With all the 14s capability for streaming and USB is XM really worth it.

 

I have XM on my 2012 through the Zumo GPS. Love it. Get the weather option and you will get alerts and moving weather maps that can be very useful.

 

It would be to me. I can't get the news or ball games via USB or streaming, not to mention all the places with crappy cell coverage for streaming.

 

I just got the XM module for my 2014 Stret Glide Special. Real easy to install but was on my way to Colorado so didn't install the little metal clamp/mount that is included that puts the antenna above all the electronics nearly against the outer fairing. WELL, now that I'm riding in the open highway the signal goes in and out on occasion. Not sure why as it occurs even out in the open, I'm assuming, hoping it is cause I didn't mount the antenna up high. BUT I will say having XM and access to so many stations of all genres, including talk and news is the way to go when riding through miles of numbing terrain. Once I hit the mountains then off goes the radio so I can enjoy the view, twisties, riding. SO with the exception of occasional poor reception, XM although overpriced for Harley's BY FAR is still well worth it.

 

I have the xm module and love it...lots of choices besides just having music. The comedy stations are fun on the long trips, and listening to Patriot talk riding around town or jamming out to whatever running the twisties.

The antenna placement is VERY sensitive. I finally ended up taking an antenna from an old portable radio I had in a box in the garage and ran it back to the tour pack, mounted to the inside of it, and that solved a lot of the signal loss problems.

 

I have it in my car and like it, but i was thing i could spend that 400.00 on other goodies like highway pegs etc.

 

XM sucks! I had Sirius XM in my car for several months, and there were lots of ads for Sirius radio to interupt my perceived "ad free" programming. Along with that I had to purchase the radio, wiring and antenna and subscribe for a year. The above cost me $120 and around $13/mo. This equipment I installed in my car. I started to listen to Pandora One on my phone, which cost only $4/mo. extra on my wireless bill, and I have NO ads and all of my choice of music. Oh, and on Sirius some programs included interviews of various stars of that particular music venue, and up to a half hour of blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I purchased a dual male end jack from WalMart so I could hook up my phone to the auxhiliary port on my car radio. `Worked like a champ! Needless to say I cancelled my membership with Sirius, who charged an early termination fee. But I didn`t care and gladly paid it. Now, when I do a longer road trip on my bike I use an in ear headset with the phone in my pocket. This saves my ears from wind noise and I get good ridin` music. When I`m in town I don`t use it, so I can hear my pipes and other traffic.

 

I dropped XM quite a few years ago for Pandora streaming. XM would drop out when I was passing or being passed by a truck on the south side of me. Any time I rode in a wooded area, my favorite kind of day ride, it would also drop out. The final nail in the coffin was the cost. It's not worth the monthly fee that XM was charging. Wait, let me add to that. The final, final nail was when they started putting commercials on the commercial free programming I was paying way too much for!

Yeah, I wanted the traffic. But, I got the FM traffic dongle for my Zumo and get lifetime traffic with it. I am concerned about the Boom 6.5 and that it might only support XM traffic. :-( I'll go without before paying monthly for that service from XM!

Weather was nice, but it was also buggy. It kept givinng me an alert for a few days after the weather passed. Not a deal breaker, but they didn't care to even think about fixing it either. If followed me through a couple of Zumo's as they tried to replace the whole thing like the hardware may have been the problem.

Now I get weather on my cell phone using wunderground.com. It's not live while I am riding, but I can pull over and check it any time.

Pandora needs some tuning, but it is great. Yeah, it cuts out when I really get way off the beaten path. But that happens much less often than XM did for me! In those times, I have some mp3's I really like and set the phone to randomize them. It's great.

Pandora now has a station called Raw Comedy. I have thumbs downed enough that it no longer sends me comedians that are not funny. I listen to if from time to time. I have also trained it to play a very wide range of music I like and it's is really good about what it plays after a couple of months learning what I don't like.

Mostly, Pandora tech support is fantastic! They have been very responsive and helpful over the years. I tend to send them suggestions too. My latest request is a "motorcycle" mode. The options it should have are: 1) Don't get creative. Only play music that has been played before. I hate wanting to thumbs a song down while riding! 2) Never go into "are you still listening" mode. Silence while on the road is frustrating! 3) Speak what it is doing. When searching for a song, say that out loud since I can't see the screen. Tell me when you have lost the signal and are waiting for a new signal. 4) Give an option of having it repeat thigns like "waiting for a signal" or to only say it once and remain quiet.

For me, XM is dead and gone. I am really liking pandora already. I use the "CD" input on my 2000 Ultra to play music from my phone. Put the phone in a widnshield pouch. I am very happy with it.

 

I love my XM..I ride out in the boonies a lot no cell service so no Pandora..

 

I am an early adopter of XM, I have a comp account.
NO WAY would I pay for it.

as XM and Sirius merged, channel selection reduced and the bandwidth allowed for some channels made the audio quality very, very poor.
the voices sound like robots.

2˘

mike