At the moment this channel is a video motovlog diary of my motorcycle trips. There will be additional portions of the channel added soon to incorporate my travel abroad the planet in early to mid 2022. Thanks for taking the time to view and enjoy!! Cheers :)
The guy at Radisson Auberge - Mr personality. He shouldn’t be working that position. What an ass. Also - tried to book the campground, but office was locked up despite a lit “oevert” sign. I did not like Radisson - at all. Very bleak. Very depressing.
I know this video is quite old and you might not be checking the comments anymore, but I just wanted to say I watched the entire series and enjoyed it very much. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Watched a number of your vids; not a biker but I love exploring and camping remote routes. Did the James Bay Road 3 years ago- some amazing camping spots, very few people around, just some really long boring spots, but then lakes and rivers made it worthwhile. Also visited some of the James Bay hydro sites and was awestruck by the scale of those dams and reservoirs. One mistake 5 years ago was the Trans-Labrador route while a long section of it, over 200 kms was still unpaved; after days of rain, it was unspeakably bad, so bad that parts of my pop-up trailer had lost bolts & screws from all the washboard and potholes; by the end of it, had to have my tires re-balanced and shocks readjusted. I was spooked by the ghost town of Gagnon, including an incredibly sad & lonely old cemetery. Going to redo James Bay & Trans-Taiga next summer, I hope.
I find GOOD bungees to be much better for securing things to a bike. Much more forgiving. I use an aluminum camping fuel bottle , smaller but enough to get to a gas station if needed. I see you have Heidenau Scout 60 tires, I'm on my second rear that lasted 10,000 miles and the front should make 20 to double the rear.
Nice video. On my list to do this trip, but may be a while as I live in Colorado now, so even to get to the START of the road is a super long drive. Happy to see that you can also get by with mostly English up there too.
Who is the fellow RU-vider who was dumb enough to check out the abandoned buildings? 😁.Great video. So cool seeing all those places from another perspective!
I'm doing the Road in August 2023. I actually think I'm going to bring a can of paint and paint-over that stupid graffiti. Look forward to the entire experience. I'll let you know....
@@jchitt3326 Good luck to both of us. Doing lots of planning and research. I did the James Bay Road back in Sept. 2001. Went to Chisasibi and Radission. I suspect I'll see more people this time. Saw hardly anyone back then.
Going to do the Trans Taiga this August, 2023. I've drove the Baie James Road, back in 2001 -- camped along Lake Yashinski. Looks like there are more cabins along the Billy Diamond Hwy. than when I was there. More cars too. Can't wait to get back up there. Thank you for all the information.
I did another ride through Quebec from Montreal to Quebec City and then Bae Comeau and up to Fermont before riding through Labrador. The ride from Bae Comeau to Fermont was one of the top rides I've ever done. So beautiful!
km 58 is Sakami rvier bridge. Seen you when you came up Ive been working up there for 16 years. BTW yes if it was a thursday it was a shift change. The 1st part of the road was worst because of budget cuts and the operators dont have enough material to pack the road with so they make due.
Thank you so much for your comment Spoon Monkey and thanks for pointing out the Sakami Bridge. I can’t believe you not only saw me but remember me too. The area is absolutely beautiful and everyone I met was extremely nice. I couldn’t have hoped for a better trip. Overall I was impressed with the road condition considering the remoteness and only the road from Brisay to Caniapiscau was as rough as I was expecting the entire road to be. It’s a credit to everyone living, working and vacationing in the area to how beautiful the road and the area is kept. Cheers!
Hey, so I've been going through all your episodes about the Trans-Taiga and how much time do you think it's doable in? I'd be leaving from Ottawa. I'm planning it might take up to 2 weeks depending on how long I stay at certain spots or how much I explore. Does that sound right? Thank you!
Hey Louka, I think two weeks is a great amount of time to plan for the trip especially coming from Ottawa. My trip was 7 days and 4500km from my house about an hour north of Toronto. I did my trip during Covid so I tried to keep to myself. If I was to do it again I would definitely take more time for exploring the James Bay area and Trans Taiga. The other consideration would be for weather. During my trip I had perfect weather but I’ve seen others who had some bad weather and it really set back their plans and even turned the Trans Taiga into a slippery nightmare. Hope that helps and I hope you enjoy your trip. Cheers!
