Another XM Option
#41
12-31-2014, 11:20 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Austin, TX
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Yes, that is correct (sorry for the delay in response). I had it included & part of the deal when I bought the bike including installation, but had it installed with the 1k service.
To say I was disappointed would be putting it lightly. I had a Garmin Zumo 665 with XM mounted on the handlebar of my previous bike (a Yamaha Royal Star Venture). The satellite antenna for that unit was like 2" in diameter & about 1/2" thick; there was no way I could see to mount it in or around the dash/handlebar area. I put it inside the fairing; I found a spot where it wasn't pointed straight up but was close - it was tilted maybe 25 degrees. The instructions for that unit said open to the sky was ideal, but under plastic was OK. I had decent reception with that set up; it was definitely not perfect & on occasion would cut out but generally worked very well. Riding out to California from NE Ohio it was great.
I think the HD unit could, & probably would, work better with the antenna under the fairing if it were moved to a position where it was pointed more "up". By moving the antenna around to different locations inside the clam-shell while parked in my garage, I was able to get pretty good reception. However, when I then placed the front of the fairing back into place the reception performance always decreased. Now this was in my garage with the door open - so the antenna first had the outer fairing over it, then my open insulated garage door (12 feet high ceiling in there), then the garage ceiling. I probably would have went with that, but the reception was just so much better with the antenna mounted on top of the dash I had to try it. I'm glad I did. It is a magnetic base & that is all plastic up there, so I used a very small piece of 3M double sided molding tape to hold it in place & it hasn't moved. I'm kind of **** about things looking like they belong - my wife would be rolling her eyes - so I'll just say if you want to go with the factory unit to keep your cockpit uncluttered, this set up works very well for me in the NE Ohio, Cleveland/Akron area.
To say I was disappointed would be putting it lightly. I had a Garmin Zumo 665 with XM mounted on the handlebar of my previous bike (a Yamaha Royal Star Venture). The satellite antenna for that unit was like 2" in diameter & about 1/2" thick; there was no way I could see to mount it in or around the dash/handlebar area. I put it inside the fairing; I found a spot where it wasn't pointed straight up but was close - it was tilted maybe 25 degrees. The instructions for that unit said open to the sky was ideal, but under plastic was OK. I had decent reception with that set up; it was definitely not perfect & on occasion would cut out but generally worked very well. Riding out to California from NE Ohio it was great.
I think the HD unit could, & probably would, work better with the antenna under the fairing if it were moved to a position where it was pointed more "up". By moving the antenna around to different locations inside the clam-shell while parked in my garage, I was able to get pretty good reception. However, when I then placed the front of the fairing back into place the reception performance always decreased. Now this was in my garage with the door open - so the antenna first had the outer fairing over it, then my open insulated garage door (12 feet high ceiling in there), then the garage ceiling. I probably would have went with that, but the reception was just so much better with the antenna mounted on top of the dash I had to try it. I'm glad I did. It is a magnetic base & that is all plastic up there, so I used a very small piece of 3M double sided molding tape to hold it in place & it hasn't moved. I'm kind of **** about things looking like they belong - my wife would be rolling her eyes - so I'll just say if you want to go with the factory unit to keep your cockpit uncluttered, this set up works very well for me in the NE Ohio, Cleveland/Akron area.
#42
12-31-2014, 01:51 PM
Might I trouble you for a picture of that setup? I really miss the XM capability I had with my Zumo 665 on my previous bike but am apprehensive about shelling out $300 for an XM plug-in module that doesn't work as good as I would expect at that price. If re-locating the antenna fixes an issue with the designed installation, that's not the end of the world.
I don't know what you might expect in performance. I've read complaints about anything less than 100% reception. Our GMC Terrain, with a factory setup & antenna mounted on the roof at the back of the vehicle, cuts out for a moment from time to time. I think my setup works as good as anything else I've heard, but I haven't listened to any of the portable satellite receivers with exposed antennas.
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