Boom 6.5 problems
 

Did a search and could not find problems like I am having on my 14 Ultra LTD. Sometimes when I turn the bike off then return and restart the radio is slow to boot up. Will usually not return to what was running at shutoff. Say I had the USB stick playing when I shut down, when I restart the radio will be playing. Sometimes its almost like a reboot has happened. Will be slow to "accept". Also have seen a clock showing for 30 seconds or so then goes to normal screen. System is very inconsistent. I have the latest software update as of two weeks ago. Any help would be appreciated.

Well...I have no answers for you except, get in line. The BOOM! Infotainment has more bugs than the Orkin Man.

We are ALL waiting for the next software version release to "cure" the ills...

Mine has done the same thing. Almost always reverts back to FM upon start-up and only a few times comes on showing the clock before popping the FM screen up again. Hasn't been anything major to keep me from listening to the radio or my ipod. A couple of times it has lost the ipod. I went in and disconnected the ipod to find out the battery had completely discharged. Could be a fluke and just didn't shut down like it should.

I listen the XM almost all the time. The system has always reverted to the XM and the same station I was listening to when I shut the bike down.

More and more some of the complaints sound like a voltage drop during the boot sequence.

Mine does it all the time

About one in twenty startups for me. I have a routine that I follow diligently: Ignition to run, wait for audio to come up, run switch to on, wait for Accept screen, start the bike. Before shutting down I hit the run switch to off and adjust the volume either up or down at least one bar, wait for about ten seconds and turn off the bike.

From what I understand though, they are already aware of the issue and working on the fix. However, I don't think it is a very high priority since there is a partial work around. I also believe it is tied to a heavy voltage drop on starting. Something that may require hardware revisions to fix properly. The underlying operating system of the head unit is built around an embedded Linux... I've been trying to decipher which one they are using though, would be fun to hack.

About one in twenty startups for me. I have a routine that I follow diligently: Ignition to run, wait for audio to come up, run switch to on, wait for Accept screen, start the bike. Before shutting down I hit the run switch to off and adjust the volume either up or down at least one bar, wait for about ten seconds and turn off the bike.

From what I understand though, they are already aware of the issue and working on the fix. However, I don't think it is a very high priority since there is a partial work around. I also believe it is tied to a heavy voltage drop on starting. Something that may require hardware revisions to fix properly. The underlying operating system of the head unit is built around an embedded Linux... I've been trying to decipher which one they are using though, would be fun to hack.

I see the same radio issues as the OP, but they are intermittent and I haven't bothered trying to isolate the cause.


Ahh I think maybe you've been waiting for that new gas station out in the sun too long. :)

Most of the radio issues are probably really BCM issues. Remember, there is no direct connection from the handlebar controls to the radio except via the BCM. While the touch screen should be internal to the radio, all volume & mode inputs are from the BCM. Don't know how fast the BCM processor is, but from the delays for simple things like activating the horn, it seems to be fairly slow to me.

I agree that the voltage drop when starting the bike seems to affect the radio boot process, particularly if you don't wait long enough for the boot process to complete; the disclaimer accept screen comes up long before the boot process completes. This leads to all types of odd issues, many times repeatable, but sometimes not.

I have been turning the ignition switch to ACC to let the BCM/radio boot up while I'm gearing up. I use ACC because it boots fine in this position & uses less battery energy because the headlight/tail lights are off (TP side markers are on, but still less draw than in ON position). Once I'm ready I check to verify the boot has completed by checking status line for bluetooth, CB, intercom icons are there, then select the NAV button to verify the NAV is also ready. When confirmed, I turn ignition switch to ON, wait for dash warning lights to go out, then start the engine. After it's started, I then go into the menu system to cycle the CB off then on (failing to do this keeps the CB inoperative when the transmit button is depressed).

This sequence probably takes longer to do than to read, so learn patience; you should find your self having less infotainment system issues if you can do this. If you ride a lot with others, it's going to be hard to wait long enough, but if you turn to ACC before starting to gear up, it helps.

Enjoy your new ride!