I was riding Lucky Strike with a friend, climbing up toward Angel Peak when the bike lost all power, display, everything. I had been running it hard with loads of throttle when it happened. I thought it might have overheated so I let it sit for several minutes, still dead. I removed the batteries, reinstalled, no change. Luckily the route from where it stopped to I11 (I95) was all downhill.
It was an easy coast down. The guy I was riding with picked me up at the bottom. Great to always ride with someone!
When I got the bike home I removed the motor and found the negative power lead to the controller melted and open circuit.
I replaced the bad connection with a simple set of ring terminals bolted together for a firm connection. Problem solved. Quick easy fix.
The bike just passed 1,800 miles at the point it died. Of course I rode another 7.7 miles from there to I11.
Many people go in search of that magic unicorn, either with 2 wheels or 4. In reality, all motorcycles and 4-wheeled vehicles are just different mixes of trade-offs. For a specific person and their desires, there is the right set of trade-offs but they are still trade-offs.
Let's start with 4-wheels. The very things that make a great handling road car, make it absolutely useless off-road. A road car will handle and perform best with a very low center of gravity, stiff suspension and sway bars. Take the extreme example of a Formula One race car. They literally hit the ground at times since they sit so low. This optimizes cornering and downforce through aerodynamics. An F1 car can't even navigate many driveways as it will bottom out.
Now consider the other end of the spectrum, a competition rock crawler 4x4. Aerodynamics is not even a thing here as they don't move very fast. They have no sway bars at all. They require large amounts of ground clearance and suspension travel so they sit very high.
Both of these examples are very focused on the one thing they do really well, and nothing else. In both these cases neither of these vehicles can even attempt what the other can do. Sure, the rock crawler could drive around an F1 track, but at a relatively glacial pace. The vehicles normal people buy generally need to span a wide range of use cases unless you can afford and have the room to store that perfect vehicle for every situation. Even then, you would be making a trade-off every time you took one out. Both of the competition vehicles above must be hauled everywhere they go as they are not legal on any roads. In fact they are only allowed in very specific areas. When it comes to competition, you build a vehicle very focused on that one thing.
We all make trade-offs. If we can only have a single vehicle, and we want to do a wide range of things with it, we will be making major trade-offs. If you enjoy proper off-roading on rugged trails, you will likely get an off-road focused vehicle like a Bronco Raptor or Jeep Rubicon. Both are great off-road, but nowhere near the competition rock crawler in the real technical parts. Both can be driven from your house to the trails, which the rock crawler cannot. Both can be your daily driver as well, but they don't handle very good on the road. While they are not optimum in many cases, it is the right trade-offs for those who enjoy proper off-roading often and also need a daily driver. They have flexibility.
I have 3 vehicles (4-wheeled road vehicles), all with different trade-offs. I enjoy performance driving on road courses so I have a Porsche Cayman S for that. For most of our daily driving we have a Porsche Cayenne. I have a Ford Ranger 4x4 to haul my bikes, and other things. I have a Husqvarna 701 Enduro motorcycle. These are my trade-offs that fit my use cases reasonably well. They are not right or wrong trade-offs, just trade-offs I chose.
The Cayman S rides very low, handles fantastic, and is a blast to drive on pavement. It has very little storage space and only seats 2 people. It cannot tow or haul anything. I can use it to get groceries, as long as I don't have too much to get. I can take it on trips, as long as I pack very light and only want one other person with me. I would avoid even gravel roads in this car and off-road is not an option at all.
The Cayenne has plenty of utility for most of my needs. I can tow with it, and I can get a full grocery run or pack for multiple people on even a long trip. It seats 4 people comfortably, and a 5th in a pinch. It has a modest ride height and firm suspension so it handles very good for an SUV, but these trade-off off-road capability. I might take it on a gravel road, or I could even go light off-roading but I would not take it on anything challenging off-road. These are the right trade-offs in my case and given my other vehicles.
The Ranger handles by far the worst of my vehicles on the road, but also has by far the most off-road capability. It also has the most cargo space, but much of that is in the open bed. I can haul multiple bikes or motorcycles in it.
The same idea applies to motorcycles. If you enjoy a spirited ride on pavement, you get a sport bike like a Ducati Monster. However, this would not be so great on that long road trip where you would chose something like a Harley Road Glide. Neither of those could go off-road at all so you might want a BMW GS. But that BMW is big and heavy for the more technical off-roading where a Husqvarna 701 would be better. But that 701 is also big and heavy for the more challenging off-road trails where you would want a KTM 500. The KTM 500 would be very unpleasant on any long pavement rides. So they are all various trade-offs.
