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[Puzzled]

It is alive! Here's a shot of the split screen with the rear camera on and the GPS. The camera has a great range. Considerably wider than the mirrors.

[Puzzled]

A close fit. I originally thought I would have liked to have had more clearance but than vibration may take over on the screen. I'll see what happens over time. If it rattles against the fairing I'd consider some sort of rubber bumper or foam along the fairing lip.

[Puzzled]

Look at the wiring mess. I eventually cleaned this all up and tucked, taped and wire tied everything nice and neat.

[Puzzled]

Installed! Now I have to read the gazillion page manual to try and figure out how to use it all.

Both the Retro kit and the radio were all inclusive. There was no running out for this or that. One thing that will have to be addressed is the parking brake wire. Pioneer more than likely never thought their radio would end up in a bike so there are no directions for this part. It's trial and error. I found the wire needs to be interrupted! Yep. When hooked to ground it would work but if the radio was reset it wouldn't work unless you disconnected it and reinstalled it. Got me. This wire is in place so you don't play the DVD or GPS while driving. The DVD I understand but not the GPS.

This radio has a ton of options that can be hooked to it. I'm going to look into how to hook some of them up.

[Puzzled]

Check out the gauge screen

[Puzzled]

Another

[Puzzled]

I'm still reading through the gazillion page manual on how to use this thing. After installing both disc's I realized that I have two West Coast disc's and no East Coast. I emailed Pioneer and they replied with a message to call them. I called Pioneer and they asked me to fax them a copy of my receipt. I did just that. About an hour later I received a call confirming that they were sending me a new set of disc's. Great service.

I spent some time in the saddle yesterday. Besides the great day of riding this gave me some time to goof with the radio. I have some likes and dislikes.

The display is impossible to see on the face of the unit when the sun is behind you. (screen closed). To fight this I simply opened the screen.

Again when the sun is behind you the screen has horrible glare. The text is easy to see and the navigation is more visible than the the DVD.

The rest of the stuff is not the fault of the radio but rather my lack of knowledge of the use of it. For example at first I was disappointed about the volume as when it was cranked all the way up it was....weak. I want a cranking system! I read the book and followed it and turned the volume up. My bad.

The rear camera is great. When you first turn on the bike it goes to full screen view. I can see two lanes of traffic less than six feet off of my tail light. Glare on the camera is just like a regular camera. You get a line from top to bottom. This is not a problem with the tour pack on as the tour pack acts as a hood. If I get ambitious one day I'll move the camera under something to shield it. I'm learning. Again this is only if the sun is behind you.

I originally was concerned about the screen vibrating against the fairing. Again back to the manual. There was an adjustment for this and that was all it took. No chance of vibration now.

Overall I like this system. It'll take me awhile to use all it's capabilities but I'll get it. I spent my morning observing these little things than spent the afternoon without the sun enjoying a movie and some tunes.

[Puzzled]

I posted an update on the navigation system in March in a Daytona thread. At that time I used the map feature as an overview of where I was while on a ride back from Orlando. I was able to see the surrounding roads and where I possibly wanted to go. Poke and hope if you will.

I used the navigation system again Friday when I went to Maryland. This was the first time I punched in an address and used the system for what it was designed for. On my trip down I couldn't hear the voice command as I had the volume down. I could tell it was saying something as it would interrupt the music. I also had the map scale at 1 mile and this wasn't detailed enough in the city.

On the return trip home I turned up the voice command volume. Much better, very helpful. It was a little tough to hear at highway speeds (80-85) with my visor closed. I also set the map scale to .5 miles and that was spot on for city travel. I moved it to 5 miles when I hit the highway. (next is helmet speakers)

This is my first time using a navigation system and it's pretty cool. I'm usually the guy you can drop off in East Gibippie and I'd find my way home. Maybe this comes from my parents leaving me behind on vacation, often!

I didn't know if the screen would be a distraction or not while riding. It wasn't. It is like most things, you get use to it. The voice command helps keep your eyes on the road. The number of cars that point at the screen is something to see. What?, you never seen a bike with a flip up screen on it?!

As of now the only down side I see is the units storage capacity. Once you load your route/map you can remove the disc and insert a MP3. But if you wander off course you will need to re-insert the maps disc. That stinks. Supposedly the new AVIC Z1 has taken care off this with a 30gb hard drive. That would be nice. Better yet, what would be nice is if someone could upgrade the hard drive in this one or add an external drive to it. I'm not quite ready to plunk down another 2k for a one year newer radio.

[Puzzled]

Equipment update.

Since I first installed the unit I changed the speakers yet again. This time to a pair of Hog Tunes. I've seen the name thrown around the various Bagger sites I hang out on so I thought I'd try them. First impression is the price, a bit expensive for 5 1/2" speakers (more on that later). Next was the customer service, top notch. I emailed the company at something like 11:30 pm and received a response within a half hour. They shipped equally as quick.

The install was straight forward. They fit better than the Pioneers did in my RG. The sound is tough to explain. In comparison to stock speakers they kick ass. In comparison to the Pioneers they sound slightly better at full volume but not as good at low/mid volume. In all fairness I set the radio and speakers up at full volume as that is where they will be playing. So because of this they lack some bass. This may change with the addition of helmet speakers.

I did notice that at about 3/4 volume and 75 mph they sound very good. I think they are louder than any other speakers I've had in the bike. I've had 2 sets of Kenwood KRC's, a set of Sony Explodes, the Pioneers and a set I can't remember what they are.

Now to the price. I think they are something like $129.00 on their website. I got 10% for being a Road Glide Forum member. I was flipping through the Drag Specialties on line catalog and they show them at $99 retail. Well I get a few pennies off of Drag so I payed about $20 more going direct. But they came directly to my door for that and I dealt with the man in charge.

[Chief]

That looks really slick. Is it waterproof?

Chief

[Puzzled]

That looks really slick. Is it waterproof?

Chief

Sort of. Let me explain. As I posted there is a film that goes over the radio. This does a pretty good job of keeping the majority of the water out. I made a cover for the real bad weather. See it here. http://www.cvoharley.com/smf/index.php?topic=6593.msg94384#msg94384I've ridden in about five continous hours of rain before the cover and saw some condensation on the corners of the face plate screen. It dried out in about two days. This was the reason for me building the cover. I also use it when I wash the bike.

[Twolanerider]

Cool.  Very cool.