Sena 60S review | Flagship Bluetooth & Mesh motorcycle intercom tested

Date reviewed: August 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £359 (RRP) | www.sena.com

The Sena 60S on review here is the company’s flagship intercom, featuring standard Bluetooth comms and Mesh (for far superior group communication), as well as bringing the Wave app with it, which promises group comms across any device over any distance.

I’ve been using it on a variety of bikes and with a variety of phones to find out how well it works…

Note that the Sena site has a 10% discount code on the homepage, and at the time of writing dealers seem to be offering the 60S at around £300.

Pros & Cons

Sena 60S features

As Sena’s flagship intercom system, the 60S comes with a fair number of features and extras. Let’s run through them:

Mesh 3.0: Sena’s latest version of Mesh comms, it allows multiple riders – using Sena kit – to connect in a group. As long as they stay in range (see range test below), it doesn’t matter what order they ride in, they’ll stay connected. Note that older Mesh Sena intercoms will need a firmware update before being compatible, so make sure you do this before going on a tour.

Wave Intercom: This is an app-based system that uses your phone’s data to communicate with other riders when they’re out of range. It allows you to chat using pretty much any brand of intercom (I was only able to test it with Cardo), any distance away… as long as you BOTH have a data signal on your phone.

Harman Kardon speakers: Offering great volume and clarity, these are very good indeed.

Customisable faceplates: The main cover and jog dial can be swapped between the supplied black, chrome, silver or white plastic plates.

Two magnetic helmet mounts: Fitting the Sena to the new magnetic mounts – and taking it off again – is really easy. While it’s not mechanically locked in place like the Cardo magnetic mount, it is very powerful and I’ve had no issues with it shifting at all. With two pairs of Harman Kardon speakers supplied, one of the mounts has a permanently fixed flexible boom mic attached, making it only really suitable for open-face helmets. You could jiggle it into a flip-front or full-face, but that boom would need routing from the outside in. The other mount has the option to plug in a short boom for flip-fronts, or a wired mic for full-face. What this means is that unless your second helmet is an open-face, you’re paying for a second mount that you won’t really need. Maybe this will be popular in the US, but I’d have liked to have seen the price reduced and only one mount supplied. Magnetic cover are supplied to protect the mounts’ ports if the 60S isn’t fitted.

Sena 60S LED light test

See the indicator lights and torch in action

LED indicator bar: If you’re a fan of 1980s disco, you’ll love the colour-changing lights running up the side of the Sena 60S. As you can’t see them while you’re wearing the helmet though, the value is perhaps questionable compared to a simple single LED that lets you know what mode the device is in (which the 60S also has anyway). The main benefit of the long LED colour bar is that it extends as you increase the volume. But you still can’t see it while it's on your head. You can turn the LED bar off via the app, or you can switch it to your choice of 12 different multicoloured pulsating light effects called ‘Ride Glow’. If you really want to.

LED torch: An interesting addition, the small LED on the front of the Sena 60S is activated by pressing a button on the front while it’s powered on. There’s no voice command for ‘flashlight on’, and while it could get you out of trouble in a pinch, it’s really not very bright at all. The torch on your phone is likely to be a lot brighter. Still, at least this is hands-free while you have your lid on.

Action camera pairing: The Sena 60S allows you to pair your action camera to record audio from Mesh or Bluetooth intercom conversations, and the Insta360 X5 (reviewed here) can be powered up and down, start and stop recording and toggled between photo and video modes using the front two buttons on the intercom. I tested this and found it worked well, though the announcements from the Sena saying that the camera’s on then recording can get a little annoying after a while. It’s a handy addition, but if you really want a remote control, Insta360 offers some more refined options.

I tested the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 and DJI Osmo 360, finding both could connect to the Sena 60S as wireless earphones to record audio. Quality will vary depending on your helmet, but it’s a handy option to have.

Fitting the Sena 60S

Most UK riders are likely to be fitting the Sena 60S to a flip-front or full-face helmet, so they’ll use the mount with the choice of the separate boom or wired mic.