I have the Husqvarna 701 Enduro motorcycle. I like being able to ride to the trails generally and not have to haul it. I prefer off-road riding primarily. I thought this was a good video explaining an example of trade-offs and bikes versus riders.
On his scale, I would be in the 4 to 6 range. Keep in mind his ranking is just for "adventure" riders. It does not span to road-only bikes or even dual sport bikes.
No magic unicorns. A jack of all trades is a master of none. If you get the flexibility of a Husqvarna 701 Enduro, you also made many trade-offs. While it is decent on the highway, not for very long. It can do adventure riding, but with limited luggage, fuel, and comfort. It can do single track, but it is a bit heavy for that.
There is not really right and wrong, only trade-offs. For example, the Husqvarna 701 Enduro is not the wrong adventure bike, but it is not as good as a BMW GS for road trips or long rides. It is not the wrong dual sport, but a KTM 500 is better on the more technical trails.
There are many things to consider when planning a group motorcycle ride that includes off-road sections, or is all off-road. These rides are a great way to meet people, and group rides improve safety for all. I began organizing group motorcycle rides about a year and a half ago. I created this post to share my lessons learned over that time, and after many great rides.
Weather
While many don't consider season or weather before planning rides, I do take these things into account. At some point it goes beyond just comfort and enjoyment, and becomes an important safety consideration. For instance, I live in an area where flash floods can be deadly. Many rides include wash crossings, or even long section riding the wash itself. Often these washes are in deep canyons or even slot canyons. A slot canyon is a complete trap, where there is no exit on either side.
Safety
The most important weather consideration is safety. The weather related safety risks vary by region and season. Here in the Southwest flash floods are the most dangerous, followed by lighting and fire. The biggest flash flood risk is in Monsoon season. The challenge here is that the probability of heavy rains during Monsoon season can be very low, yet end up producing deadly flash floods. The situation can be very dynamic and hard to predict as well. Lightening and fire risk follow the flash flood risk and the thunderstorms are responsible for lightning which causes most of the fires as well. OnX has a feature that shows current fires on the map.
Comfort and fun
We all have different tolerances to things like temperature and humidity. Personally I prefer cooler weather in general. I would rather ride in 40F temperatures than 100F temperatures (presuming low humidity). Wind also plays a role. It is not much fun to ride in strong wind. Wind also drives the direction of dust.
Here in the Southwest, I plan around weather. In the summer, I plan very early morning rides, and go to high altitude. NOAA has some great maps views for this. The weather map below is an example showing apparent temperature in the region. Apparent temperature takes wind chill and humidity impacts into account.
The color shows the various temperatures. In the summer, head for green areas. In general for each 1,000 feet of elevation gain, the temperature drops about 3F to 5F. In the winter, ride the lower altitudes and start later in the day. They also have maps for storms, wind, precipitation, etc.
Ride Planning
Ride difficulty level
As all riders have different skill levels, train preferences, and motorcycles, it is important to communicate as much as you can about the nature of the ride and the difficulty levels. It is less about the bike and really about the combination of bike and rider, and this is very subjective. The term "big bike friendly" comes up often. However, Chris Birch could ride a Goldwing in places others would struggle with a TW200. I tend to think it is about 70% rider, 30% bike and tires. Because of this I find the best way to share what the trail looks like is with a video. I record all the new trails I ride and post them as playlists on my YouTube channel. I created this https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure/home website where I have information about the various trails with links to the related YouTube playlists. The goal is for people interested in the event to preview the trails and determine if the ride fits there skills, bike, and desires. I post a link to the playlist showing the trails we will ride for the event (if available). If I have not yet recorded the trail, I try to find a video from someone who has. I have had mixed success with this but it seems to be the best approach. Too many will ignore the video but at least I have provided them with this information ahead of time. If they chose not to use it, that is up to them. Some off-road mapping applications such as OnX have difficulty levels for most major trails but most are 4 wheeled vehicle based. They are also subjective. If the trails are in one of these mapping application, and that application can share deep links to the trail(s), share those links in the posting. OnX also allows sharing your planned route as a link. Since I post the rides as events in Facebook, people in the group can ask questions and get replies from others. This is another way riders can ask about difficulty and crowdsource responses from other riders.
Ride details
It is very important that you post a map link and details of the starting location. People need to know exactly when and where to meet. I use a Google Maps link as well as a good description in the event post for this. The time should reflect the design ride start time. I found it is best to have at least a 15 minute buffer for this. If you want the ride to start at 8am, post the meeting time at 7:30am or 7:45am. Or, post the start time at 8am but don't leave until at least 8:15am.