Thank you for all the great information! I drove to Radisson and Chisasibi in late Sept. 2001 -- shortly after 9/11. I am planning on driving the Trans-Taiga in August of 2023. I am renting a brand new Toyota Rav4 and am buying a full spare and rim. Also getting a 2-ton jack and superior lug wrench. My only real concern is getting a flat. I will bring a gas container as well. I would like to get to the end but that is not absolute. * What are my chances with new tires and a full spare? I drove the Route du Nord in 2001 as well. Did not see one car all day. Camped near Nemaska. With the advent of the Internet, the roads almost look "crowded" now! Otherwise, I feel fairly confident. Your thoughts, please. Thank you again.
Thank you for your comment Peter. I think that with a Rav4 you shouldn't have any issues at all and your chances of making it to the end are almost certain especially if you plan to be well prepared which it sounds like you are and give yourself plenty of time in case the weather gets bad. The only really bad stretch of road is the last 80+ kilometres from Brisay to Caniapiscau which will require some technical driving.
That picture was from a previous road trip through Algoma in Ontario. There are several of these signs but this one in particular is on hwy#129 north of the Canadian Tail of the Dragon or south of Chapleau.
I had a 400km range with that range I was able to make it until Mirage Outfitter without carrying extra gas. You will need at least a 650km range to make it from Mirage to the end and then back to Mirage. There is a possibility of getting gas in Brisay or at the Lac Pau Water Aérodrome in Caniapiscau but I don’t know the specifics for that. Also if you plan on going straight from kilometre 381 on the Billy Diamond Highway to Mirage Outfitters on the Trans Taiga without refueling in Radisson then you will need over 520km range so you may need to carry extra fuel there too. Have fun and enjoy the ride! Cheers!
The cameras flatten and straighten out all the hills and turns. Letterkenny was definitely the highlight of the trip. Calabogie a close second for the Highland suggested roads that we tried.
Thanks again Stew. I just finished riding the Trans Labrador Hwy last month. The trip was from Ontario Canada through Quebec, Labrador and into Newfoundland. All my SD cards are full and I'm hoping to start editing some new videos very shortly. Cheers
@@jchitt3326 That's great , should be fun to watch also . I have watched and read many people doing that trip . Another one for the bucket list for sure .
@@stewtube1240 All of the Trans Labrador Hwy is paved now and in excellent condition except for a small section between Red Bay and Pinware on the east coast of Labrador near the Quebec border which is still paved but many potholes and rutts. The road north from Baie Comeau (Hwy 389) up to the Labrador border has a couple of non paved sections. One is about 88km and its pretty treacherous and another section right before getting into Fermont which is dirt but very easy to ride and a lot of fun, crossing the railway tracks almost a dozen times. Hwy 389 was definitely the highlight of the trip!
@@jchitt3326 I am hoping to do either the Trans Taiga or Trans lab this season . I was waiting for your Trans lab trip :-) so I enjoyed watching your Taiga trip again . Are you planning anything this season ?
Hey Stew, this was mid July 2021 and weather wise it was upper 30 degrees Celsius (100F) in Toronto. Are you thinking about doing the ride up there too?
@@jchitt3326 Hey J , I have been looking into and researching the route this last few days . I'm not sure if I will do it this year but the more I learn about the area the more interesting it looks . It's possible .
@@stewtube1240 if I were to go again I would definitely take more time to spend in Radisson, Giant Staircase, James Bay, Fort George (which is partially considered to be in Nunavut) and Long Point. Also check out the generator plant tour. I have heard it's absolutely amazing even if you don't speak French.
Ya. If I were to go up again I would try and use this area for camping on my way up and back. The boat launch was nice and I spoke to some locals from Val Dor Quebec who do lazy river down through here every year. I was riding my 2013 Suzuki VStrom DL650 Adventure. This was her maiden multi day trip with me and she handled everything I through at her. I love these bikes.
Planning to do James Bay Road & Transtaiga in August/September 2022. Would appreciate more detailed pics of campgrounds, if you have any. I tend to camp in non-organized spots, but sometimes the campgrounds are a better option.
