3k mi observations...Schuberth, Sena, Quite ride, AirHawk.. on a '14 RT.

[Peter K]

I have just finished a 7 day, 3,400 mile trip through several points in VA, NC, SC, GA and back to Florida on my now well used 2014 1200rt (15k miles). Before the trip I had "upgraded" several components of my ride: Installed the Werks Quiet ride windshield, bought a new Schubert C3 pro along with a Sena20s, and also snagged a Airhawk-R seat cushion. So I thought I would post some comments from real life use here on the forum for those considering same.

 

The RT: Finally feeling more at home on it. Superb machine on the road, quiet, stable, and enough power to get the job done. Ergonomics are OK. Pegs need to be lower for average riders (I am 5'9" 170, 31" inseam) and I'll work on that. Seat is ok for first 100miles. Sound system...a waste for me; my iPhone has infinitely more possibilities. All in all as good or better than my last non-Beemer (ST1300), except in the engine dept where I feel Honda is in another class. My fav feature: Tire pressure monitor on the dash (finally!).

 

The gadgets....of hype and real life use.

 

Schuberth C3 Pro: Quieter than my HJC CL-16? Yes. Is it "WOW" quieter? Not at all. It seems well put together (despite my mangling it with the Sena; see below) and the sun visor is a great feature. Is it safer than my CL16? I hope not to test it, (however I did test the HJC head first into a car at speed and it held up admirably - no concussion or anything else, and is why I bought another), but it seems solid. Ventilation? At the top of the head it is quite good. Elsewhere it is non existent. I cannot tell what the front vent does. Open or closed I feel no difference...which brings me to a hot weather warning: This is NOT the helmet for warm areas (like Florida). Much hotter than the HJC, and keep in mind I was in perfect weather on this trip: 60 degree nights, 75 degree days. I suppose that is how you get that quieter ride and I am sure parts (like the chin cover) can be removed for airflow. Worth the price tag? Not so sure. I guess this is where the "hype" part of my review mind land.

 

Sena S20: With all the reviews being so positive I just HAD to get one, since on this trip I really needed to be able to take calls. Nice little unit. I am sure if I spent a few more hours/days on it (and got my electronics engineering degree) I would get more use out of it. But alas, I am not one to do that and prefer instead to be happy with the basics and spend the extra hours riding (why my bike is dirty most of the time!). I have NO connection with the Beemer's electronics and even gave up trying to get the Navigator IV to talk to me through the Sena without giving something else up. So I took calls, listened to podcasts, music, Google maps GPS, all through the iPhone. Very clear sound on calls, though for some reason they would break into the music at 20X the volume. The voice command and shake features work 50% of the time, but I found it safer to just press the button rather than be pounding on my helmet while going down the road. (I would like to find out how to bring Siri online though). Installation was a pain and is not as clean as many instructional videos tell you...on the Schuberth at least the neck collar bead HAS to be in someway either cut or left unclipped if the wires are going to go in the helmet. Same way with the clamp. It is doable, but again, not as straightforward as the instructional stuff would have you think. All in all, a good (not perfect) product at a pretty decent price. Fav feature: Clarity in and out. Not one of my customers that had a conversation with me while I was riding on this trip had ANY idea I was on a bike at highway speeds. Wish list: Finding a dealer in SE Florida that I can just take the bike & helmet to and let them work on making it seamless with the RT.

 

Works Quiet Ride Windshield: Having been disappointed at the wind management on the '14 RT (vs the '07) from the beginning I was very happy to get this new shield in before my trip. Is it better than the stock '14? No doubt. Better than the '07? Probably not by much...but works very much like that: A couple of inches and you are in a quiet zone. I got the short one and it is plenty tall. Aesthetics? I don't think it looks bad at all (their website seems to defend aesthetics though I am not sure why) Up or down it looks as good as stock. Verdict: Money well spent on a useful addition.