Different bikes have different fuel ranges. Fuel economy is somewhat hard to predict since the terrain causes big changes. My Husky 701 can get as good as 65mpg or as bad as 35mpg for instance. Adding to that many off-road focused dual sport bikes can have rather small fuel tanks. Some (like my 701) has no way to know how much fuel is in the tank until the low fuel light comes on. This creates range anxiety. I post the longest distance between gas for the route we plan to ride. I use a mapping application such as GAIA or OnX for this. I have this post: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/off-road-trails-in-southern-nevada.html describing those apps. After ring my motorcycle for a couple years now, and tracking the fuel economy, I have a good idea of my range. If there is a risk of not having enough fuel, I have a 1.3 gallon add-on gas can I can attach to the bike. I prefer to plan rides with less than 100 miles between fuel stops when possible.
I like to create the route in OnX or GAIA and share the link with the group. Ideally also create a GPX file of the route and share that for download. This is tricky since I use Facebook to post the events and they do not allow attaching GPX files. I use a Google Drive public folder to host the GPX files, and share the Drive link in the event details. This way people can download the route into their favorite GPS navigation device. I use a Garmin Zumo XT2 for this myself. Some use phone apps, some of which allow downloading maps for offline use. I use both. If I am unfamiliar with the area, I download offline maps on Garmin, Google Maps, GAIA, and OnX. Never get lost!
Some riders have tire/tube combinations that are not good on pavement, or just avoid pavement. These folks will want to haul and meet to minimize road riding. Some rides can facilitate that, others less so. Ideally consider this when planning rides. This is a tough one as suggesting a place to park is risky. I avoid this instead pointing out the route and where we start, and let them decide where they want to haul to and meet us.
Some people don't have street licensed motorcycles. Generally all the rides I plan include roads and trails that require a street license. Mention this in the event post. While the roads may be obvious, many trails are not.
Creating a route
I start with some of the ride mapping and routing tools available. This post https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/off-road-trails-in-southern-nevada.html covers that topic. Finding and connecting trails with gas stops takes some time. Understanding what each trail segment is like can be the hardest part. I use web searches and YouTube searches as much as I can. OnX and some others offer good reviews and explanations of many trails, but not all. I find GAIA to be a good choice in some cases as it is very crowd sourced and detailed as far as trails but it does not have difficulty ratings. For the most part, OnX and GAIA have trails mapped and you can simply create routes by mapping through and between them. This uses a snap to map feature that tries to route you between points by following defined trails. At times, none of these apps have certain trails covered and you may need to improvise. OnX and GAIA for instance, offer custom routing/mapping tools. In this case you turn off the snap feature and instead draw point-to-point yourself. Often I will build a route mostly with the snap feature ON, and switch to the point-to-point approach only for small segments between defined trails. I use a satellite view while doing this to validate the route appears good. This is of course risky. Watch out for things like gates and fences, large deep washes, etc. I use Google Earth at times to show the profile of the terrain as well as view the satellite imagery. OnX and GAIA both have similar profile features. If you try to add points too far apart, most of these might reroute you to highways and paved roads. To avoid this, add a close point instead to ensure the route stays where you want it.
Here is an example of a powerline service road that does not show up in any off-road mapping tool I have found.
See the "elevation profile" showing how this route follows the terrain. Here is more details about this route: https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure/home#h.7ghyi74fpgfg with video. This is a great connector route I often use to make a loop through Goodsprings and Potosi. Powerline service roads can be great trails and too often they are not mapped.
This video shows basic route creation with GAIA.
and route building in OnX.
There are many others but these 2 have been the best for my uses.
Once you have the route planned, I take a screenshot of it to use as the image in the Facebook event (as shown above in this post). This way people can see the overview of the ride.
Creating an event in Facebook
I am no Facebook fanboy but it seems to be the best one for rider groups and creating events within the group. Here is a tutorial on creating the event in Facebook.
Rider Communication
Rider-to-Rider
I posted a separate blog post on this here: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2023/11/rider-to-rider-communication.html . Rider-to-rider communication can help safety and fun. Off-road riding in the Southwest almost always includes dust. Heavy dust can be a safety risk since it impedes visibility similar to fog. It can be worse than fog since the dust coats everything between your eyes and the trail. When riders can communicate, the group can stretch out to provide bigger gaps, helping to reduce the dust issues. This also reduces the likelihood of a rider hitting another rider who has an accident. If a ride at the back of the group has an issue, they can inform the riders ahead. If a rider at the back has a minor issue and has to stop, they can let the other riders know so they don't have to worry or ride back. See my blog post for details, but at a high level I recommend using both Cardo PackTalk (or similar) helmet intercom along with a GMRS radio for longer distances. I have a GMRS radio I keep on my bike, and I carry a spare that I often give to the last rider in the group in case they don't have their own. There are 3 major brands of helmet intercom: Cardo, Sena, and all the rest. Cardo PackTalk is currently the biggest and best choice in my opinion. Sena is a strong competitor and functionally very similar. Both have mesh communication in their higher end units (PackTalk for Cardo, DMC for Sena). You can even bridge between them with Cardo PackTalk. Both also can pair with all the rest and each other via standard Bluetooth intercom mode. Each rider can bridge one rider outside their brand as well. Theoretically 6 riders can have either Cardo PackTalk or Sena DMC can each bridge in one additional rider so 12 rides can all talk. In reality setting that up is difficult and time consuming.
