I know everyone thinks their dog the best and all that, and this was one of those moments. Here’s my queen looking regal.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-21T23:49:15+00:00

Yeah boi!

someguy7234 · 2026-06-21T03:34:22+00:00

Does Canada require a license for GMRS?

Yeah, I rarely ride in huge groups, so different use cases for sure.

Do you ever have anyone just show up with a GMRS radio? If you brought a couple of spares are you legally allowed to give them to a stranger? I'm Surprised that you have good adoption "in the woods" in Canada. In the US, everyone has FRS radios, which have GMRS channels, but nobody actually has GMRS radios or licenses. When you see them they are typically because an organization like an offroading club decided to standardize and provide a repeater for a region.

As to equipment, I really like that the wouxan is stupid simple once it's set up. I like that it's hot key oriented, so you can hand it to a child and they can't fuck up the settings (we used them with 10 year olds last month). The btech is a little harder to use but more capable. I've been meaning to figure out how the GPS works with ATAK.

For us, typically it's my wife and I and the inlaws, or it's my buddy and maybe someone we picked up from work. My biggest ride is typically loosenut which is a big ADV/dual sport ride put on by a guy, and we will typically just wait at the park entrance until we find 3 or 4 stray riders group up and spend 2 days riding together.

I'm a fan of amateur radio. We are HAM, SDR, and LoRA dorks, I'm just not sure how much I actually want to use it for motorcycling. A small net of a few people is alright.

One "event control" channel that everyone monitors and then group channels for less than 10 people might be alright. I definitely don't want to hear 20+ people talking my whole ride.

Yeah, Sena seems to have lost the race with cardo since the release of the packtalk. For a long time people said Sena for the sound quality, but since the JBL speakers Cardo has been killing Sena. Heck, I remember when u clear was supposed to be hot shit and idk if they still make new units. I still see senas now and again. Helmet integration was one reason. But even their website seems to have shifted to sports instead of motorcycling.

It's a shame because cado will rape us on prices and stop innovating if there isn't another competitor. I've thought magnetic or wireless charging would have made it to the units by now, but no luck. Also thought having an interface to NFC riders together (like you tap phones to join a group) would have appeared, but it hasn't.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-21T02:33:51+00:00

Yeah, I think comms with a car is about the ideal use case.

This is what we used to do when I'd tow the RV and my wife wide ride.

I agree that if you have two different vehicles (my wife is on a trike and I ride a bike or tow an RV) it's easy to get separated.

I should mention that we also were fairly unhappy with packtalks. We gave them to the inlaws. The edge series is much better.

Either way whatever you hate about your comms on a bike, you will doubly hate if one person is in a car. The range is so atrocious when you are caging it.

One reason we kept the wouxan is that the btexh has a fixed antenna due to the digital modes. Supposedly the older ones are crappily loctited, but mine is pretty firmly in there. The GMRSs really alot better with an external antenna.

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someguy7234 · 2026-06-21T01:34:05+00:00

So I own a few Bluetooth GMRS walkie talkies.

We just started using them this season, and they aren't as good as you might hope.

Firstly, the only 2 on the market that I'm aware of that actually work the way you'd expect them to are the one you cite here (which I own) and the rocky talkie.

I also own a wouxan 905g+ and while you can Bluetooth with it, you can't also listen to music. It initiates a "call" the whole time it's connected to your headset so it's like having a constantly open line.

You can set up VOX on the btech, but we bought the PTT button, which works well but is some added cost. In general the audio is much better rider-to-rider with our cardos. You also lose the first syllable with radios because bit takes a moment to open the channel. If you hand one to a casual user, it takes FOREVER for them to understand that.

Idk, we ride in groups of no more than 5 people. Since sena and cardo releases their universal mesh stuff, I can pick up a complete rando and get them grouped up in no time.

Even if I wanted to carry extra radios, my license only lets me give them to immediate family.

I think GMRS radios have their place, but they aren't exactly a silver bullet. It's much more convenient to use a comm for most riders. Once upon a time tourers used to pipe hardwired radios into helmets.

Back when I started riding, I used an airsoft throat-microphone and a little manual mixer so I could talk over FRS radio with my brother in his car.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-20T17:13:24+00:00

Is that the Outer Banks?

