Best Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmets for 2024 – A Real List
Evan Rally
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Welcome to my guide to the best Bluetooth motorcycle helmets in 2024.
This guide is your chance to skip all the terrible ‘smart’ helmets my friends and I suffered through trying. We left just the chiseled gems.
With these helmets, you and your crew will be chatting, taking calls from your wives, and blasting Taylor Swift (right?) in your helmets. Without hangups or forced firmware updates.
Integrating Bluetooth headset into helmets at the manufacturer is game changing. No annoying unit hanging off your helmet, no fussy kit to install, and MUCH more battery life.
But which ones rock and which suck? Let’s get in to it.
I’ll cover:
- The best Bluetooth helmets in 4 categories: full face, modular, open face, and half helmet
- Several Budget Bluetooth helmets (including one off-road lid)
- Amazon’s top selling Bluetooth helmet (that you shouldn’t buy)
- Cost, cost, cost – are these high tech helmets worth the cost vs standalone Bluetooth headsets?
The Best Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmets
Usually the It’s Better On The Road team likes to kick back and have a few brews on a Friday night, but we decided instead to create a rating system for all the Bluetooth helmets we’ve ever worn. We called up some friends too, to get other opinions.
The result is what you see here – the top Bluetooth helmets rated on their tech and build quality. Unsurprisingly, Sena has absolutely crushed it, winning both the full face and modular categories. Sena’s Quantum release back in 2022 knocked it out of the park.
The Sena Cavalry half helmet was discontinued in 2021, but there are still some floating around on the market. It’s definitely the best half helmet with integrated Bluetooth, with a great microphone hidden in the brow – no boom mic!
Full Face 
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Modular 
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Half Helmet 
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$499.00
| $599.00
| N/A
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4.6 |
4.5 |
4.4 |
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|
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- 15+ Rider Mesh Intercom
- Long battery life
- Harman Kardon sound
- Tail light
- Everything in the Stryker
- Modular chinbar!
- Bluetooth Intercom (4 riders)
- Hidden Mic in Brow
- Intercom Range of 900 M / 0.5 MI
The bluetooth headset and integrated helmet is a fantastic piece of technology, but like many other tech products out there, it’s hard to tell which ones are overpriced, under-featured, or downright frustrating.
That’s why we put together…
- Our opinions
- Our friends’ opinions
- The internet’s opinions (forums)
- Reviewers’ opinions (Revzilla and Amazon)
- My lovely grandmother’s opinion (just kidding)
… to pick out the best Bluetooth motorcycle helmets.
Go beyond helmets: Check out our recently updated review of the best motorcycle jackets for multiple riding styles.
Get your Bluetooth motorcycle helmet fit perfect the first time: Check out our Helmet Fit and Size Calculator.
Best Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet: Sena Stryker
Sounds like a vehicle in Star Wars… and packs about that much punch.
The best motorcycle helmet with Bluetooth for 2024 is the Sena Stryker. Full stop. For any form factor. This thing is impressive any way you slice it.
Sena built on the old Sena Momentum EVO to make this helmet. But the EVO is a bicycle compared to the Stryker’s V-Twin. The Stryker runs laps around the EVO, from its intercom supporting unlimited participants in an Open Mesh to its whopping seven vents. It also has a drop down sun visor, which is uncommon in lids of this quality.
The Stryker is DOT and ECE certified, making it legal everywhere and safer than most helmets.
Sena even put an LED taillight in this lid, improving your visibility. Even with that, it still provides EIGHTEEN hours of talk time on Bluetooth.
The 40mm speakers and microphone built in to the Stryker? Made by Harman Kardon, meaning studio-quality sound. As good as any standalone Bluetooth headset.
This might be the best value helmet money can buy these days. You’d need to spend much more to get anywhere close to what the Stryker offers.