Emergency Communication
In case of emergency, you need a way to call for help. While cellular phones may work in many places, there are far too many places where they don't. Cellular providers and device makers are adding satellite services for SOS which can help. I prefer Garmin InReach as it has an industry leading rescue service and even an insurance plan. I use the simplest Garmin InReach Messenger for this. I also have a Garmin fenix watch that integrates with InReach so I can trigger an SOS even if I can't reach the InReach device. The InReach also lets you message people via SMS for emergencies and non-emergencies. The messages can include your GPS coordinates by default too. I find it handy for non-emergency messaging. InReach can also be setup to track you on rides. You can share this location with a person or group of people, such as a spouse. They can track you on a map so they know where to find you if things go badly.
The GMRS radio mentioned in rider-to-rider communication can also be used for emergencies and to help coordinate rescue. However, I would not depend on this.
I just passed 7,500 miles on the Husqvarna 701 Enduro. My warranty will expire in September. I have been through 4 rear tires (just ordered the 5th rear). The original TKC80's were great tires but were not available when I needed to replace them so I switch both to Anakee Wild. The Anakee Wild front is still going strong at about 4,600 miles on the front Anakee Wild with 5.2mm tread in the center (about 60% remaining tread). I got 2,900 miles out of the original TKC 80's but I was just starting to ride again after over 30 years without a motorcycle. The longer I ride, the less miles I am getting from the rear tires. I wore out the first Anakee after 1,700 miles, the second after 1,500 miles, and the 3rd after 1,400 miles. I replace then when the center is down to around 4mm tread depth remaining.
Since my 5,000 mile update, the only modification I have made is the Veridian cruise control with ABS add-on. I have this bike well equipped now to my liking. To date I have spent about $2,700 on additions to this bike, which includes things like the Garmin Zumo XT2 navigation. I take the windshield off in the summer as the airflow is welcome. I replaced the 4 mounting crews with thumbscrews. It is great that 4 thumbscrews is all it takes to remove or reposition it. One of the most important upgrades for this bike is the Seat Concepts Comfort XL seat. If you spend more than an hour on the seat, this makes a huge difference. This bike makes great power so no performance upgrades are needed. Even above the maximum highway speed limit, and going uphill, you can pass with ease. The suspension is also perfect for me (5' 10" and 185lbs) with basic gear. In fact, it is to the firm side if anything. I have never bottomed out this bike. Not even close. I have the compression front and rear set on the soft side and it is still a bit firm. The video below shows a pretty hard hit that dislodged my camera mic adapter (start at 9:30 minutes in).
Dork in the Road recently did a review on the KTM 690 (same bike with slightly different plastic).
I commented on this. His list of pro's and con's is fairly accurate, but we all prioritize them differently. I don't agree at all with his complaints about the traction control. It works great. Simply set to mode 2 for off-road and enjoy. Super easy. He kept trying to disable it which I have only done a few times. It is just not necessary. Many others who own these bikes has similar comments that the traction control is great, just put it in mode 2 when off-road. It even holds that mode between key cycles. Perfect. I don't agree with his overall assessment as I prioritize these things different and some of his complaints are not issues for me. His big issue of comfort is pretty much solved with the Seat Concepts Comfort XL seat. He mentions reliability with no facts at all to back up any reliability issues with this bike.
His complains about the ABS is true. I found riding with ABS off-road can be scary. On soft surfaces (pretty much everywhere off-road) it intervenes way too much increasing stopping distances substantially. As he shows in the video you have to start the bike, roll forward enough that the system validates the wheel speed sensors, come to a stop, and hold the ABS button for 8s. Every key cycle it reverts to ON so you have to repeat that process. I opted for the optional ABS add-on with the Veridian cruise control system I installed. This allows you to set it in an off-road mode and it will maintain this mode through key cycles. However, this off-road mode does not disable front wheel ABS. I just installed the system and I need more time riding with it off-road to see if that off-road mode will meet my needs.