There are two clip-type brackets supplied, which can slide over the bottom of the shell of some – but not many – helmets, or there’s one adhesive mount. Only providing one adhesive mount is disappointing as this is what I tend to use on pretty much every helmet I’ve tested.

Given that Sena sells the Harman Kardon speakers separately for £73.00, providing two sets with the 60S seems generous. Sadly, one of the two mounts is only really suitable for open-face helmets, so the value is limited… Personally, I’d rather have seen the 60S coming with one universal mount and speaker pair at a lower price.

At the time of writing, Sena doesn’t offer the universal mount for sale on its own website, which is worrying for those who want to fit the 60S to more than one flip-front or full-face lid. Only the ‘Helmet Clamp Kit with Boom Microphone’ is offered, with no adhesive mount and a permanent boom mic at £129.00.

Ease of fitting will of course depend on your helmet, but take time to neatly tuck the wires away and you shouldn’t have any problems.

The Harman Kardon speakers supplied with the Sena 60S are 42mm in diameter and 11mm thick.

As usual, there’s no full printed user guide, but for more details on fitting and operating, you can access the Sena 60S instruction manual here.

Sena 60S Connections

Once set up, the Sena 60S connects almost instantly to your phone when powered up. When launched there were reports of difficulty in connecting to previous generations of Sena devices running Mesh 2.0, but firmware updates to these have brought them all in line for seamless Mesh connections. I tested it with a 50R, 50S and ST1 and, after updating and turning Mesh 3.0 off and on again in the app for the 60S, they worked great.

If one of your riding group hasn’t updated their device, you can switch back to Mesh 2.0 in the app.

The Sena 60S can also pair with other Sena devices via Bluetooth, which is fine for rider to rider or rider to pillion comms, but it’s a clunky system for groups and only works for up to four riders, all of whom have to remain riding in the same order. For groups, Mesh is king.

Sena also offers a universal intercom mode – I tested this by putting a Cardo Packtalk Edge into Bluetooth intercom pairing mode and enabling universal pairing on the Sena 60S by holding the jog dial for 10 seconds then turning it to the option. Pairing took a few seconds then provided a good connection between the two, so if your friend has a Cardo (or other brand using the standard Hands-Free Profile (HFP), though I haven’t been able to test these yet), you can still talk to each-other.

It is also possible to bring a Bluetooth intercom (from any brand with HFP) into a Sena Mesh group by creating a ‘bridge’. The rider connected via Bluetooth will need to stay in range of the Sena rider they’re connected to, rather than take advantage of the extended range that Mesh can offer, but it’s another useful addition.

Ultimately, the most seamless connection method is via Mesh with all riders using the same brand (Sena’s system defaults to open Mesh so once turned on it connects to all in range). If you’re part of a group that regularly rides together, it’s worth having the same kit. Private groups have a maximum of 24 riders, while Open Mesh is theoretically unlimited.

Remember that Mesh is NOT cross-brand compatible, but the Sena Wave app does go some way to solving that issue…

What is Sena Wave?

Put simply, Sena Wave is an app available for Android or iOS that connects via Bluetooth to your intercom – regardless of the brand – to provide communication over any distance using cellular data.

Now you might be thinking that Sena has created the first truly universal intercom system, and while it’s impressive, that’s not the whole story…

• Wave works in tandem with Sena’s Mesh intercom on Sena devices, so if the phone’s data signal drops out it will automatically switch back to Mesh. Using cellular data gives much greater range if you’re all running Sena devices, but it does of course mean that non-Sena users will drop out when the unit switches to Mesh.

• As long as there’s a data signal, Wave can work over any distance. I connected to a friend more than 20 miles away and had a pretty clear conversation with them through the Sena 60S, noticing only a small amount of lag. Our speech was a little clipped at times, but it worked impressively well.

• Your phone’s battery life will of course be impacted, but data usage is limited. Sena claims a full 24 hours of chat would use just 216MB of data. In my call we talked for approximately 15 minutes, and the Glasswire app showed that Wave had used 5.84MB of data, which is similar to the testing I did using WhatsApp a while back. I you’re riding and talking for 10 full hours, based on Sena’s claimed estimates and my testing, you’ll use somewhere between around 90MB and 250MB, which is very little and should be within most phone contract’s limits, even when roaming. Though of course, do keep in mind any additional fees your carrier might charge when overseas.

