Need Advice on a CB Radio for my Eldorado

[Farmer Dan]

Getting my bike ready for the trip to Sturgis, SD this summer.  I would like to have a cb radio so I can stay in contact with the rest of the riders going with us.  Anybody have any advice on how to put a cb on an Eldorado and make it work?

[rodekyll]

I had mine mounted to the cross piece of my HD-style windscreen (ambo).  It fit between the brace and police-style speed nicely.  It cost me the windshield though.  In the mid '70s I tried taking the bike to Alaska.  One of the border guards saw the radio and leaned in to take a closer look.  He leaned on the top of the windscreen and snapped it off.  Then he told me I had defective equipment -- broken windscreen -- and he couldn't let me into Canada.

The useful tip I can offer is that marine CB is waterproof (often immersible) and more shockproof than other varieties.

[oldbike54]

 Now there is a question not often heard in 2015 

  Dusty

[Lannis]

Now there is a question not often heard in 2015 

  Dusty

That's sort of what I was thinking.   Isn't that sort of like figuring out how to wire up an 8-track stereo player to your bike?

I thought the days of "Hello Squirrelly, this is Shirley, come on come on come on come on come on" and "We got us a Con-voy!   Whut's yo' fawty, good buddy come on?" were played back around 1975 ... ?   

Lannis

[oldbike54]

That's sort of what I was thinking.   Isn't that sort of like figuring out how to wire up an 8-track stereo player to your bike?

I thought the days of "Hello Squirrelly, this is Shirley, come on come on come on come on come on" and "We got us a Con-voy!   Whut's yo' fawty, good buddy come on?" were played back around 1975 ... ?   

Lannis

 Yeah , but I am guessing that today it is much easier to get an open frequency  Really , probably an elegant solution .

  Dusty

[John in PA]

May need filters on the spark plug wires to prevent interference.  I know I tried to use FRS radios on an Eldo, and the electrical ignition noise pretty well nixed the deal.  I was doing it last minute, so I didn't have time to screw around getting filtered leads/caps.

[dilligaf]

I think Farmer Dan is going to spend a lot of time talking to himself.   
Matt

[fotoguzzi]

Back in the 70's mine was mounted in a top cover of the saddle bag, I made it from fiberglass.. was a hoot!

[oldbike54]

I think Farmer Dan is going to spend a lot of time talking to himself.   
Matt

 Uh , oh never mind 

  Dusty

[JoeW]

That's sort of what I was thinking.   Isn't that sort of like figuring out how to wire up an 8-track stereo player to your bike?

I thought the days of "Hello Squirrelly, this is Shirley, come on come on come on come on come on" and "We got us a Con-voy!   Whut's yo' fawty, good buddy come on?" were played back around 1975 ... ?   

Lannis

My first thought was "what year is this"?

[Orange Guzzi]

Everyone should own at least one CB radio in their home or auto.  They are the last line of defense when every other form of long distance communication goes down.  I have one at my homebase and one in my p.u. truck.  I use the one in my truck regularly.  It has saved me many times from traffic issues and cops in the median.  Better than a radar detector.

[Lannis]

Everyone should own at least one CB radio in their home or auto.  They are the last line of defense when every other form of long distance communication goes down.  I have one at my homebase and one in my p.u. truck.  I use the one in my truck regularly.  It has saved me many times from traffic issues and cops in the median.  Better than a radar detector.

My Telex machine has been quiet for some time, but on that principle, I think I ought to keep it, along with the IBM 029 card punch ...

Lannis

[charlie b]

Last one I had was a handheld type.  Just put it in the tank bag.  When in the cage I had an external ant to plug into it.  Also had a speaker/mic I could clip somewhere convenient.

Last time I used it was in CA about 12 yrs ago.  It was the only state where drivers would give info about cops.  Every other state all I got was a bunch of really bad language from the truckers yelling at each other.  After that trip I tossed it.

Running on batteries I didn't have a problem with ignition interference.

[Guzzistajohn]

I have one in the work van, it's fun sometimes. Most of the truckers on the air nowdays are speaking spanish. Around the bigger truck stops and pickle parks you can always find a lot lizzard or two.

[nick949]

One of the delights of riding a motorbike is not talking to anyone (at least for me). Anyway, my Eldorado is so loud I wouldn't be able to hear anything anyway.

Nick

[Two Checks]

Uh..hi, hi all you Jim Dandy Jimmy jammers! Yoo hoo! Breakeroo all you pedal pushers, you Diesel demons! I'd really like to get to know your..handles!

CB Savage by Rod Hart.

Not too many truckers on CB any more as many companies are prohibiting them and with DoT regs and GPS equipped trucks they can't go over the limit.
That said I still have one in the pickup.
I would suggest bottom of the line Uniden (marine unit if possible) and have the CB shop peak it. These units are small and rugged and work very well when tuned. They are a favorite of dump truckers here.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

For eight years, I talked to truck drivers via CB as part of my previous job. Never want to do that again... 

[ridingron]

I used to ride with a friend on a 'Wing. The CB was nice for things like needing to get gas, rest stop, drink stop, or a "hey you missed the turn" stuff.

The J&M company sell a compact unit that feeds speakers in you helmet. They used to sell all the wiring to connect to a portable unit (Motorola ?)  that mounted on the handle bars. Don't know if they still do. Email them any questions, it isn't a huge company.

http://www.jmcorp.com/SeeProducts.asp?PF=31


Another company makes a nicer sounding speakers for music if that's an interest or use for the helmet speakers. I don't think they sell the CB radio. It's another small company in Georgia and if you call,you'll probably talk to Ed himself.

http://www.edsets.com/


A CB can be a handy tool to have on a group ride. That said, I don't need or want a constant stream of chatter. I once rode from Florida to California by myself without a CB or music. I enjoyed the solitude.

