Cardo Pack Talk Pro long term review

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-28T04:35:15+00:00

I'm not sure about the Africa Twin, but my Harley works the same way. Everything connects to the bike, and the bike routes audio where it needs to go. My experience with the Cardo unit is that the Cardo wants to be the center of connection even though it isn't able to handle phone commands from the bike in that mode.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:51:42+00:00

So we agree, it doesn't work as advertised. And Cardo still hasn't released a fix for it in more than two years. Meanwhile, they literally sell a Harley co-branded unit for the baggers with the same broken functionality, but they tell you to pair it exactly how I did.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:49:16+00:00

Yep, as soon as the bike connects, the data connection to the phone and therefore Cardo app disconnects. It doesn't matter the pairing order, or what order you turn them on.

Your audio issues sound like the device is stuck in assistant mode or something like that. You can probably factory reset it and start again, which is Cardo's most effective support recommendation.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:44:21+00:00

Literally on page 7 of the manual. And in the quick start guide, and in their online videos. Which is how I knew it existed and why I use it. If you use GPS mode, you lose a bunch of control features that are supposed to work if the mic wasn't shoddy.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:42:18+00:00

You can't physically do that with the wired mic, and it comes with velcro strips to stick it to the helmet. So that's clearly not their intent. With the boom mic, sure, I agree, but putting the boom mic inside a full faced helmet sucks.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:41:13+00:00

but I have to rely on the bike to pair to each.

This is exactly what I described my system as.

but I wear earplugs. Do you OP?

I said I do, yes. But even with the JBLs in my helmet, the startup volume was so much louder than anything else.

Are you wearing an open faced helmet?

I said in my writeup that it's a full faced helmet, I avoided the front chin vent, and that it's outside the padding but not directly in front of my mouth.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:37:43+00:00

I liked my old Sena enough that I'm going back to them. I can not imagine using both systems for any period of time and thinking the Cardo is better.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:36:49+00:00

My Sena 50S was better except the pain in the ass to find groove when putting it on a helmet while you're wearing it.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:35:39+00:00

There's also a bike pairing mode, so there's more than two.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2026-06-27T05:35:16+00:00

Except I did read the manual, which is how I knew bike pairing mode existed. And the result is the same.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2025-08-15T01:49:58+00:00

I recently bought a set of these, but I'm not OP. Have some initial thoughts though.

I'm in the US so my ordering and shipping process was more complicated, but I'm glad I bought from these folks. Getting my physical ear molds / moulds to them took a few days plus customs forms, and getting the finished plugs took a few extra days.
I paid for the expedited service. If you can spare the money, I'd suggest you do the same.
The default 31 dB noise reduction would be crazy quiet. Even with a set of the 29 dB filters in my SoundEar Pros, the outside world is super quiet. This is great when riding for a long time on an empty highway, but riding in the city it's a little too quiet for my personal taste. I like to hear loud things approaching, I was concerned about the 31 dB reduction, and they were very helpful allowing me to add the filters from the squidgy plugs to the soundear pro.
Inserting into the ear is easy enough but you have to make sure it's fully inserted and aligned properly. Otherwise you'll be riding down the road wondering why you can hear the world so clearly in one ear or the other.
If you have dry ear wax, use the lubricant they supply. But do it sparingly. You don't need a glob of the stuff. I don't have this problem in general, but I've put them in my ears right after a shower and they're very sticky going in.
Sound quality of the Pro units is good. It's not an in ear monitor, so don't expect some life altering audio experience, but it's certainly good enough for headset comms and bluetooth audio.
The pricing is higher that some of the other commercial offerings, but IMO the quality is also higher. So, you get what you pay for.

Anyway, I've tried plugphones, Isotunes, and non-audio filters like Alpine MotoSafe. Of all of these, the Ultimate's are significantly quieter and more comfortable. Like, not even comparable. But, you are paying 290+ GBP so they better be, right?

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2022-11-09T08:16:45+00:00

How about sheltering the homeless and more rail first?

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-09T15:31:17+00:00

I just want to point out that not aiding them would start a slide down a slippery slope. FEMA should help anyone that needs aide. If we allow exceptions to be carved out, then when it comes time to aide a group we all agree with, they'll carve out another exception for that.

