SENA 50C HARMAN KARDON

Simon Meyer / £493.99 / www.sena-shop.co.uk

I’ve been using Sena’s flagship 50C for close to a year – and in that time it’s become one of my most valuable bits of biking kit.

I’ve always loved intercom systems. I seriously value the convenience of being able to natter with a pillion or my riding pals (or even take a call) – and it’s great to be able to listen to some tunes when I’m racking up bigger miles. The 50C excels at this stuff, thanks in part to the Harman Kardon supplied speakers. They’re brilliant; super-clear even at speed (though you will have to turn the volume right up if you’re cruising at motorway speeds).

To make it easy to link up with other riders, the 50C uses a Mesh system. It’s a clever bit of kit which allows several riders to talk to each other over a claimed range of 1.2 miles. I reckon that’s maybe a little optimistic in real-world conditions, but even so I’ve been impressed.

The 50C’s a bit different to other intercoms on the market because it’s got a camera built-in, too. It’s a top-quality 4K one, which is operated by a simple press of the button on the side. You can also take photos when you’re on the move. It’s very easy to operate, and I actually use it on a daily basis; partly so I’m covered if a rogue driver decides I’m invisible, and partly because it’s cool to capture your ride.

Battery-life is good, too. Of course, it depends on how many of the features you’re using at once, but I’ve managed three hours of playing music and video recording, and still had a tiny bit of battery life to spare. At this point it’d still keep working, but wouldn’t let me use the camera. I think that’s pretty good, and Sena actually claim it’ll sit on standby for over 10 hours. Easy to use, easy to fit and packed with top features, I’d highly recommend the Sena 50C.