The new Sena Impulse Modular Helmet is a comfortable, intermediate oval modular helmet. It also has Sena’s easy-to-connect Mesh Intercom integrated into the shell, along with a long-life battery, and taillight. Sena Technologies has teamed up with Harman Kardon to provide a concert hall audio experience that has me wearing the Impulse at my desk, enjoying my favorite tunes. The Sena Mesh Intercom button functions, and your mobile phone Digital Assistants are accurately voice-controlled.
I have been wearing the Sean Impulse modular helmet on the Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike and my Yamaha Venture touring bike with a shorty windshield. Long hours cruising down the freeway on the Venture are quiet and buffet-free. The cheek pads and chin curtain fit snugly at my jaw, creating a quiet environment for the speakers to render defined sound, even at low volume settings. The strong bass, clear highs, and natural voice quality make for a truly enjoyable listening experience. The Harmon Kardon microphone worked with the Sena advanced noise control to surprise all my phone callers with zero background noise and clear conversation.
I mostly stand when riding the Ténéré 700. Thanks to the Steg Pegz, I can stand at freeway speeds where the helmet is in unobstructed 70 mph wind. Completely exposed to the wind, the Impulse remains relatively quiet, and the Sena Smart Volume Control raises the music volume slightly in response to the additional environmental noise. However, while standing above 60 mph and the Impulse base parallel to the ground in my standing position, the internal drop-down visor control on the left side will catch air and create a slight wind sound on that side. It is only noticeable when standing at highway speeds and because the rest of the helmet is so quiet.
The chin strap is a steel latch with a micro-adjustable ratchet. It is quick to secure and release, even with gloves on. However, without a D-ring, I have to spend extra time attaching the strap loop that holds the ratchet end onto my helmet lock. It’s not a big deal, though it takes a little more time and dexterity than slipping a D-ring onto the helmet lock.
The two-position faceshield is Pinlock-ready, and Sena provides a Pinlock 120 Max shield with the helmet. The faceshield holds slightly cracked open and fully open positions. There is one large tab on the left center of the shield lip to lift it up or bring it down, and it’s big enough to never miss, even with winter gloves.
The chin bar holds fully open/up in a strong detent. When closing, the metal-to-metal latches make a secure click, locking the chin bar in place. The chin bar release is a solid-feeling thumb release in the usual place for modulars. The chin bar has a three-inch-wide air-intake vent covered by a glove-friendly sliding cover. The air from the chin vent blows strongly straight up to my forehead. I first tested it on at a chilly 35 degrees to find out where the air was funneling, and then again at 85 degrees to reconfirm ventilation pathways.
The top vent channels the air two inches straight down before it hits the top of your head. I could feel the 35-degree air hitting the top of my head when testing for cold air channeling. The combination of the large chin vent, top vent, and two passive exhaust vents does a great job of pulling the heat out of the helmet at 85 degrees.
The integrated Sena communication system is the company’s current top-of-the-line. Harmon Kardon speakers and microphone provide the human interface.
The latest Sena Open Mesh Intercom software facilitates speaking with other riders sporting their own Sena Mesh that is within range—no pairing needed. You can talk with anyone on the same 1 through 9 channel you are on, up to a mile away in optimal conditions. In my experience, if I can see you, we can talk. This has been born out on flat rural highways and straight stretches of freeway with gaps over a half-mile.
I was riding home solo from a motorcycle show and came up on four riders. I used the verbal command, “Hey, Sena. Mesh on.” I waited for the Sena unit’s announcement of Channel 1. I then asked, “Can you four riders being passed by a guy standing on an adventure bike hear me?” They all replied with a yes, and we had a quick chat. It is fun to say hi to fellow riders where I would normally have just thrown down a two-fingers-down hello.
The intercom system connects to other Sena Mesh units, Sena units in Bluetooth 5.0, or non-Sena units in Universal Pairing mode. With a little handiwork, you can connect Mesh, Sena Bluetooth, and non-Sena riders simultaneously, but you will need to read the manual to accomplish that feat.
Multiple Sena Mesh units can leapfrog communication several miles if everyone is positioned just right. If you want a private group to converse in, you can quickly transition to a private group to talk with up to 23 of your chattiest friends. Say, “Hey, Sena. Mesh Grouping,” and any of your 23 friends that do that at the same time will automatically be brought into your private group.
After initial grouping, you can switch between the Open Mesh channels and the private Group Mesh with “Hey Sena” voice commands or by easy-to-remember button presses on the four large, well-defined buttons built into the left side of the helmet. The buttons do not require any wrist-twisting to align your finger(s) with the buttons; they are in a vertical line, leaning slightly toward the rear.
The four large intercom buttons are easy to feel in summer gloves. However, with winter gloves donned, the buttons are challenging to differentiate. You can do almost everything you need to do using voice commands, except changing Mesh Channels. The easiest button to distinguish is the bottom, differently shaped Mesh button, should you need it.
The lack of wind noise combined with the fidelity of the speakers, even at highway speeds, has allowed me to keep the volume set on my iPhone much lower than usual. One reason the Sena Impulse helmet is so quiet is that the chin bar is closer to my face than the chin bars of other modulars. Being closer, the chin curtain seals the space around my jaw, minimizing wind noise.
