Cardo have unveiled their first off-road helmet with integrated communications.
The Cardo Venture helmet is due to arrive in late summer 2026 and has a Mesh communicator pre-installed. Cardo describe it as a world-first - and that’s a claim we’d struggle to argue with.
The comms capability is on a par with Cardo’s hugely popular Packtalk Edge standalone intercom.
That means a one-mile (1.6km) range, group chats for up to 15 riders at a time, control via Cardo Natural Voice commands and 40mm JBL speakers.
The control module on the left of the helmet has the same appearance as Cardo units designed to fit to the comms plates on some Shoei and HJC helmets.
The battery is installed at the neckroll, where there’s a USB-C charging port.
Photography: Cardo
Cardo have chosen a novel route for the helmet itself, using Leatt’s Moto 8.5 as the basis for the Venture.
It has a composite-fibre shell, but Cardo say the arrangement of the fibres within that composite is different to how they’re laid in the Leatt helmet. They say the carbon-fibre sections have been relocated to help the effectiveness of the communications system.
The base section of the helmet has been revamped to house the communications set-up, but otherwise the helmet is the same as the Leatt.
That means a multi-layer EPS system to absorb impacts, Leatt’s 360-degree turbine tech to help in rotational impacts and self-moulding Pro-Fit foam system.
Speaking at the helmet’s UK launch at the 2026 Adventure Bike Rider Festival, Cardo chief marketing officer Dan Emodi said: "The idea behind creating this helmet is that we believe communication adds safety, co-ordination and fun.”
Photography: Federico Albertelli
The Cardo Venture helmet will have a list price of £695. That’s almost £300 more than the price of a Leatt Moto 8.5, which is listed at £399.
A £300 price jump for the addition of a Cardo Mesh system is in keeping with, for example, adding one to a Shoei helmet.
You’ll pay £356.95 for a Shoei Packtalk-S unit, but it's VAT-free when bought with a helmet - and that brings the price down to a shade under £300.
The warranty on the Cardo Venture helmet is multi-layered – the helmet itself is covered for five years, the comms tech for three years and the battery for one year here in the UK (it’s two years in the European Union).
There’s no option to switch the tech from a crash-damaged helmet into a replacement lid, but Cardo are offering coupons to riders who face that scenario.
Cardo say the coupon will reduce the price of a replacement helmet, complete with comms device, to the equivalent of a lid with no comms installed.
We were able to experience the new Cardo Venture on the riding trails at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival.
Communication capability was on par with the usual Cardo experience, but being able to take warnings from the lead rider of our group added a new dimension to riding on dirt.
The helmet itself is high quality and coped well with stifling temperatures as the ABR Festival got into full swing.
We look forward to publishing a more detailed review when helmets are available to us later in the year.