Highlights of the Sena Stryker
On the Stryker, you’ll find everything you would expect from a high-tech motorcycle helmet: top-notch Bluetooth 5.0 technology that connects to your phone for music, calls, and GPS; intercom for 4 people on bluetooth and 24 on Mesh; and a stellar 18 hours of talk time on bluetooth with 11 hours on Mesh. Those specs are even better than the Sena 50S top-line bluetooth headset.
Bluetooth motorcycle helmets don’t just work – they work better than standalone units since the tech can all be hidden inside the helmet.
Sound quality also doesn’t disappoint, thanks to great sealing around the neck and the amazing Harman Kardon speakers and microphone. Best of all, the designers of this lid packed all of these features into a 3.85 pound shell (medium), one of the lightest we’ve reviewed in this category.
Mesh technology is one of the standout features of this motorcycle helmet. Mesh beats Bluetooth connectivity in range, number of participants, and pairing process. Open Mesh means virtually limitless riders communicating across up to 9 channels, like good old CB radio.
Going out of range doesn’t require a stop to re-pair. Mesh automatically heals the connection, unlike Bluetooth.
I’m a big fan of a good deal, and that’s where the Stryker really shines.
To get a similar tech experience with another helmet, you’d need to purchase a Mesh 2.0 enabled headsets. The cost of a decent helmet plus the cheapest Mesh-enabled headset – the Sena 30K – will run you more than the cost of the Stryker.
For less battery. And a chunky rock on the side of your helmet.
Sena Stryker Specs
Tech
- More Intercom Space than Friends: 4-way Bluetooth Intercom, 24+ on Mesh – universal pairing to other brands
- Stellar Range: 1.2 mile / 2 km Intercom Range (Have 6+ people? Extends to 5 miles / 8 km)
- Best Battery Life: 18 hours on Bluetooth, 11 hour on Mesh with 1,300 mAh battery that charges in 2.5 hours
- Voice Commands: Control GPS, make calls, command music – anything you can do with Siri or Hey Google – with just your voice.
- Smart Sound: Harman Kardon 40mm speakers with Advanced Noise Control for better sound quality and dynamic volume.
- FM Radio: For you old-school folks. No hate, only love.
Helmet
- Full-face style
- Integrated Drop down sun visor
- Better visibility: Integrated tail light
- High impact absorption from composite fiberglass shell with multi-density EPS
- Lightweight: 3.85 pounds – incredible for a full-face helmet
- DOT and ECE safety certified
Best Modular Bluetooth Helmet: Sena Impulse
The Sena Impulse is basically the Stryker, with a flip up chin bar just like any other modular motorcycle helmet. That means everything is built in, including the Harman Kardon boom mic, so you can pop this baby on for a ride right out of the box. Plus, you get that awesome integrated tail light from the Stryker too. This is one of the best modular helmets money can buy.
Sound is great since you get the same Harman Kardon speakers in this lid as in the Stryker.
Build quality is solid, and you get a lot of nice features. Drop down sun visor to shade your eyes, easy chin-bar operation with a gloved hand, and simple 3-button controls on the left side of your helmet.
You also get voice controls, so you don’t even have to touch the helmet to change songs, make a call, or set up GPS directions. Anything your phone can do with voice commands, you can do in this helmet.
Highlights of the Sena Impulse
This is basically the best modular helmet I’ve ever put on my head. It does what you need a modular helmet to do – get out of the way when you want to take a drink or get some air.
But this lid comes packed with so much more: Integrated tail light, Harman Kardon sound, flip-down sun visor, nicely integrated controls, and of course Bluetooth connectivity.
And the battery life is stellar too: 18 hours of talk time. And the magnetic charger means you won’t break a cord by picking up the helmet without unplugging it.
While the price is steeper than some other modular lids like the BILT Techno 3.0 and the Sena Outrush R, you get your money’s worth with this lid.
The modular category is heating up lately, thanks to many manufacturers creating flip-up variants of their existing full face bluetooth helmets.