As he says in the video, this bike is fantastic at higher speeds, even off-road. When I first got the bike, I crashed many times, all at low speeds (under 10mph). I felt the gearing was also not great off-road (as he points out) at low speeds. First gear was just not low enough. However, after learning how to ride better off-road, I no longer have these issues. The solution: just ride faster. Keep it over 10mph and keep your feet on the pegs and life is great. This bike can quickly recover from what feels like a certain crash at speeds over 10mph. Things like a big rock causing a large deflection in the front or rear wheels at first feel like a certain crash. However, just as fast as the deflection happens, it snaps right back and all is good. It feels like magic but the reality is a combination of momentum and the gyro effect from all the rotating mass. On the highway it is very stable for a bike with knobby tires. I can cruise along at..., well a "spirited rate" with no issues. Occasionally I do get just a light weave at certain speeds but it never feels unsettling to me. Even riding highways speeds over grooves feels pretty stable to me.
When I first got the bike I would occasionally get a check engine light with a fault code for the kickstand sensor. The dealer even swapped the sensor to address this. It happened a few more times even with the new sensor. I have not had that issue in a long time now. Back then I would be raising the kickstand at the same time I hit the start switch or turned the key ON. Now I carefully make sure the stand if fully up before turning the key ON.
I still track the fuel economy and I average around 50mpg. It can get 65mpg when in high gear and below 55mph. It can go as low as 35mpg with the windshield on at high speeds on the highway into a headwind. I have found the 3.4 gallon tank to be adequate for over 90% of my rides. I have a 1.3 gallon can I can mount on the back but I rarely every use it. I have never ran the main tank dry. When the low fuel light turns ON, there is about 0.8 gallons left in the tank, good for about 40 miles.
Would I buy this bike again: hell yes! It is truly awesome. Some say magic unicorn and many dispute this but in my opinion this is a close as you can get. Bikes are all trade-offs, especially in this segment between a dual sport and an adventure bike. It may be expensive but it also does not need any performance or suspension modifications.
The video below is a very short video review of this bike at 7,500 miles.
The video below shows a demo of the quick sifter. Love this thing.
I love my Husqvarna 701 Enduro but one thing I wished I had was cruise control. Those times when you are cruising on the highway for over 30 minutes is when I really want it. Your hand just gets tired holding the throttle for long periods, and too often I don't maintain speed well. My mirrors get knocked out of position off-road, generally from hitting branches. I don't notice it until I am cruising down the highway. Adjusting the left side is no big deal but the right mirror requires I take my hand off the throttle and the bike slows down fast. This was not a big enough deal by itself to buy cruise control.
I searched around for a cruise control system and found the Veridian system for my bike (Euro 4 kit). Not only was it a proper cruise control system, but it also supports CAN dongle features. A very important feature it supports is the ability to enter a permanent off-road mode (ABS fully OFF). It maintains this mode through key cycles too. The frustrating and dangerous thing about the stock ABS system is that it always defaults back ON after every key cycle. This can be dangerous off road as ABS does not help at all off-road. In fact, it makes stopping distances much longer. In order to disable ABS after key ON you have to roll forward fast enough for the wheel speeds to qualify, and then the ABS light goes out. Now you have to hold the ABS button for 5 seconds until the light goes back out. At this point you are ready to ride, but only for that key cycle. Shut the key OFF and you have to repeat the process. This Veridian system lets you set off-road mode and have it maintain it through key cycles, until you re-enable it through the Veridian system Perfect!
The install was fairly easy but did take a couple hours. I have so many farkles on my handlebars finding a place for the 3-button control was a challenge. I ended up mounting it to the right mirror mount. I used some hose pieces and tape to make the mounting diameter correct. I may revisit this as the button are a bit far from your grip and it would be better to have it on the other side.
I routed the wire under the key switch cover. I mounted the module behind the left side cover, in front of the airbox. This is where it connects to the throttle wiring too. The module needs to be mounted near the ignition switch, which is where the throttle connectors are as well.
The image above shows the module mounted behind the left side cover near the ignition switch.
The image above shows the view of the connectors from the top with the seat and ignition cover removed. You can see the white connectors.
I routed the OBD connector wiring along the airbox and back to the fuse box area where it connects to the OBD connector, and the rear brake input. Like many of these kits, they have a Scotchlock in the kit to tap the rear brake wire. These are evil little things you never want to use. Instead I used a screw block. I used dielectric grease on the wires to prevent corrosion (see below). This is under the seat where it is semi-protected.
The system works as advertised. Basically just like a typical car cruise control. The image below shows the wiring. The system modifies the throttle command to the engine control. It also connects to the OBD port to get power and data such as engine speed, brake status, wheel speeds, etc., from CAN. This CAN connection is also used for the ABS disable function.
Video showing how to go from normal ABS mode to ABS disabled mode.
This video shows going from ABS disabled mode to normal ABS mode.