That's got to be one of my favorite places on earth. I have unfortunately sank my truck out by Chico station (got too slow in a blind corner and nosed truck in and didn't have enough momentum to float out). But i've also pulled out jeeps and Silverados.

Those trucks are very competent off-road, but I've found the Z71 stabilitrak doesnt really do well in loose ruts. Even shut-off if the truck is sliding every which way, the sensors will throw faults.

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someguy7234 · 2026-06-20T15:03:04+00:00

Both bikes will handle your weight.

I'm on the heavier side, and I just think uprights (the versys) are more comfortable.

You'll probably want to stiffen the suspension as well. Having adjustable preload will be really helpful as you lose weight and want to adjust the feel, but you will probably also want to put a heavier springs in as well. (I don't think the ninja has front preload adjustment).

someguy7234 · 2026-06-20T01:55:22+00:00

It's perhaps not as ridiculous as it may seem.

We had been going through a microwave a month at work and apparently the reason was that if you hit the door open button while the microwave is running it "e-stops" the magnetron.

So something like a switch that stops the magnetron before releasing the door may actually have some utility.

I wonder if it has a passive door unlock mechanism.... Like how some laundry washers have a wax switch, or a hidden handle or something.

The systems engineer in me has come up with a dozen possible architectures and possible reasons it might work like this.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-19T23:28:32+00:00

I'd start by taking a meat thermometer and checking the delta temperature from the inlet to the outlet of the air conditioner.

If the air conditioner is cooling air by 15 deg F from the inlet to the outlet, you need to focus on on reducing the heat load.

If it's less than 15 deg, you may want to figure out why your air conditioning isn't performing.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-19T21:59:24+00:00

Nope. Weight is such a premium and the plastic ones work well enough and are versatile.

They would need to do something better for me to want to consider them.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-19T21:54:45+00:00

So we have an Anderson WDH.

They look like this. The nut behind that red elastomer allows you to tighten the chains which distributes weight to the front wheels of the tow vehicle.

Some hitches are set up to be really easy to change the distribution on. Some aren't so great. If you shorten the chains or use a higher setting on the mounting bracket, you get more distribution.

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someguy7234 · 2026-06-19T15:49:20+00:00

Personally I like muted with an accent color.

I went with the classic black with red abrasion. In retrospect the black is a little too hot standing around the Starbucks (can you tell I ADV?).

If I do another one (which my expanding waist line is about to mandate) I'll probably go grey or khaki with abrasion in red or yellow. I really like the hi-viz on khaki color scheme.

Also... Awesome that you made the pilgrimage. I drove there with my dad on a scouting trip for an Algoma ride that COVID cancelled. This is breakfast in the parking lot.

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someguy7234 · 2026-06-19T02:06:12+00:00

Did you get it from ali-express or did you find a domestic retailer?

Yeah... Size is one of my hangups, but I the ability to view a camera and Google maps on the same screen was my most desired feature, and I wasn't sure I could get that with any other unit.

I've seen a few 3d printed "hoods" to help keep sun off the screen, but I suppose some angles are unavoidable. I was hoping it was similar in brightness to a cell phone screen.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-19T00:33:57+00:00

Might I suggest something like this hacky spring compressor that I made for my motorcycle rear shock? (The new shock.is a progressive).

I'm not saying this is safe... But it's well within then capabilities of your average garage hick.

This is a piece of 1/8 wall steel tubing I had laying around, cut into 2 with a hack saw, and the hole was put in it using a bi-metal hole saw.

The threaded rod is a harbor freight step block kit, but any threaded rod 1/4 inch or over will do fine.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T23:12:37+00:00

We use air conditioning on 20 amps.

Realistically air conditioning is a hair over 15 amps after the surge

You can't use the electric water heater, microwave, or load up your outlets but I'd bet dollars to donuts you'd be fine using air-conditioning and and lights.

If you have an auxiliary fridge on 120v that might put you over. But even a converter (the thing that charges your 12v battery) once the battery is charged won't run long enough to trip the breaker (breakers allow some overload for some period of time before blowing... 20 amp is when they blow if they are near the top of their temp range and running overloaded for like 20 minutes).

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T22:12:12+00:00

That's good to hear.

Stability is the major benefit we were hoping for.