We previously rated the BILT Techno 3.0 as our top choice for smart modular helmet, but the Impulse knocked it off the pedestal. We also looked at the Torc T-28B, which is an improvement on the T-27B and a modular version of the popular T-14B and T-15B full face models. Finally we compared the ILM 953, but found the construction of the ILM helmet to fall short of the others.
Sena Impulse Specs
Tech
- Good for Big Groups: 4-way communication on Bluetooth, 24+ on Mesh – universal pairing to other brands
- Insanely Long Range: 1.2 mile / 2 km Intercom Range (Have 6+ people? Extends to 5 miles / 8 km)
- Big Battery with Quick Charge: 18 hours on Bluetooth, 11 hour on Mesh with 1,300 mAh battery that charges in 2.5 hours
- FM Radio to listen to classics – or traffic updates
- Voice Control: Access Siri and other phone voice commands without touching a single button, using voice prompts and Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
- Advanced Noise Control keeps music and intercom clear through wind, engine, and traffic noise.
- Auto-Updating: When you charge the Impulse, it connects to WiFi and automatically updates itself.
Helmet
- Modular style – lift up the chin bar for some air
- Better impact absorption due to composite fiberglass shell with multi-density EPS
- Drop down sun visor
- 3.79 pounds – lightweight for a modular
- DOT certified
A standout modular helmet with integrated Bluetooth communications, no dongle hanging off the side. Sound by Harman Kardon and 18+ hours of battery life.
- Mesh & Bluetooth integrated communication
- Simple button controls on the left side
- 18+ hours of battery life (better than any other Bluetooth headset)
- Premium Harman Kardon speakers & microphone
- Multi-channel open mesh supporting unlimited riders
- Can't connect over Mesh to large groups of riders without Sena units - need a Cardo for that.
Too expensive for you? Check out the much cheaper Sena Outrush R on Revzilla or Amazon.
Best Open Face Helmet with Bluetooth: Sena Savage
The best Bluetooth open face helmet goes to the gorgeous and aptly-named Sena Savage. This helmet captures the iconic ¾ or open face style while enabling you to chat with your crew and listen to music.
The slim controls retain the stylish look of an open face without any standalone Bluetooth unit hanging off.
This helmet was discontinued by Sena in 2022, so it’s selling at a deep discount while supplies last!
Highlights of the Sena Savage
We don’t wear an open face helmet for safety, right? We wear one for the LOOK! You need that retro vibe on a cafe race.
You know what ruins a good retro look? A Bluetooth unit.
Hanging off the side of your head, it looks like what humans imagined the future would be like in the distant past.
Sena avoided ruining your look with the Savage by putting the electronics INSIDE. Battery, control board, everything is tucked away.
Even the microphone is hidden! No boom mic!
First, engineers tucked the microphones inside the edges of the helmet’s open face. Then they added a whole lot of signal processing technology. And what’s the result?
“Noise canceling and intercom quality surprised me with how well it works.”
Revzilla Reviewer
That means clear phone calls and crisp conversations with your crew.
Range is also excellent at a full MILE, and you can connect to 3 other riders using any brand of headset. Talk time for that battery is rated at 11 hours. The jog dial control on the left is easy to operate with a leather-gloved hand.
As for the helmet itself, you get two visor options in the box to provide a bit of shade and wind protection. The lid is DOT certified and there’s an ECE rated version for the European market.
The Sena Savage is in a league of its own. No other open face helmet with Bluetooth comes even close!
Sena Savage Specs
Tech
- Hidden microphones for easy conversation without an annoying and unsightly boom mic.
- Decent Intercom: 4-way communication, universal pairing to other brands
- Range suitable for city riding: 1 mile / 1600 meter Intercom Range across open terrain, shorter but still impressive in a concrete jungle.
- 11 hour battery life (talk time)
- FM Radio
- Control via your voice: Voice Prompts via Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
- Advanced Noise Control – cuts out wind noise without needing a boom mic hanging over your mouth.