Function of ABS add-on
After installation the cruise worked fine. I came home and entered and exited the ABS add-on feature (videos above). The next ride the cruise would not work. When I tried to engage it, the throttle control went away, engine dropped to low idle. After about a second, I was able to control the throttle again with the handle as normal. I contacted Veridian and they suspected that I may have inadvertently entered the throttle calibration mode. Sure enough, I had. Notice the both throttle for each sensor are about the same.
The said to recalibrate the throttle following this procedure:
Here is how do to the throttle calibration.
1. Bike on, Engine off
2. Press Cruise Set 5 times, the controller will flash blue.
3. HOLD the throttle open and press Cruise Cancel.
That fixed the cruise control. Now my calibrations are correct.
8-17-2025 Update
I have now used the ABD add-on more and I really like it. There is still some front ABS but it totally disables rear. I have now ridded several miles on easy to medium terrain and I will be using it from now on. So nice it holds though key cycles.
One interesting note is that the accel and decel work differently than some car cruise control. You can't hold it to continue to accelerate or decelerate. It only recognizes a single press, no matter how long you hold it. As it says in the operators manual, a press of the set/decel means set that speed, or if you already have the cruise engaged, decel by 3mph. The + button (right side in my installation) means resume to last set speed if the cruise was not currently engaged, or increment by 3mph if the cruise is engaged.
Based on this function, I changed how I mounted the switch.
This was the set switch is closest to the throttle, making it easier to set.
Here is a short video showing the cruise control system in use.
That video was shot just before changing the switch orientation.
I post videos to YouTube of my eMTB and dual sport motorcycle rides pretty much every weekend. I posted an article about my setup here: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2025/01/my-action-camera-setup.html. The Insta360 X3 was a fantastic camera, and now they have come way down in price. I bought mine in 2023 and it has had heavy rough use since then. Earlier this year it stopped connecting via USB, but it would still charge OK. This was minor as I just popped the SD card out to process the video. More recently additional problems cropped up. Every once in a while it seemed to not interact right with the remote. Sometimes I would miss catching video. Then it started dating files wrong. The final straw was the video became jittery and blurry at times on rough terrain (most of my riding). I had been eying the X4 but decided it was not enough of an upgrade. Then the X5 came out while my X3 was having these issues. I was caught at a time of weakness so I bought the X5.
So far I like what I see. As an engineer I expect each generation of a product to take the lessons learned from the prior to make the new one even better and the X5 does not disappoint. The X3 was a great camera but I had a few gripes with it.
The first issue is the exposed lenses were not replaceable. Scratch or break one and the camera is done. So they came out with plastic lens convers. I tried those but they were so easily scratched and they get much dustier so it was unusable for my needs. I finally just removed them. Here is a video where a branch severely damaged the lens cover, ruining the rest of the video. The X4 came with better replaceable lens covers but it was still a lens cover. Finally the X5 has replaceable lenses. Well done!
The sound was fine unless you had any wind. This has long been true for nearly all cameras to be fair. The X3 has small foam mic covers you could stuck on which helped some. I have not tried the X5 in much wind yet but they claim to have many improvements here. On the motorcycle I use an external mic with both foam and fuzzy covers which solves the problem.
5.7k video sounds great but you simply need more for 360. The X4 upgraded to 8k in 360, and the X5 continues this. Honestly I wish it were even higher. If you shoot in 360 and want to create flat video from it, you are stuck with 1080. The X5 can export 4k flat video from the 8k 360 video. This means you can shoot in 360 and still extract a great 4K frame from it. Generally I upload to YouTube in single lens 4k with the X3. Now with the X5 I can shoot in 360 and have the option to create a 4k framed video from it. You can also snapshot a 4k photo from 360 video. The X3 would only take 1080 snapshots from 360.
The X3 did great outdoors but not so much in darker indoor conditions. The X5 made several improvements here with larger sensors and improved shooting modes for low light.
Battery life was a challenge on the X3. They gave the X5 much more run-time, more than double.
The foam case for the X3 did not work well at all. The X5 has a great zipper foam case. I can even leave my ball mount on and it zips up to it, protecting the camera well.
I added the external mic adapter, similar to what I had with the X3. I noticed these say they are not water resistant, and not suitable for high vibration environments. I did have the adapter come off the X3 a few times. Generally after a hard hit, like riding over a rock. I used a small Velcro strap to hold it in on the X3. On the X5 I made a small metal support that uses the 1/4" mount. Insta360 now has a Bluetooth external mic which I may switch to. I have a few hesitations with it though. It seems to have no wind protection and it is not stereo. Wind noise is a huge problem on a motorcycle. The image below shows the external mic covered with foam and then fuzzy wind protection as well. More details about the mic are in this article: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2025/01/my-action-camera-setup.html .