I don’t have any more pics of the campgrounds but they are all mostly the same. They all look similar to the campground I stayed at in Ep#14. About a minute into the video you can see the campsite is basically a strip where you could pull a trailer in with a picnic table and a fire ring with a grill so you could cook on it if you really wanted. Some of the campgrounds also have little structures with a picnic table and a roof like a little pergola or gazebo . If you really like the wild camping then there are plenty of places for that but I would also check out the lookouts at the dams along the way. There are no services that I saw at any of the campgrounds but the lookouts had closed in structures where you could set up or even sleep in especially if the weather were to turn on you. Best additional resource would be this website although the info is old it still seemed pretty accurate jamesbayroad.com You can also try this link to send for a free map and travel guide. www.escapelikeneverbefore.com/en/order-a-publication/ And at the very end of my other video I posted the papers they hand out at the checkin office at km 6 of the Billy Diamond Highway and they list the campgrounds along the Billy Diamond Highway and the Trans Taiga. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2_GIirsWkuU.html Enjoy!
Thanks- what time of year were you there? My dad was a prospector in the Chibougamau area, so I know all about northern bugs but I'm hoping most will be done by end of August. Enjoyed all 14 of your vids, btw.
I cant thank you enough for all the great information and experience you have shared. I am leaving August 15 2022 after putting the trip on hold for several years due to border crossings. Taking a wr250r all decked out for the trip. I am open for any suggestions or more advice if you have it.. Thanks Bill
Thanks Bill, my only advice would be to be mindful of the road and the remoteness after Brisay. The rest of the road is pretty straight forward especially with a wr250. You may want to check out the south branch of the Trans-Taiga from Brisay fuel permitting. I've heard that it is more remote and a very challenging road as well. Have a great trip and let me know how it goes once you're back and get a chance. Cheers!
Thanks. I enjoyed making them. Hopefully they can help you in some way on your trip. The DR should handle great if you're planning some time on the Trans-Taiga
It was mid July for my trip. The weather was perfect for me but still cool to cold overnight. A group went a week before me and had some weather which completely changed the road and conditions. Hope you have a great trip!
Perfect weather for Dover this year. I try to go every other year or so but alas, this year work got in the way. Couldn’t make it. Oh well. It’s one of those things that’s fun to do at least once if you’re a motorcycle rider. You go, have something eat, check out the bikes, listen to the rumble, get the T-shirt and head home. Why? Why not. Cheers.
Interesting but not worth the 5 to 6 hrs of driving for me to get there and back home!! Thanks for sharing as I have never seen a video of this event . 👍👍
To be fair to Port Dover we were there early (10:30ish) and the video only shows a small portion of the town. There were probably hundreds if not thousands of bikes parked on the back streets and still filling in the town. There are live bands, vendors and some manufacturers booths. So for a one day bike fest it's not bad but I still prefer Daytona Bike Week and Sturgis is on my list in the near future. Personally Dover is a go once maybe twice to say you did kinda deal.
I was thinking about getting one of these but I keep reading that the battery life isnt very long .What is your experience so far? Some on line reviews are questionable at best but I know you have experience with other cams . Thanks !!
So far so good for me. The X2 is suppose to have a way better battery live but you can also hook the camera up to a USB charger on the bike. The key with that is to run the wires along the stitch line so they are invisible and the camera will positively charge even while recording.
Some great info here !! Thanks for sharing. Its always great to get another slant on how and what to bring along. One thing that has me wondering as someone who doesn't do videoing ,how many and what size of sd cards did you need for the trip ? thanks!
So I used a 1TB My Passport external hard drive. I had a dji osmo action, which I lost, and then switched to using my phone for the videos where I'm talking into the camera and I used a sena 10C pro to video all the riding. Every night in the tent I would take all the sim cards and individually download them to the external hard drive in daily folders for editing when I got home. I also had a power bank that I would use to keep the sena powered all day so I wouldn't miss anything. With a 128GB SD card I managed over 7hrs of video. Which sounds great until you try to edit it into a 15-20 minute video lol This was a trial run to see how others do it and I think I went well so expect more trips and more videos in the future
