During AK1 both Jim and I were on Harley Davidson Ultra
Classics which meant we both had OEM CB radios. They worked flawlessly and made
the trip more enjoyable and helped reduce the boredom. When I decided to change
bikes, the lack of an OEM CB on the S10 was a problem I had to resolve.
There are not that many solutions for putting a CB on a
motorcycle, in fact I only found 2. The best solution was a J&M radio
system that mounted above the left handlebar grip, was waterproof and pretty self-contained.
It also cost around $450-$500.
The 2nd solution and the one I used was a
handheld CB; MidLand 75-822. It is not waterproof but they did have a harness
that provided a push to talk button on the handlebar and head-set for the
helmet. It was around $150-$200 with all the components. I figured I would find
a cover for the radio in case of rain and I would use a RAM-mount to put it on
my handlebar and the short antenna on the radio itself.
I had never even tested this installation until I arrived in
St Louis two days before we started AK2. It actually worked OK so that is what we
started with.
It worked well enough for the 2400 mile run to Washington
and even the ride from Anchorage up to the Arctic Circle and back. Sometimes
there would be a lot of static and hard to understand but not sure if that was my
receiver or Jim’s transmitter causing the static. Other times it was clear.
The day we were heading back home on the ALCAN was the first
rain we had encountered. The radio never got wet but it did get some spray
around the windshield. The radio was working when we stopped for gas and when I
started back up it wouldn’t even turn on. I suspected a fuse but had to wait
until the end of the day to test my power outlet on the bike (it checked OK)
and put a back-up battery pack on the radio (still wouldn’t turn on).
It failed at a critical point as we hit the worse road
conditions on the ALCAN. Jim and I worked around it and we never had radio communication
the rest of the trip.
I would NOT recommend this radio for motorcycle use. It isn’t
waterproof and you will ride in the rain. The push to talk button used Velcro around
the left handle but it was in the way of the clutch operation so I moved it to
the base of my left mirror. This meant I had to take my hand off the grip to transmit;
not good in times when both hands are required to control the bike. In
addition, the radio did not have feedback in the ear phones when I transmitted.
I never knew if I was actually transmitting or not as a result.
CB radio was good while on the Dalton Highway because you
could communicate with the truckers and could hear when they were approaching
dangerous sections. Other than that a Bluetooth inter-bike system would have
been better. They are voice activated and a lot better sound quality.
I’m sending this thing back to Midland and will be
interested in hearing what they say caused it to fail.
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