 

Airhawk-R: This is the latest version of this it seems and is a little cheaper than previous (I am told because of materials downgrade). I bought the medium from Revzilla since they will honor the 60day return guarantee in this accessory - if I decide that it does not improve comfort. I received this seat-pad halfway into my trip, so I had approx 1500 miles without it and about the same with it. After spending the northbound segment of my trip adjusting my seating angle every few mins and many times standing on my pegs to relieve discomfort, the Airhawk's arrival was very welcome. It clearly makes a difference on your derrière. Takes a bit of adjusting and getting used to (I always felt like I was rolling forward into the gas tank until I figured out how to situate it), but once you are there it is a very nice improvement. Good product and a decent price; it will have a home in my side case for my longer rides for sure!

 

So there you have it. Real life testing by a 55 yr old life-long rider. Hope it helps someone else out there.

 

 

[terryofperry]

Thank you Pete and enjoy the great weather in South Florida.

 

Terry

[JR356]

Did you look at the Shuberth intercom system prior to the Sena purchase?

 

I have a Sena 5 myself and a Shoei GT Air,but the Shuberth system looks nicely integrated and reportedly functions well with the BMW.

 

JR356

[Peter K]

No i did not. I had heard about it with no one really being super positive about it. I was also thinking that a system that can move from one helmet to another might be a plus.

[MotoBones]

I bought the BMW Comm system for Shuberth when I bought my RT and returned it because the sound quality was so lousy. The 20S sounds substantially better through the helmet speakers, and when you use earbuds through the 20S audio-out port the sound is fantastic (presuming you have good quality earbuds). I wear earplugs anyway, so putting in sound attenuating earbuds is no issue for me.

 

Peter, as far as getting the 20S paired to the RT, it requires a step-by-step that is easy, but you have to do it in the right order. Since you said you had trouble, start by resetting the 20S and your RT to factory defaults.

 

Initial Pairing Procedure (only required once)

Only the two devices being paired should be powered up during initial pairing. Leave other devices powered off.

Clear any helmet pairings you’ve attempted on the bike (in Audio menu).

Reset the Sena 20S to factory default settings (S20 manual page 48)

 

Pair Sena 20S Headset to Bike. (Use A2DP Pairing for Stereo sound, Sec 6.1, page 20)

1. Turn on Sena 20S Headset.

2. Press the Phone Button (aft end of Headset) for 5 seconds until LED alternates red/blue flashes and you hear multiple beeps.

3. Within 2 seconds, tap the Jog Dial (round wheel on side) and LED flashes red, double mid-tone beeps heard, and voice prompt says “Media Selective Pairing.”

4. In RT’s Audio > Bluetooth menu, pair with Helmet 1, Select Sena 20S.

5. Enter 0000 if PIN is requested.

 

Pair Headset to Nav5. (Use Second Mobile Phone Pairing, Sec 5.2, page 16)

1. Press Jog Dial for 6 seconds until red LED flashes rapidly and you hear multiple beeps.

2. Within 2 seconds, tap the Phone Button, the LED turns blue flashing, double high tone beeps heard, and voice prompt says “Second Mobile Phone Pairing.”

3. Search for Bluetooth devices on Nav5. Select the Sena 20S.

4. Enter 0000 if PIN is requested.

 

Pair Phone to Nav5.

1. Turn on Bluetooth on phone.

2. Turn on Nav5 and search for Bluetooth devices.

3. Identify SCH-I545 (Samsung Galaxy S4) [MY PHONE...YOURS MANY VARY]

4. Enter PIN if requested.

5. Allow phonebook to download.

 

IF NO PHONE CAPABILITIES ARE DESIRED

When getting ready to ride…

1. Turn on Sena 20S Headset.

2. Turn on bike and allow to pair (“media connected” message is heard).

USB Music, FM, Sirius and GPS prompts will be heard through Sena headset. Any pairing to other riders via intercom will be available. Keep in mind the Sena 20S remembers sound levels for each feature (USB music, FM, GPS, etc.) separately.