Helmet
- Open-face style
- Composite fiberglass shell with multi-density EPS
- 2.42 pounds – very light
- DOT certified (with an ECE certified option in the European market)
If you can’t find the Savage in stock, first off: I’m sorry! Second, you should check out the Bell Custom 500 on Revzilla or Amazon. It has the same shape and style as the Savage, without the Bluetooth integrated. Then you can pick up a slim unit like the Cardo PackTalk Slim. You’ll still have the boom mic, but it’ll look a lot better than most units.
Best Bluetooth Half Helmet: Sena Cavalry
Half helmets aren’t really for the safety-conscious.
They’re for the wild souls that want wind in their hair, but don’t enjoy getting pulled over and roughed up by the cops.
Sena understands you, and they built the Sena Cavalry to be your perfect half helmet.
This helmet was discontinued by Sena in 2022, so it’s selling at a deep discount while supplies last!
Highlights of the Sena Cavalry
The major selling point of this helmet is that there’s no visible mic!
No annoying thing in front of your face making you look like a telemarketer. But still, clear sound for voice prompts and intercom. Mics in the brow of the helmet plus smart signal processing cut down on wind, road, and engine noise.
On a road test, you can clearly hear the rider speaking through the Cavalry, with no boom mic.
Reviews also say the speakers – after some fiddling with the included ear pads and plates – are able to direct sound to the ears effectively while deflecting wind, making for clear intercom and phone calls on both ends.
This helmet is pretty old now, so the specs aren’t groundbreaking. However, as a basic music and communication machine that looks great, it gets the job done.
Sena Cavalry Specs
Tech
- Intercom for small groups: 4-way communication, universal pairing to other brands
- Great range over flat ground: 0.5 miles / 800 meter Intercom Range
- Long battery life: 10 hours (talk time)
- Pre-integrated Sena 10R Bluetooth unit with Bluetooth 4.1
- FM Radio
- Voice Prompts via Hands-Free Profile (HFP)
- Advanced Noise Control – works beautifully on this helmet
Helmet
- Half-helmet style
- Composite fiberglass shell with multi-density EPS
- 2.13 pounds – super light
- DOT certified
Can’t find the Cavalry in stock? Check out the Bell Pit Boss helmet on Revzilla or Amazon. Install a Sena 10R from Revzilla or Amazon to get the same intercom and music capabilities, except with a boom mic.
Runner Up Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmets
We also looked at Bluetooth motorcycle helmets from a few other brands that didn’t make the top rank, but have unique advantages to highlight.
LS2 Advant
The LS2 Advant is a modular street helmet that seems to be LS2’s answer to the Sena Impulse. However, they didn’t make the list because they fell short of the Impulse without any drop in price.
The Bluetooth unit in the LS2 Advant is the LS24X, a custom unit from Cardo made specially for LS2 that’s in line, specs wise, with the Freecom 4x – connecting 4 riders over 0.75 miles / 1.2 km on intercom.
Compare that to the Sena Impulse, offered at the exact same price point, which supports Sena’s latest Mesh and Bluetooth to connect virtually unlimited riders together. The tech in the Impulse is basically a Sena 50S, which is similar to the Cardo PackTalk line, not the cheaper Freecom line.
The one big pro the Advant has over the Impulse is that it’s ECE rated. It also has a funky chinbar that folds 180 degrees back to the rear of the helmet, allowing for riding with an open face setup. That’s a win!
Schuberth C5 with Antenna, Speakers, and Mic
Worth an honorable mention is the Schuberth C5 modular for touring riders, which ships with speakers, mic, and an antenna already integrated and ready for the SC2 communication system. This is an evolution on the Schuberth C5, improving in multiple ways including noise reduction and shell weight.
With 100% fiberglass shell, multi-zone EPS, and well-designed ventilation the Schuberth C5 is right in line with the C4 Pro and other stellar helmets from Schuberth’s past.