[Lannis]

One of the delights of riding a motorbike is not talking to anyone (at least for me). Anyway, my Eldorado is so loud I wouldn't be able to hear anything anyway.

Nick

That's me.  Plus I don't need to use my limited reflex and/or brain capacity to worry about talking and listening and "Over and Out"ing in an environment that doesn't require ANY of that .....

Lannis

[dilligaf]

That's me.  Plus I don't need to use my limited reflex and/or brain capacity to worry about talking and listening and "Over and Out"ing in an environment that doesn't require ANY of that .....

Lannis

  While I agree with Lannis does the OP care what we think.?  After all he didn't ask if he should get a CB but what brand.
Matt

[oldbike54]

While I agree with Lannis does the OP care what we think.?  After all he didn't ask if he should get a CB but what brand.
Matt

 Where would be the fun in that  Good point though , seems as though we have a hard time reading and comprehending the questions posed here   

 "I am looking to buy a new sport touring bike , shaft drive , twin cylinder , air cooled , preferably European , good weather protection , and simple to maintain , as I live North of the Arctic circle , not many dealers around."

 By the third reply we get , " I recommend a Ducati Panigale, or how about a Norton Commando Interstate"

  Dusty

[Lannis]

While I agree with Lannis does the OP care what we think.?  After all he didn't ask if he should get a CB but what brand.
Matt

Well, the OP is just the conversation starter.   When you post something like "What kind of CB Radio should I get?" or "Cell Phones - Threat or Menace?" on WildGuzzi, you won't get just a strictly controlled and monitored purely technical discussion on the merits of the question. 

And you shouldn't.  BOOOOR-ing ....

Lannis

[Triple Jim]

Anybody have any advice on how to put a cb on an Eldorado and make it work?

Actually he didn't ask what kind or brand to get either.   

[Lannis]

Actually he didn't ask what kind or brand to get either.   

You're right; the original question was "Anybody have any advice on how to put a cb on an Eldorado and make it work?"

Since the answer is apparently a resounding "NO", we're just diverting ourselves with chatter now ....

Lannis

[mgfan]

Must have a cheap CB. I can't text on it!   

[Triple Jim]

Ok, he needs a sturdy mount for the radio somewhere that has minimal vibration, and a well grounded antenna mount.  Decent CB radios have fairly good noise suppression, so ignition noise may not be a big problem.  Resistor plugs and wires can help if it is.  Noise filters are available for the 12v power input if something like alternator whine is bad.  Since the ground plane won't be ideal, tuning the antenna with an SWR meter will help get power into the air, rather than being lost elsewhere.  Tuning should be done with the rider(s) in riding position.  To minimize power absorbed by the rider, the antenna base should be as far as practical from him, since the highest current, and therefore most important radiating part of a simple vertical antenna is at its base.

[Shorty]

Oh goody! Another chance to tell my Guzzi CB story. A while back,(1995?) I took 2 loop frame Guzzis from Tulsa to Pennsylvania. One was in the back of my Nissan PU. The other was being towed on a trailer behind a Pontiac I was giving my son (in PA.) for graduation. The plan was to haul them up there, then the boy and me ride them to the WVA Guzzi rally in New Cumberland, where I would put the 74 LAPD up for sale. (Jack Arnold bought it  )

 En route, we communicated between vehicles on CB. We were near Zanesville, Ohio when I saw a pack on bikes miles behind. The wife asked if they were Guzzis going to the rally in WV. I watched them awhile, then replied "No, they are moving MUCH too slowly, those are Harleys."

The pack slowly passed us, and as they did, I mentioned something about, "Told you those slowboats were Harleys."   The radio cracked, and a voice came on and said, "At least we are riding ours...."    They pulled ahead about a mile, and I felt pretty silly, til Alan Harris came roaring up from behind  on his Anniversary Cali about 80 mph, waved, grinned and parted those Hogs like Moses parting the Red Sea.   

[Markcarovilli]

Oh goody! Another chance to tell my Guzzi CB story. A while back,(1995?) I took 2 loop frame Guzzis from Tulsa to Pennsylvania. One was in the back of my Nissan PU. The other was being towed on a trailer behind a Pontiac I was giving my son (in PA.) for graduation. The plan was to haul them up there, then the boy and me ride them to the WVA Guzzi rally in New Cumberland, where I would put the 74 LAPD up for sale. (Jack Arnold bought it  )

 En route, we communicated between vehicles on CB. We were near Zanesville, Ohio when I saw a pack on bikes miles behind. The wife asked if they were Guzzis going to the rally in WV. I watched them awhile, then replied "No, they are moving MUCH too slowly, those are Harleys."

The pack slowly passed us, and as they did, I mentioned something about, "Told you those slowboats were Harleys."   The radio cracked, and a voice came on and said, "At least we are riding ours...."    They pulled ahead about a mile, and I felt pretty silly, til Alan Harris came roaring up from behind  on his Anniversary Cali about 80 mph, waved, grinned and parted those Hogs like Moses parting the Red Sea.   

Good story........
 

Mark

[normzone]

Everyone should own at least one CB radio in their home or auto.  They are the last line of defense when every other form of long distance communication goes down.  I have one at my homebase and one in my p.u. truck.  I use the one in my truck regularly.  It has saved me many times from traffic issues and cops in the median.  Better than a radar detector.

Mine has allowed me to fly beneath the radar on many occasions, with real time knowledge of enforcer whereabouts.

And OCCASIONALLY there's even an intelligent conversation on the air.

[Farmer Dan]

I'll be with a group of Gold Wing riders, like mentioned just need to communicate between bikes for stops and missed turns and such.  Most new touring bikes come with factory CB radios in them.  maybe I should find a Honda dealer and see if they can help.