 

IF PHONE CAPABILITIES ARE DESIRED (SEND/RECEIVE CALLS)

When getting ready to ride…

1. Leave Nav5 off and not in cradle. Leave phone Bluetooth turned off.

2. Turn on Sena 20S Headset.

3. Turn on bike and allow to pair with Sena 20S Headset (beep, “media connected” message).

4. Put Nav5 into cradle and allow to pair with Sena 20S Headset (beep). (I find that as long as I turn on the 20S before starting the bike, these items pair in order, but don't turn on the phone's Bluetooth until the other devices have paired.)

5. Turn on phone’s Bluetooth and allow it connect to Nav5. Allow phonebook to download if prompted. If phone icon on Nav5 home screen shows in color, should be all set.

 

USB Music, FM, Sirius and GPS prompts will be heard through the Sena 20S Headset. Incoming and outgoing phone calls will be heard through the Sena 20S Headset and visible on the Nav5 display. Any pairing to other riders via intercom will be available.

 

When preparing to ride, remember to let these pairings happen one-at-a-time, in this order:

• Headset to Bike (easy if you turn on the headset before starting the bike)

• Headset to Nav5 (happens by itself)

• Phone to Nav5 (turn on Bluetooth on your phone)

 

Do it a few times and it becomes second nature. And if you don’t care about phone calls, which I rarely do, it’s as easy as turning on your 20S before starting the bike.

 

As far as Siri or any other voice activated phone calling, you can't do that via the BMW audio system if you pair your phone to the GPS, which is how BMW wants you to handle phone calls (through the GPS).

 

Hope that helps.

 

Or you could just ride your bike, listen to the motor, and worry about phone calls some other time. Riding is more important anyway.

 

[PODMAN]

same bike

same w/s

same helmet

same headset (had the schuberth and it sucks)

original seat works for me

just shy off of 18,000 on it

you nailed it

PS-even saved my ass hitting a deer 2 months ago

[DJ_Fission]

Schuberth C3 Pro: Quieter than my HJC CL-16? Yes. Is it "WOW" quieter? Not at all. It seems well put together (despite my mangling it with the Sena; see below) and the sun visor is a great feature. Is it safer than my CL16? I hope not to test it, (however I did test the HJC head first into a car at speed and it held up admirably - no concussion or anything else, and is why I bought another), but it seems solid. Ventilation? At the top of the head it is quite good. Elsewhere it is non existent. I cannot tell what the front vent does. Open or closed I feel no difference...which brings me to a hot weather warning: This is NOT the helmet for warm areas (like Florida). Much hotter than the HJC, and keep in mind I was in perfect weather on this trip: 60 degree nights, 75 degree days. I suppose that is how you get that quieter ride and I am sure parts (like the chin cover) can be removed for airflow. Worth the price tag? Not so sure. I guess this is where the "hype" part of my review mind land.

 

This is definitely a subjective area. I love my C3 Pro, and I used it exclusively when I lived in Florida, through the Southwest US in the height of summer, and the hot summer here in the Omaha area. I've found that the chin vent works best at speed, especially if you don't have a large windshield blocking airflow. I have the OEM touring windshield on my R1200R, which keeps the air off of my chest but allows airflow into the helmet, so the chin vent works pretty well. When stopped, I click the visor up to the "city position," which is one notch up from fully shut. When I rode my mom's H-D a couple of years ago when visiting them, the tall windshield she had blocked airflow and the helmet was definitely hotter than I was used to. And you are correct in the the chin piece under the flip-up part can be removed for more airflow, at the cost of more helmet noise.

 

Did you look at the Shuberth intercom system prior to the Sena purchase?

 

I have a Sena 5 myself and a Shoei GT Air,but the Shuberth system looks nicely integrated and reportedly functions well with the BMW.

 

JR356

 

A thought on this...I also have the Schuberth SRC system and I think it works very well. The Bluetooth/radio antenna integrated into the helmet helps a lot with reception and also I can move quite far away from my phone without losing signal. I can't speak to how well it works with the integrated BMW entertainment system, but it works great with my phone on trips.

 

Just thought I'd share my thoughts on these two pieces of equipment.