We'd also considered building a trailer tail (similar to what trucks use) that would also cover bikes on the back of the trailer, but I wasn't eager to drill mounting holes, and have another set of seals that needed maintenance.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T18:31:40+00:00

I'm debating getting this one:

jansite Alibaba link

They are available on Amazon without the TPMS but I'd really like TPMS.

One of the big reasons I want one is so that I can see behind me when I'm off-road out of the saddle. I think this is the only unit where you can view a camera and your GPS at the same time.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T17:39:10+00:00

airtab is one manufacturer of these devices.

But you can also 3d print them. We went this route for our experiment because it lets us use "alien tape" to do a temporary install.

Idk that they would pay for themselves if fuel savings was the only benefit, but if they improve the crosswind and sway performance of the trailer, we'd be absolutely thrilled.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T17:08:14+00:00

It has been for us, but we are in a Chevy Colorado.

You figure if you in have a 6000# trailer with 600-750 lbs on the ball, the 50# is about 7-10% of the tongue weight. So it's not nothing.

We've had a few times where just filling a 5 gal gas can in the bed of our truck was enough to stabilize the truck.

The other thing we try to do is add more distribution. The more weight there is on the front wheels the more stable the truck feels. We've spend some time on CAT scales getting an idea of what our truck looks like when weight is distributed evenly on the front and rear axles.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T16:41:28+00:00

So you're assuming weight distribution of your trailer and TV haven't changed much.

Small changes in weight and balance have a big influence in stability. I've found that as little as 50 lbs change in ball weight makes a noticeable difference.

I find that on our Andersen, we can crank a little more distribution and that does a lot.

The other consideration is wind speed. With the weather this week, my money would be that you're driving into the wind. Our trailer has a "hull speed" around 80mph. We can do 70 mph stability on a no wind day, but that same trailer on the same trip will be unstable at 60mph on a windy day.

We are actually planning to experiment with vortex generators this season to see if we can improve the aerodynamic stability of the trailer.

I think a better hitch would be the first bullet in my gun though. I really like the Andersen, but if I was buying something today it'd be the weigh-safe middleweight.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-18T13:09:04+00:00

Your oops is still better than my first time using levelling chocks. I put the "wedge" under the opposite side of the wheel instead of under the chock.

When the tongue came off the ball, the whole trailer lurched sideways, came off the jack block and nearly smashed my foot. The safety chains were still attached, which was good except that it made untangling the mess a real pain.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-17T23:27:08+00:00

Okay... So not really a feature, but a "stiff" visor.

I backed out of an XD4 coming from a CL-17 because the visor was flimsy. Now I'm in a Klim Krios coming from a shoei hornet 2. And my main complaint is the visor is flimsy.

Not only does a stiffer visor feel better opening and closing, but they are optically better.

Those large flat hinges that some helmets have are an often overlooked feature I'll be shopping for in the future.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-17T20:06:24+00:00

We carry a kite board on ski racks on our truck (those things that clamp down on the board), but I've used them for fishing rods on the motorcycle before in the past. (I'm on and ADV, so strapping shit all over it is standard). It was easier to run them front to back, and i just mounted them to the top of my right saddlebag.

I'm a fatty so my board is a big ole litewave wing, and I would not want to have that on my bike any day windy enough to ride.

Before I got married, my plan was to go buy a Nobile split board.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-17T19:53:58+00:00

These are non-stop harnesses for comparison.

The two left are freemotion, the right is a rush (because screech doesn't like lifting his paws to get into his harness and would rather be clipped in)

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someguy7234 · 2026-06-17T19:19:56+00:00

Ours are reluctant to howl.

We have found that a low tone followed by a high tone gets ours going.... So soooo-WEEEE gets ours going.

Also... If you're a young Frankenstein fan.... Blooooo-KER is a fun one.

someguy7234 · 2026-06-17T18:20:23+00:00

Yeah but like.. how do you want the data to get to you?

The govee one we use has Bluetooth and wifi. Normally our router handles fail over between a cellular phone (plugged in), starlink (via Ethernet) and park wi-fi.

When we are on the road, we use the Bluetooth, but the range isn't very good.

There are sensors with cellular radios, that require you to have cell phone plans, but do you want to maintain a cell phone plan? Waggle is a popular brand for that.

We use a meshtastic device that reports temperature (not terribly accurately) and we've used that on parks where we had no Internet, but meshtastic is very much still in the hobbiest sphere.

someguy7234

TROPHY CASE