Here is the first 360 video I shot with the X5. This uses the internal mic which does a surprising good job at eliminating wind noise.
I had the bitrate and sharpness both a medium when I shot that. I usually set those both to high. I use a 512GB SD card so I can fit hours of video. The camera can support cards up to 1TB.
Here are some of the first videos I shot with this camera.
I have recorded several rides now and have experienced issues with the power/mic adapter losing connection. To be fair Insta360 says this adapter is not rated for vibration. I am also concerned with the high vibration and impact on the camera. I added the Insta360 vibration mount.
This goes between the Ram Mount ball and the camera.
I ride off-road in very dusty environments. One problem I have is with all the zippers on my riding gear, backpack, and storage bags on the motorcycle and bike. When they get dusty they are very hard to zip and unzip. They get jammed up with the layer of dust. I blow them out with compressed air and that temporarily makes them less bad but it does not take long riding for them to jam up again.
My storage bags on the bike are not waterproof. When I get done riding I rinse the dust off the bike before putting it away. When I do that some moisture gets into the storage bags. I decided it may help to Scotchgard the bags.
It is a simple spray coating that helps repel water. It also happens to be a great non-oil based zipper lubricant which works great in dusty environments. Since I sprayed the outside of the bags, the Scotchgard got into the zippers too. I immediately noticed my zippers were smooth and easy. It was a stark difference. Even better, they stayed that way even after several dusty rides. Many of my zippers I have issues with are plastic. The plastic zippers are much worse for the dust jamming them up. However, this Scotchgard trick seems to nearly eliminate the problem and it even lasts.
After I discovered this, I applied Scotchgard to all the zippers on my gear (riding pants, jacket, etc.), my backpack, and the bags on my bike. What a difference!
When we bought our 2021 Porsche Cayenne back in 2023, I had been looking for a Cayenne eHybrid but could not find one. We ended up with the 2021 Cayenne which we owned for almost 2 years and 50k miles. It was a great vehicle but lacked some features I really wanted including: Android Auto, surround view, and of course the hybrid powertrain. There were also several nice-to-haves: 4-zone ATC, rear side window shades, head-up display, and air suspension. We also wanted light colored interior. I kept looking every couple months ever since we bought the 2021. In March 2025 the car we wanted showed up at the local Mercedes dealer. It was exactly the way I would have ordered it. It is a 2022 Porsche Cayenne eHybrid loaded with all the right features and the right color combination. We traded in the 2021 and bought it this week.
The hybrid powertrain offers many advantages, the main advantage for me being the power delivery. Acceleration is very smooth and powerful across a much broader rpm range. The base Cayenne has automatic engine start/stop, as most new cars do. This is a problem when using the air conditioning, which is almost year round here in Las Vegas. Since it is hybrid, the start/stop does not require starting the engine to accelerate from a stop either so you don't have the interruption you get with straight gasoline start/stop. The hybrid has an electric air conditioning compressor so when the engine turns off, the AC does not. You can also start the AC before you get in the car using the Porsche app, like you can with battery electric vehicles (BEV). It offers most the benefits of BEV but with the benefits of the gas powertrain as well. We can drive it fully electric for miles if we wanted to. I have solar on my house so the power is free. In hybrid mode it can greatly extend the fuel economy in town to about double what the gas powertrain can do. Most of our driving is in town so we will see this benefit. While most would view hybrids as all about fuel economy, hybrids are also about performance. In fact many modern supercars are hybrids. Formula One cars are also hybrid.
The rear steering makes the back wheels better follow the front and allows the vehicle to turn much sharper at low speeds. It is great when trying to navigate very tight parking lots. At high speeds it adds stability by making the vehicle feel as if it has a longer wheel-base.
Replaced the Continental TKC 80 tires with Michelin Anakee Wild. I have also replaced the rear again with another Anakee Wild (front was about 80% still). Performance is very similar but the TKC 80's lasted almost twice as long (2900 miles versus 1700 miles). I replaced them when the center of the tread is down to about 4mm. The only reason I switched was due to availability of the TKC 80. I will be going back to TKC 80 when these wear out.
Added a Garmin Zumo XT2 navigation system. My old smartphone navigation had some flaws, mainly screen brightness and size. The Zumo XT2 has excellent screen brightness and several other useful features.
Removed the kickstand sensor guard due to intermittent issues with kickstand sensor faults. I also had the sensor replaced under warranty. Worked fine for over 1,000 miles but the fault happened again just once. It has been another 1,000 miles with no issues.
Due to heavy dust on most of our rides, I went back to a factory paper air filter. No real evidence the K&N was not doing the job but just concerned it does not catch quite as small of particles as the paper.
