I like the symmetrical look with button on left and antenna on right. Just enough wire to go directly there. Put a small notch on edge of inner fairing with a small drill bit to not pinch wire. Mike

 

Thanks Mike - did you notice a performance increase in reception when you remounted? Also - and please forgive me if this seems silly, but I haven't had my clamshell apart yet - is there any chance under normal circumstances where water could get inside the clamshell from the small slot for the wire? I'm talking about rainfall, not a full blast from a hose or anything.

Finally, something unrelated. What is the controller in the bottom left of your picture. Is that for a heated seat?

 

1. 1 full bar increase in all circumstances.
2. Fairing is not sealed, very small half circle for wire. water can get in normally on fairing gaps.
3. wireless controller for heated gear

 

After riding around for a couple of weeks, mostly within a 50 mile radius of my home, I decided the XM reception performance was less than acceptable. There were times listening - or more accurately attempting to listen - was actually annoying, & I found myself pulling over to bring up an internet radio station on my phone & listening to it instead.

So, on a rainy afternoon I decided to pull apart the clamshell & look around (the dealer did my install). If you haven't seen or handled it, the XM antenna is maybe a 3/4" cube, magnetized on the bottom. One thing I noticed immediately is the antenna is mounted vertically on a metal plate inside the fairing, so the "top" of the antenna either points to the right or left - not up to the sky. That seemed odd.

I snipped the 2 small wire ties holding the antenna wire to another cable in there & started to move the antenna around. Inside the fairing, I acquired the best reception if the antenna was sitting atop either one of the speaker enclosures. As the enclosures are plastic, the antenna would have to be taped there which would not be an issue. I thought seriously of mounting it there. However, when I set the front of the clamshell into position & covered the antenna, I lost reception.

That in itself was not a huge issue. I was in my garage; my last bike had its much larger Garmin antenna mounted in the same general area & it wouldn't pick up in there either. But as I had everything apart I also set the antenna on top of the right side of the dash, opposite from where the button is to open & close the vent. I then sat the windshield in place, & the reception was not affected at all - it was 3 bars strong and this was still in my garage.

I didn't have a small round file, so I cut a small groove into the very front edge of the fairing vent in a spot where it meets the windshield with a 7/64" drill bit. It is just deep enough for the wire to sit in to allow the windshield to sit flush along that edge. I then used a small piece of 3M double sided molding tape to stick the antenna to the top of the dash & reassembled everything.

Since the antenna relocation, I've put a few hundred miles on the bike in the same general 50 mile radius area around my home. The improvement in reception is huge. It will still drop on occasion but only momentarily & that occurs when I am going through a deeply wooded area - to 01XLH, like when I'm going through the MetroParks. I routinely show signal strength of 3 bars, & I haven't experienced the <XM SIGNAL LOST> screen since I made the change.

It isn't perfect & I would rather not have it sitting atop my dash, but it really isn't obtrusive & the improvement in performance is IMO well worth the effort. I'll definitely keep the XM module & will maintain my subscription based on the reception I am now experiencing.

 

Since I have my XM Ant outside of the fairing, I can't fairly compare my reception to anyone with the ant under the fairing (i.e. HD's XM system). Now that yours is outside, it sounds like we have comparable results.

I'm not familiar with your style antenna, or at least how you describe it "vertical", I'd appreciate getting a look at it (antennas are my life so to speak) any chance you can get a pic and post it?

 

It's just the standard antenna that HD supplies with the radio kit - if you look up the kit on HD's website there is a picture of it. It is a cube shape, measuring maybe 1" or so in all dimensions, & the bottom is a magnet.

What I was saying, is the HD "factory" install has the antenna mounted on a bracket that has a vertical orientation under the fairing. Think of this: sticking a refrigerator magnet onto the side of a refrigerator. That is how the antenna was mounted - stuck to the side of a bracket, so the top of the antenna was pointing to the left (as you sit on the bike), not up towards the sky as it points now mounted on the top of the dash.

Does that make any better sense?

 

You bet it does, thanks

I looked at the HD web for more info.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/app-c...ts/-J03640.PDF

Take a look at this HD page, from what you explain, it appears someone took a shortcut when your antenna was installed.
Also note it shows HD using adhesive rather than a mag mount.

The antenna on it's side as you describe is not even close to decent, let alone optimum.

I use 4 different styles of XM antennas and new ones are being developed all the time.
I thought a new model was introduced.

 

The instructions are not for the 2014-2015 models. The 2014 and newer use XM Radio part #76000351.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...lite-radio-kit

That is for this one (2006-2013):
http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...-08-7640406--1

 

The antenna mounting bracket 14 & 15 is slightly different.
Note, his the antenna was stuck to the side of a vertical bracket in the fairing. THE difference in the brackets really is not the issue here.
While the page I referenced was not for the correct year of scoot, I was commenting about his antenna not being properly positioned.

 

I hope someone comes out with a new Rushmore fairing vent that has a XM antenna built in. The antenna could be built into the vents center bar. Would that not be slick?