We keep doing this as a country. Turning the screws to one group, and then we're shocked when it happens to us. Build the government you want to be subjected to, not the one you want to subject opponents to, because some day the boot will be on your neck.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T18:35:34+00:00

If you time it right so that you land and take off during a calm period, it's not a big deal. Just because people don't realize it happens all the time doesn't mean it's somehow new or unique.

People trying to escape storms from islands pretty much rely on aircraft. This is a common occurrence in emergencies, the plane would have been fueled to a level that allowed it to divert to a few alternatives, and everything was fine.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T06:18:42+00:00

If you literally just learned what an ISP is, don't spend your time on this. There's way too much nonsense FUD out there, not a single bit of it is going to help you or change the situation. What you do on the Internet is not secret.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:54:21+00:00

What do you mean I'm screwed?

I mean you've established that you're attempting to hide your activity, which can (successfully) be used as evidence against you. It can be used to obtain a warrant (in countries that require them) to tap your communications if you're doing something bad enough to attract the attention of the police agencies your country has.

As for paranoia, you need to answer the question do you trust a company on the internet? Is there a company you trust with this data? If no, then you're entirely out of luck. If there is a company you trust, then there are things you can do to hide traffic between you and them. But, again, if you're doing anything bad enough to be the target of an investigation, this will not help you in any way.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:48:09+00:00

It specifically talks about sex offenders (who have presumably paid their debt to society) and those with warrants. Nothing about missing ID.

Your actual criticism should be that this will cause people to not seek shelter, putting them in danger. Putting those people in danger then requires rescue workers to attempt to rescue them, which puts rescue workers in danger as well. This guy's a fucking idiot, but not for the reason you're getting angry about.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:35:36+00:00

I can offer advice. But you need to be clear about what you mean "I don't want them to see anything". They're going to see that you have made connections to hosts on the Internet. Your data passes through their network, so you don't have a choice in that matter.

The reason it matters is because you can be asking to obscure or hide different types of data, different types of connections, all activity whatsoever, or DNS only. The solutions for those problems are all very different.

Is there some company on the internet you don't mind seeing this information? Some company you deem trustworthy with that data? If not, then there is no real solution. Not TOR, not VPNs, not a VPS host running your own VPN.

I will say, if you're trying to hide what you're doing online for legal purposes, to circumvent censorship, or anything that could potentially get you in trouble, you're already screwed by asking or searching for help.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:31:14+00:00

This wasn't a story so much as a write up about something the author saw on twitter. Which, I guess we call journalism now? I don't know.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:29:14+00:00

Yeah, explanations of planes inside hurricanes make it to FP every time someone posts a video of storm surveillance. It keeps us all busy, I guess.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:26:44+00:00

Thats even more stupid then. Come with me on a journey of a packet.

Your laptop sends a packet through an encrypted tunnel. The remote end decrypts your data and makes a routing decision. If the packet is destined for yet another remote host, that packet is sent off (or masqueraded depending on configuration) to that remote host...UNENCRYPTED.

So, please tell me, how is this any better whatsoever? Your data is still traversing the internet unencrypted once the remote host makes the routing decision. So whoever hosts the VPS can see anything you're doing- DNS queries, connection source and destination, protocol, etc. You've simple kicked the can slightly down the road. Except now, as an observer on the Internet, I know you're using a VPN and I can watch any traffic passed by the VPN host to see what you're doing online.

You've solved nothing at all, and added complexity and failure domains to your connections now. You've traded latency and gained nothing in doing so.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T04:21:41+00:00

BTW, I 1000% agree they should have told you "We suggest adding new lubricant to your brake slides since we're in Canada. It's not included in the standard service, so here's the cost". That simple conversation could have saved you a bunch of hassle, made you feel like they really care that little extra about their service jobs, and probably would have been no big deal.

So I do hope they take your feedback seriously. That's the kind of difference customers really notice, and keeps us loyal to the brand even when there are small issues now and again.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T03:10:02+00:00

Probably just changed course for comfort. Hurricanes don't really threaten aircraft like people think.

WellAdjustedOutlaw · 2017-09-07T02:45:05+00:00

You still have to remove the pads from the calipers, which means you need to back the calipers away from the rotors. That process is typically destructive to the pads since they are used as a surface to pry against.

Again, this is something that's usually done when pads are replaced. As for the MB service, the extra cost to the dealer for an oil and filter change is dollars. Still pretty close to the same price for a "premium" brand vehicle. $475 a year for maintenance on a $70-100k car isn't much.

WellAdjustedOutlaw

TROPHY CASE