It’s an extremely light modular weighing in at just 3.94 lbs, and that’s including speakers, mic, and antenna for the comms unit. The SC2 communication unit, which has to be bought separately and installed, is made by Sena and is in line with their 50 series. That means 1.2 miles of connection range and virtually limitless riders connected over the intercom.
Whether the antenna actually increases range we haven’t been able to test – if you’ve tried this lid, let us know what you think in the comments below.
Torc Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmets
Torc is known for their budget-friendly helmets and its retro Torc T-1. They’re one of the few helmet makers that integrates Bluetooth tech in to decent lids as a pre-packaged deal.
The two pre-integrated Bluetooth helmets from Torc are the Torc T-15B and Torc-28B. The 15 is a full face, while the 28 is a modular with chin bar you can lift up.
You get what you pay for with these. The speakers and microphone are not great, and wind noise is a problem on the highway. Battery life will take you through a full day, and they’re at least DOT rated. The inclusion of a sun visor is welcomed on sunny days.
However, these helmets come on the heavier side at 5.15 lbs each. The Bluetooth tech is from Blinc, which is a knockoff of Sena and Cardo.
The Blinc bluetooth system lacks the popularity of Sena or Cardo units, and for good reason. They don’t have the same universal pairing ability you’d expect from an intercom device.
However, if every rider in your group has a Torc / Blinc headset, you can connect up to 6 riders together.
If everyone your ride with is using Blinc Bluetooth, Torc might be a good choice for you. The price is certainly right.
Nexx X Vilijord and Vilitur – Modulars with Bluetooth Option
Nexx always makes quality nuggets, and the Vilijord and Vilitur with their Viking names are no different. Both are built with a shock-absorbing carbon fiber shell, have a modular flip up bar and a dropdown sun visor.
The best part is they’re set up with removable action camera supports as well as slots to hide away all the internals of the custom-fit X-COM 2 communications system. This system is a cut above most custom-fit systems – it supports 8 riders over 1 mile / 1.6 km of distance with 10 hours of battery. Not bad!
HJC Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmets
HJC sells a few pre-integrated Bluetooth helmets using Sena 10B and 20B headsets designed to fit the HJCs like a glove.
They aren’t quite as nice as Sena’s helmets, however. You’re getting older Sena technology with lower range and battery life. But on the bright side, you get a high-quality HJC helmet. And HJC sells pre-integrated kits for many of their helmets.
The RPHA 11 Pro Carbon, F71 and i10 full face, i100 and i90 modular, i30 open face and more are sold on Amazon and ready for Sena+HJC 10B or 20B units. Occasionally the helmets are sold with the Bluetooth unit pre-integrated.
Keep in mind these units unfortunately don’t support Siri or Google voice commands. They only support “Hey Sena” with a limited number of commands. You won’t be able to reply to texts or change your playlist with this unit, although you can with other Sena units.
You’re better off slapping an aftermarket unit from Cardo or Sena on another helmet and doing the installation yourself, if you ask me.
Sedici Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmets
Sedici is another budget-friendly motorcycle helmet maker entering the Bluetooth integrated helmet space with two lids.
- The Sedici Sistema II Parlare full face helmet
- The unique Sedici Viaggio Parlare off-road, adventure helmet
Both lids use decent Sena systems (DWO-6 unit) providing 8 hours of talk time – enough for a full day’s ride. And they’re lightweight at 3.75 pounds for both in a Medium. Both are DOT certified (with the Sistema doing even better).
The Sistema II Parlare uses super-premium materials for its shell (fiberglass and Kevlar) which keep weight down while improving impact absorption. That helped them earn ECE 22.05 safety certification on this lid.
Sedici also achieved stellar sound quality according to reviewers. That seamless face shield gasket is doing its job cutting out wind noise.
This is a premium full face lid without the brand-name pricetag.
