Cardo Packtalk Pro Review: Super-Smart Motorcycle Comms

Trainer, racer and avid motorcyclist Chris Smith does a gazillion kilometres a year in his pursuit of training Kiwi motorcyclists. So, when he says he tests gear, he REALLY does!

Distributor: Motogear | Tester: Chris Smith – Passmasters Rider Training | Price: $939 | Check It: www.motogear.co.nz

Everyone knows that we at Passmasters love technology, and we’ve been using Cardo products for training for 7 or 8 years now as 1-way comms is so last century when it comes to training. I love my Packtalk Edge, so when I got a call from the lads at Darbi Accessories to say the new Packtalk Pro was in, I was pretty keen to get one stuck on the side of the brain bucket pretty sharpish. So here are the ramblings of a nutter as to what floats my boat with the new Pro unit.

Sleek

I loved the Packtalk Black, and this hits the spot, too. Its matt black stealthy look works well with my Shoei NXR and all the others.
Pro – looks mint.
Con – same colour as the couch, lost it for a day.

New sounds

The new 45mm JBL speakers are an upgrade from the old 40mm ones and take the listening of 90s techno to new heights. The clarity of comms conversations is crystal clear, especially combined with the DMC 2.0 (Dynamic Mesh Communication)
Pro – fantastic sound.
Con – will be an awkward fit in older helmets.

Auto power

If any of you are as useless as me at turning your comms off, then you will love the auto power feature. As soon as you clip it in the cradle, it powers up. And if the unit doesn’t sense any movement, then it will automatically power down. Also, it will shut down if you aren’t listening to music or GPS for a while.
Pro – what’s not to love about this feature.
Con – turn the feature off before you fly to Christchurch and find that it’s been on the whole way.

Crash detection

As you guys know, I travel the length and breadth of the country regularly, and one of the things that has always been a factor has been the ‘what ifs’ associated with this. It’s pretty easy to disappear off the edge of the road in the dark and not be found for some time, so the new crash detection system feature was a definite attraction for me. It’s a simple system that once you’ve set it to use the Cardo app, it will send the person who you select as an emergency contact a text message giving the exact location and a basic text saying that you’ve cocked it up.

This is a great idea, especially if you are unconscious or can’t reach your phone. The number of riders who leave their phone on the phone mount when they ride technical roads is staggering, as if you come off, then there’s a possibility that the bike and phone will go much further down the hill than you will… Just a thought, huh.
Pro – could potentially save my life.
Con – can drain the phone battery through the low signal areas as it’s using the location services constantly. Best to keep your phone charged when you can.

Along with these cool new features, it still has the great features of the Edge and other Cardo products with the wireless software updates, magnetic mounting, IP67 waterproofing, USB-C charge port which is the same as my Quadlock which is handy when I forget to charge it. Easy to use App and the equally easy to use Bluetooth mode.
There’s a few hundy on the price over the Edge, but for what I do and where I go, I feel the new features are well worth it.

Chris

Manufacturer’s Blurb

PACKTALK PRO comes with a built-in crash detection sensor made especially for on-road motorcycle riders. It senses what your head feels and knows exactly when to make that important emergency notice when things go wrong. But it doesn’t stop there. With our top-of-the-line 45mm JBL speakers as standard, expect nothing but the best sound in the business. Our newest PACKTALK PRO is not just about brains. With an all-black-matte exterior it is a marvel of stealth and beauty. Auto On/Off, 15 DMC group members and IP67 design are there to augment your active lifestyle. PACKTALK PRO – mind-blowing performance now comes standard.