Very strange HK behavior in the past 2 rides with my 2006.

Saturday I put the very first music CD in the player, usually use the FM radio or the AUX jack with my iPod/iPhone. Radio and iDevices have worked perfectly since I’ve owned the bike for 2 years now. CD has only been used to upgrade the firmware; I did it upon purchase of the bike at 2 years ago. Until this point all seems to be fine.

CD played fine, 2 times thru nonstop. I go to remove the CD to give back to a riding buddy at a stop on our trip. Bike is still on with radio, we are at an exit off ramp rest area, and the radio plays nothing soon as I remove the CD. Radio is all lit up and I can scroll thru the menus on the handlebar grips…but no volume. Volume hash marks move up and down but no sound. We are at a quick stop to head home so I don’t mess around as we are moving along. For some reason it dawns on me as we ride to power cycle the radio…so I do and viola I have sound. So I figure well maybe the CD confused the logic in the HK head unit. It was a hot ride and maybe it was just acting up. OK…

Sunday I clean the bike up and I use the radio as I work. All seems fine. Radio plays as it always does.

Monday I ride to work and home and all is fine as I used the radio again all FM station.

Today, Tuesday, I ride to work and ˝ way to work I lose volume during a left banked turn. STRANGE. I move the volume up and down and it responds but the volume is noticeably LOW at the same hash mark. So I power cycle the radio and it is louder as it was again before it dropped off. Hmmmmm…

About ž way to work I down shift on a hill and radio volume is now totally gone. No sound at all. I move the hash marks up and down…and nothing. Keep I mind the radio still functions…and I can control it by the hand grips and go thru the menus and modes. BUT the radio is acting flakey now. I power cycle it again and I get the sound again at its proper volume for the hash marks I am seeing.

I know it’s hard to diagnose thru the words on a screen but anyone have this happen before?

I’m going to check it out more in the next days while I try the AUX and iDevices exclusively to see if it’s just the radio FM side or ALL amp output to the speakers. So far it appears to be the radio FM that I can say is acting up. EXCEPT for the ride on Sunday…I had my iPhone with GPS app on and plugged in as it normally is when I use it. I added a CD and kept the iDevice connected and on figuring once I was done with the CD I’d just scroll thru the menu and have the AUX on and get the iPhone/GPS back. BUT before I could do that I removed the CD and the first of the problem showed itself with NO VOLUME.

Next time it acts up I'm going to just flip the switch on the dash, never tried that before, and see if maybe something lose at that point is the issue.

THANKS for the read and any suggestions…

Any HK experts out there?

 

Im sure a few will chime in here shortly, but mine is an '06 also, and after reading posts on here as well as using mine, my thoughts are HK's are junk ! I plan to put a new headunit in this winter, with amp etc etc.....

Mine has done crazy sh*t like that also, and I have never figured out why, nor can I reproduce the symptoms....

 

There is an HD diagnostic protocol posted as a sticky at the top of the Touring Forums first page which may help.

Otherwise, call Iron Cross Audio.

Carl

 

Thank you Carl for the link and great info.

Don't look good. Quick browse of that thread and it appears NO AUDIO is a common thing. Shame for the price of these bikes and the known vibrations that they don't do what is necessary at the factory to assure consistent usage and performance. I had my faring apart a while ago and the mounts were fine. Internally, who knows???

Thanks again!

 

I had a volume issue and took fairing off and unpluged the cable on back of radio and reinstalled it. Radio has worked fine for couple years since.

 

GMRO,

Have you run the diagnostic, yet?

As for HD, they out-source the radios, and have learned over time that there is a risk of vibration damage leading to changes in the black, vertical brackets and the riser bolts over the years.

As suggested, call ICA; they know more about the radio than anyone you are likely to talk to.

As for the "what these bikes cost," put that in the circular file--it doesn't matter.

Carl

 

Good to know.

I've got some playing around in the future for sure. Maybe it's just dirty connections.

Least I have some great info to start on...

 

I have not...at work still. It just acted up more today on AM ride per my post above. I will have to run the diagnostics and see what it shows.

I get it...and accept it. I have friends who have 16K hot tubs and 30K boats with marina grade radios from JBL. In less than 2 calendar years you are lucky 2 of your 6 speakers work or IF the head unit still operates. AND you are paying for marina grade stuff that is to work in those environments.

Just sayn'...

 

If no codes show up do a reset to factory defaults. The reset is on the first screen when you load the diagnostics.... I think its soft button 1. That will fix a lot of problems if it's just a software issue.

The reset will also clear your preset stations and set all controls vol/bass/treble/AVC, etc back to defaults.

 

OK, so I leave work yesterday and head home. Get 3/4 way home with radio on and all is good playing the FM mode. Then for no reason, no shifting or acceleration or bumpy road, radio sound is gone again. BUT this time instead of power cycling the radio I click on the speaker switch on the dash. I usually run it in the B position. Guess what? SOUND COMES BACK! And the radio is fine the rest of the way home.

SO I got home and ran the diagnostics... NO CODES!

I did see the default reset option but I did not try it. I might. For now I tested each radio soft button and the handlebar switches and all test OK on the radio screen. I actually did it once...and shut off bike acc switch...and redid it again to redo the test. Again all tested OK.

So I may just get some tuner spray/switch contact spray and try to spray-clean the dash speaker toggle switch. Yes I do get sound in the middle position and the LED lit position as normal. The most forward is for headphones/intercom? So no sound on that setting. To me it appears to be working as it always did. BUT the switch may just need some TLC.

THANKS for everyone's suggestions and help. This is a great board for this!

In the future I may just do the default setting too. I'll see if it acts up in the next few days. I still want to connect up my iDevices and see if the sound is gone too...when it acts up. So far most of my testing is with the FM radio.

THANKS AGAIN!