worth mentioning that Cardo does offer two models that are less expensive — the Freecom 4x and the Spirit HD, each with fewer bells and whistles, less range, and smaller group sizes.  

While we didn’t have opportunity to test them, they may, depending on your specific needs, be a more economical yet reliable way to stay connected. If you’re never going to use the mesh tech for 15 riders, the Freecom still allows a connection with up to four, and features JBL sound. The Spirit cuts the budget even further, with standard speakers and the shortest range — ideal for a pillion.

And one final consideration: While Sena and Cardo units can communicate with each other, they cannot be meshed together: for that you must use Bluetooth. So, keep this in mind if you frequently ride in groups.

In the final analysis, you won’t find a helmet communicator that is clearer, more seamless, feature-filled, or long-lasting. From the four of us: Cardo Packtalk, in all three iterations, is easy to recommend. 

For more information, go to cardosystems.com