• You could use WhatsApp with any intercom to set up a group call before you all start riding but it wouldn’t have the device integration that the Sena Wave app offers.

• Once you’ve added another rider as a ‘friend’ in the Sena Wave app, they can be called from anywhere in the world and will automatically reconnect if there’s a dropout for as long as the call stays active. You can connect with any other Wave users that aren’t friends within up to a one mile radius, but as a security feature if they leave that range they’ll disconnect, and if they drop out of signal for some reason, they won’t automatically reconnect.

• When setting up the Wave app, consider your username carefully as it’s displayed to anyone that starts typing it out. That can be helpful if you want to be found easily, but could be a privacy issue for others. Still, friend requests have to be approved, and any bothersome users can be blocked. Keanu Reeves would be wise not to use his own name.

• Only once you’re connected as friends can you see where others are on the Wave app’s map while they’re using the app.

In summary, the Wave app opens up far greater opportunity for flawless communication. If there’s a data signal that you’re all connected to, it won’t matter how far away you get from each-other, or what obstacles come between you. If cellular coverage drops out, anyone using a Sena Mesh device will automatically be switched back to Mesh comms, so as long as they’re close-enough together they’ll stay chatting.

I initially had some problems connecting via the Wave app, so contacted Sena’s support team via email (using my personal account). Responses were pretty quick, and while the issue seemed to resolve itself, it’s good to know that there is help at hand if you need it.

You can download the Sena Wave App instruction manual here.

Sena 60S control

The Sena 60S has a button on the front for the LED flashlight, another on the side for switching between Mesh and Bluetooth comms, the jog wheel (which also acts as a button), and a phone button on the rear. These are pretty easy to find with gloves on, and spaced far enough apart to be useable even in thick winter kit.

As long as you’ve set your phone up to allow calls to be made while unlocked, you can quickly and easily ask your phone’s assistant to make a call or send a message. I did it through Android’s Gemini assistant and was impressed, but voice control of your phone is extremely limited when riding a bike, and in my experience only tends to work at low speeds. While the noise reduction of the Sena (and other comms devices) can be very effective, it doesn’t seem to work anywhere near as well with the phone assistants.

You can control the 60S with voice commands, which works well, if a little hit and miss with some commands at times – asking it to skip to the next streaming music track rarely works for me. Here are all the commands available:

Sena 60S Volume and clarity

The Sena 60S has excellent volume and clarity, driving well through earplugs with no noticeable distortion and very good bass. This really is an impressive audio output, and while of course the quality isn’t as good through earplugs as it would be with dedicated headphones, you’re protecting your hearing while enjoying music.

And yes, you can still hear the emergency services.

Listening to music isn’t for everyone, but on long rides I often enjoy some tunes, and it certainly doesn’t affect my concentration.

Spoken word content like Radio 4 or podcasts can be a problem with any comms unit at times – it will depend on how well balanced the recording is and the level it’s broadcast at, but if the presenters sometimes talk quietly, it can make it impossible to enjoy while on the bike. I’m looking at you Richard Porter.

If you really want to wear in-ear headphones (I don’t recommend it on the bike), Sena offers an earbud adaptor with a 3.5mm stereo port and microphone connector for £12.00 to replace the speakers.

When making a call, the clarity at the other end is excellent. Fitted to my Schuberth S3, my wife couldn’t tell I was riding the bike at 70mph while talking to her.

Sena 60S Range

The Sena Wave app opens up the potential for almost unlimited range (with some caveats), but this is still a Bluetooth and Mesh device with a fairly typical performance.

I test all units in the same location, and weather conditions as well as local traffic can affect things a lot. The type of helmet an intercom is fitted to will also influence its range – carbon-fibre for instance will restrict it.

