Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/588372
IN THE WIND P38 SENA DEBUTS NOISE- CANCELLING HELMET H ere comes the audio revolu- tion! It's amazing that it's taken so long to get noise-can- celling technology into helmets, especially considering noise- cancelling headphones have been available for years now. The new Sena helmet doesn't yet have a model name and it's not disclosed just when we'll be able to buy it here in the States, nor is the information on who ac- tually made the helmet available, but I had a good look at the hel- met at the AIMExpo and on face value it looks pretty good. The carbon-fiber Sena helmet is thus the first in what will be a new wave of smart helmets, the company saying their lid pos- sesses Intelligent Noise Control technology (INC). It works just like the headphones you wear on a plane: there are four speak- ers and four microphones built into the lid, and at the flick of a switch the system uses the incoming wave pattern of sound and zeros them out, creating a nullified sound environment. The helmet has two set- tings—one that allows for ambi- ent noise to filter through like engines and communication, as well as a more comprehen- sive sound deadening setting, which sounds a bit like sticking your head in the fridge. And of course, the Sena helmet is fully equipped with all the commu- nication features you'd get in something like the 20S system. Sena says the helmet filters out about 20db of noise, which is about what a decent set of earplugs does. What will be interesting is what legislation the helmet falls under. With horror stories always filtering back to Cycle News about riders getting fined for wearing earplugs, this helmet is bound to see a few hurdles before it becomes ac- cepted by the law. Still, it's a nice view into a not- too-loud future. Rennie Scaysbrook Sena's revolutionary new helmet caused quite a stir at the AIMExpo in Florida. DUCATI TEASES WITH LOW-SPEED EXCITEMENT Ducati has released an ambiguous YouTube clip hinting at Low Speed Excitement. Take from that what you will, however, as Cycle News closed for press there were several stories floating around in cyberspace hinting at a 400cc Ducati Scrambler— or possibly even a scooter. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali recently an- nounced the brand will debut a total of nine new machines for 2016, and we rode the first of those last week—the Monster 1200 R. However the one area of the market Ducati is currently lacking is a sub-400cc machine, an area of the market com- pletely dominated by Japanese machinery. Ducati will be one of the brands to watch at the upcoming EICMA Show in Milan this November, and this is where we are likely to find out what X actually is. Check out the clip here. CN