The Sedici Viaggio Parlare helmet gives riders a wide field of view (critical for googles when off road), removable peak visor (for sun and mud protection), and even a drop down sun visor. It’s the best off-road helmet with integrated Bluetooth, hands down.
All that at about the same price as a standard ADV helmet WITHOUT Bluetooth.
ILM 953 Bluetooth Helmet
The ILM 953 Pro is “Amazon’s top selling bluetooth helmet.”
But you shouldn’t buy it.
That stat might have more to do with its low cost than its quality.
The ILM comes with decent Bluetooth technology from FreedConn that supports 6-8 riders speaking simultaneously, but the unit can only pair with other FreedConn units.
The lid itself is basic – DOT certified, with a built in sunshade, but otherwise not built well.
The ILM 953 is a good choice if you’re on a budget and want a simple way to communicate between a few riders or with your passenger. However, I’d sooner buy a better helmet and integrate my own basic Bluetooth unit like the Cardo Spirit.
FAQs
Should I buy a Bluetooth motorcycle helmet?
The question of whether a Bluetooth motorcycle helmet is worth it for you depends on how you ride. If you want a seamless experience for communication with your buddies, GPS directions, media and phone calls, an integrated bluetooth helmet from our list of best bluetooth motorcycle helmets might make sense for you. Save some money to spend on a custom paint job.
Read out full rundown on whether Bluetooth motorcycle helmets are worth it.
If you just want audio GPS directions or tunes, the right set of headphones or speakers could do the trick. If you want the absolute newest tech, buying a more expensive add-on system might make more sense.
An integrated bluetooth helmet is advantageous over an add-on unit for several reasons:
- Better deal: A helmet plus bluetooth system will run you over around $300, depending on the exact models you choose. An integrated bluetooth helmet will run you around or below that anyway, without any installation hassle.
- Bigger batteries: Integrated helmets offer more talk time by hiding batteries in the shell.
- Better microphone and speaker placement: The placement of mics and speakers with a built in bluetooth system is determined by expert sound engineers – leading to better sound quality than self-installed systems.
- Lower profile: An integrated helmet hides all the electronics inside – no bulky bluetooth device hanging off your helmet.
- No installation: Save the obvious for last – no hassle installing a system onto another helmet!
Cons of integrated bluetooth helmets:
- Less choice of bluetooth device and helmet: Buying an add-on unit means using any helmet you like, and accessing the latest tech. Helmets with a pre-installed Bluetooth headset are usually impossible to upgrade.
- Device not removable: If you ever want to remove your device from your helmet – say, to charge it without carrying the helmet or switch to another helmet – an add-on device gives you that flexibility.
Can you listen to music with a Bluetooth motorcycle helmet?
Listening to music is one of the key functions of a bluetooth motorcycle helmet. If this is what you’re looking for, then you can rest easy because the best bluetooth motorcycle helmets for you will be on the cheaper end – like the Torc T-15B or ILM 953.
You’ll want to look at reviews to see whether owners like how the speakers sound and whether the helmet seals well to block out wind noise. Remember that many bluetooth units come with apps to help you tune and customize the audio profile.
How much does a Bluetooth motorcycle helmet cost?
Bluetooth helmets are surprisingly affordable, especially when compared to the alternative option of installing an add-on unit to another helmet. Here’s what to expect:
- Under $150 for Bluetooth-ready helmets: You’ll have to add your own unit, but not every helmet hides away the bulky bits.
- $150 – $300 for Entertainment-style Bluetooth-integrated helmets: You’ll find solid helmets with a decent bluetooth system from Blinc or Freedconn. Great for rider-to-passenger or a ‘smart’ helmet with speakers and a mic.
- $300+ for Top-Notch Bluetooth-integrated helmets: These are lightweight and well-ventilated helmets with high-quality Bluetooth systems already pre-installed. You’ll be able to communicate with a large group, listen to music, and have a high-quality helmet shell to boot. Take the Sena Stryker for example, our pick for the best bluetooth motorcycle helmet.