On a dry day with scattered cloud and an annoying forklift truck that seemed to be generating a lot of electrical noise, the Sena 60S stayed connected to a 50S up to just over 850m on Bluetooth and just under 750m on Mesh. Reconnections were automatic, but as the signals started to fail there was a lot of nasty noise, which seemed to be down to that forklift.

In summary, the Sena 60S range is in line with other quality devices I’ve tested, though keep in mind that the distances I measured will vary massively with geography, traffic, weather and buildings, and that as shown below, Mesh distances between multiple riders tends to be smaller.

Still, Wave pretty much fixes that…

Sena 60S Radio

Sadly, the FM radios built into all the motorcycle intercoms I’ve tested tend to be fairly ropey. Despite offering RDS, they seem to hold a signal for a while then drop out after about 20 miles. It can depend on your head’s position relative to the radio tower, and the helmet the device is fitted to, but don’t expect great things from this or any other.

If you really want to listen to the radio, streaming it from your phone is probably the best bet. Maybe Sena could build that feature into the Wave app in future?

Sena 60S waterproofing

Finally, the Sena 60S is a properly water-resistant intercom. Sena rates it as IPX7, which means it’s not been tested for dust ingress (the X), and it’s protected against water when immersed at a depth of 1m for 30 minutes.

Due to the confusing nature of the IP (International Protection) rating system, that doesn’t mean the Sena 60S is also IPX6 rated (protected against high pressure water jets), but I blasted it with the hose and had no problems – remember that when riding in the rain, those droplets can be striking your kit at 70mph. Having done this with every intercom I’ve reviewed, I can tell you that not all survive.

Sena 60S Battery life

When you turn the Sena 60S on, and off, it announces the current battery level, which is very helpful.

In my testing, when streaming music at full volume the Sena 60S lasted approximately 12.5 hours, which is an impressive result compared to some of the competition.

Charging is via a covered USB-C port in the intercom, so it can be charged while on or off the helmet. It will also work while charging.

Ease of updating the Sena 60S

Another ‘at last’… the Sena 60S can be updated over the air via your smartphone app without having to plug it into a computer or use a clunky WiFi charging adaptor.

The app tells you when a firmware update is available, and allows for a simple process as long as the intercom is more than 50% charged.

Three alternatives to the Sena 60S

There are many intercom options available now, but do keep in mind that the 60S is a flagship product so at the premium end of the price range. Here are some others you might want to consider…

• Cardo Packtalk Pro, RRP: £404.99 Street price: £365 | The Packtalk Pro is a great bit of kit, but the Sena 60S is putting up very real fight fight. The Cardo has great audio and is sleeker than the Sena thanks in part to the lack of disco lights and a torch. It also has crash detection built in, but I’m sceptical of the value and performance of this. You can read the full review of the Packtalk Pro here.

• Sena 50R, RRP: £329.00 Street price: £226 | One of the few Senas to also be waterproof, this Bluetooth and Mesh intercom has ‘sound by Harman Kardon’, but not the speakers. It’ll work with Sena Wave though, and is a cheaper option without the fluff. Read the full review of the Sena 50R here.

• Cardo Spirit HD RRP: £139.95 Street Price: £113 | If all you need is good music quality, the ability to make calls, get navigation instructions and talk to a pillion, this comes strongly recommended as a solid, reliable Bluetooth intercom. Read the full review of the Cardo Spirit HD here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the intercoms we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Sena 60S - Verdict

It strikes me that, while the Sena 60S is an excellent motorcycle intercom, it could have been cheaper without the LED torch, ’80s disco lights, swappable cover plates and complete second mounting bracket. Still, even so it’s significantly cheaper than the RRP of Cardo’s flagship Pactalk Pro and it does have great audio clarity and does a pretty good job of connecting to a range of devices.

The 60S seems to be something of a turning point for Sena, with the device finally getting proper waterproofing and quick, simple, over-the-air updates. The battle between Cardo and Sena has become a lot hotter now, and the 60S is a very impressive motorcycle intercom that I won’t hesitate to recommend.

I wonder what Sena will release next – there’s a lot of potential for a pared-down device that has the same comms tech as the 60S but without the flagship’s trimmings…

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