The sound quality with the Harmon Kardon speakers positioned close to my ears and directly in line with my ear canal is simply awesome.
The chin bar is fractions of an inch closer to my lips and chin than any other Medium-sized Modular helmet I have worn. The consequence of the chin bar being closer is that the built-in boom microphone, with the windscreen sponge installed, touches my cheek. There is no room to move it away from touching. It is one of those things that I notice, though it doesn’t bother me. I usually position the boom mic where only a slight lip pucker will touch it. On the Impulse, it only reaches to the right corner of my mouth and touches all the time.
The Sena communications control unit is integrated into the helmet, and the battery is not replaceable. Sena has named the charging port, located at the rear of the helmet on the rim, a Magnetic Pogo Charging Port. The charging cable connection is about a third-of-an-inch long, and it magnetically aligns and connects the charging cable to the port.
I was disappointed to learn that the control unit turns off when charging. Although a 20-minute charge will get you at least two hours of talk time from full discharge, it is something you have to do with the helmet off, according to the Sena Users Guide. The magnetic attraction of the cable to the port is not strong enough to stay connected if your power cord is getting whipped by the highway airflow.
Mesh intercom in continuous use will last about ten hours, and Bluetooth extends the battery life to 13 hours. Use of the integrated helmet taillight substantially reduces battery life. If I know I will be in the saddle that long or longer on any given day, I charge the battery when I stop for a meal.
Sena continues to innovate, and has incorporated automatic Wi-Fi firmware updates. Once you have configured your Impulse on the same 2.4Ghz network as your mobile phone, firmware updates transfer to your helmet automatically as you charge—no need to plug the unit into your computer.
The Sena Impulse eyeport is full-size, and head checks reveal what I am accustomed to seeing as I turn my head. I like riding with my faceshield open, and wind noise doesn’t change appreciably when behind a windshield.
The retractable sunshield is actuated by a left thumb slider that is steplessly adjustable. The sunshield does a great job of reducing glare, and I forget that I am looking through it. However, it is not dark enough to use when riding directly into a setting sun.
The integrated taillight has four modes—off, solid, day flash, and night flash—exclusively controlled by the Sena Motorcycle app. The taillight is only visible at night, however.
I ride as though I am invisible to automobile drivers, but I will still use all the help I can get to be seen. I run a Kisan PathBlazer headlight modulator on both Yamahas, and I have a Kisan TailBlazer brake light flasher on the Ténéré. Cage drivers sitting low or looking down at their mobile phones have a better chance of seeing a red light on my helmet than my unadorned Gloss White helmet (the other color choice is Matte Black). If it wakes up just one inattentive driver, ever, it will be worth having. It is a DOT helmet. However, if you are going to flash the taillight, check with your State and Local regulations about continuously flashing rear-facing lights, as those laws vary by state.
The Sena Impulse is very comfortable for my intermediate oval head, fitting snuggly. Happily, I haven’t felt any tight or hot spots at all. The cheek pads are transparent; they don’t push my cheeks between my molars and do not chafe my skin. There are designated channels for sunglasses that have no padding in them. Depending on how deeply your head fits into the top of the helmet, the sunglasses channel should line up correctly with the temples of your glasses.
The wick-away interior comes out to wash, though it is difficult to dislodge the first time. It gets easier as the snaps loosen up. There are only two sizes of composite fiberglass shells for the 5 head sizes. The sizing for Small and Medium in the Large shell is accomplished by padding thickness. Same for the XL size inside the XXL shell. The Medium Impulse I have weighs 4.0 pounds (1823 grams) on my scale.
The new Sena Impulse modular motorcycle helmet is comfortable, quiet, and aerodynamic. Thanks to the Harmon Kardon sound system, it’s also a personal concert hall. The integrated Sena mesh intercom requires no unit-to-unit pairing, can be accurately voice controlled, has superb communications software, and is a fantastic music delivery system. You can purchase a modular helmet and add a Sena unit, or you can go with the Sena Impulse—a premium integrated package that already does everything right.
Sena Impulse Specs
- Sizes: S – XXL
- Colors: Matte Black; Glossy White
- Outer shell: Composite fiberglass
- Weight: 4.0 pounds (medium shell)
- Certifications: Helmet, DOT; Electronics, FCC, CE, IC, KC
INTERCOM
- Protocols: Bluetooth 5.0; Mesh Intercom
- Maximum talk time: Bluetooth, 18 hours; Mesh, 11 hours
- Battery charge time: 2.5 hours
- Battery capacity: 1300 mAh (lithium polymer)
- Mesh intercom open-terrain working distance: Up to 1.2 miles (5 miles with six riders or more)
- Maximum groups sizes: Open Mesh, virtually unlimited; Group Mesh, 24; Bluetooth Intercom, 4
- Bluetooth: 5.0 (1.0 miles open-terrain working distance)
- Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (up to 33 feet)
- FM radio: Worldwide compatibility; 10 presets w/ auto-scan
Sena Impulse Price: $699 MSRP
2023 Sena Impulse Review Photo Gallery
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