Replaced the front bag due to the other one failing the zipper.
Seat Concepts Comfort XL seat. This does make a big difference. When you first sit on it you wonder if it was worth the $400. I long ride down the highway confirms that it is. Actually any ride where you are on the seat.
I added an external mic and fuzzy wind socks. I put the mic on the front bag to isolate it from all vibration. Now the audio in my videos is drastically better.
I track my fuel economy and I am averaging about 50mpg. It can drop as low as 35mpg on long fast highway segments. The worst I got was 33mph on a highway segment into a strong headwind. The best has been 65mpg.
I finally learned how to use the quick shifter and it is magical! It is just a habit for me to let off the throttle when shifting, a habit very hard to break. The way you ride a quick shifter is stay even on the throttle and just make the shift. It even works great at full throttle. It works both up and down, automatically speed matching via engine control. It cuts engine power very briefly to make the shift but it is so fast it feels like constant power delivery.
I like to video many of my eMTB and motorcycle rides to share with others. This way people can see what the trails are really like before they ride them. I organize playlists around both rides and by locations/trails on my YouTube channel @jimroal (https://youtube.com/@JimRoal ).
I bought a Garmin Virb Ultra 30 back in 2017 and I use that for recording in-car videos. It is great and has GPS and accelerometers in it so I can get lap times, speed, acceleration, etc. I still use that today for in car video. I tried using it for bicycling and it worked OK but had it's limitations. The smoothing has limits due to the lens size, sensor, etc. Also, this camera is obsolete and no longer supported.
I researched the latest action cameras that were available at the time (May 2023), watching many videos comparing them specially for bicycling and motorcycling type recording. I settled on the Insta360 X3 which was new at the time I bought mine (May 2023). I was a bit disappointed that the GPS was not built in at first but bought their GPS remote which solved that problem. I used it on both the bicycle and the motorcycle and found the smoothing to be excellent, magical in fact. Some of my first videos were on my bicycle helmet which is of course the smoothest since we stabilize our head taking much of the roughness out already.
I also like the 360 pictures and videos as you can pan around while watching, or use in a VR headset. However, 360 video is very bitrate intensive so you need a very high-speed connection to watch it with decent resolution.
I found that for most videos I use the single lens mode which captures 4k video with smoothing very well. Here is an example using single lens mode mounted on a chest mount (using internal mic and no wind protection).
This remote captures the GPS data and the camera records it with the video similar to what my Garmin Virb did. Having the remote is also very handy. Note that the GPS and accelerometer data can only be overlayed on traditional flat video but that can be used when the video was shot in 360 but reframed to flat too.
Here is a 360 video mounted on the motorcycle where you can pan around while watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-u0QMIwtO8 (note: the sound is just via the camera mics with no wind protection). I recommend opening these in YouTube versus viewing in that tiny window.
360 video where you can pan around while watching
Here is a video with the data in it and the latest mic setup.
The photo below shows the whole system on the motorcycle. The remote is strapped to the left mirror mount where I can easily reach it to start/stop recording while riding. I have a USB port on the bike so I can power the camera so I don't have to be limited by camera battery power. You can see the mic, covered by fuzzy wind muffs on the back of the bag.
I use a RAM Mount to mount the camera to my windshield bracket. I lower the windshield way down when riding off-road so the camera is taller and is not obstructed by the windshield.
One rather significant issue I still struggle with is in single lens mode the camera has automatic orientation. Motion side to side of the motorcycle really messes with this when you start the video recording. It sometimes will record the video sideways or even upside down. There is no way to force orientation in the camera. The video editing software does not let you correct the orientation either. I have requested both if these changes from Insta360 so maybe at least one of these features will be added at some point. My fix for now is to always start the video when still and the camera vertical. Sometimes this is not idea though.
This camera is one of the few that can create Google Street View as well, which shows up on Google Maps. I have used this feature, but it is glitchy. Many of the videos will get rejected by Street View due to various GPS data errors. Here are some of my Street View contributions that are active.
I did report these issues to Insta360 and they have been working to correct them.
The Insta360 X3 also shoots great spherical photos at 72MP. You have to use a compatible viewer, which more are finally supporting. Here is an example: https://photos.app.goo.gl/riUtLR61SLxNrojL9
The above view is likely still just a flattened image which just looks weird. Facebook supports them well now. If you open the Google Photos like above it should also view correctly where you can pan around. In Google Photos it initially shows the flattened image but if you click on it you can then view it properly.
The Insta360 X3 has many other great features. Now Insta360 has released their X4 camera which is the next generation after the X3, bringing higher bitrate support, which enables 8k spherical recording. It also has a larger battery and better lens guards, as well as a few other upgrades.
