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[drgmis16]

The past few months have been listening to SiruxXM and the sound cuts out every so often. Information is still showing on the radio though. Turn volume up to full and no sound. Have not tried changing to FM or AM though when this happens. When turn bike off and then back on, the sound comes back. Is this an indication that the SiruxFM module is going bad or is it the radio itself? No use taking to dealer since this is an intermittent problem, can not diagnose a problem if iit is not there. This happens while riding down the highway so can rule out interference with buildings for example.

[tpcrawford]

Good Morning,

Have you checked to make sure your CB is turned off (if you not using it) ?   The CB will disrupt sound from other sources,   If you are using the CB, turn the squelch up.

Just a thought.  Have had the above happen to me several times ... when I forget to turn CB off !

-Tim

[drgmis16]

Checked and the CB was off. Leaning toward something in the radio itself. Swapped from SirusXM to FM and still no sound. Kind of hard to really figure out as it is very intermittent. Have not tried with head set in the helmet though. Might be the same though.

[BigLew55]

The first three things I check for audio cutting out (depending on year of bike):

• CB
• Navigation.  2014 and up) Do you have an active route and don't realize it
• Speaker Switch pre-2014 bikes had a speaker switch that could wear and cause sporadic audio.  I was always able to rock it back and forth several time and relieve the issues for a while

[CRKING9]

Mine was doing the same thing.  I called the dealership and they said that the radio needs flashed every year.  They said it costs like $55.  I'm not going to deal with that, so I plan on upgrading my radio to an aftermarket radio.  Ridiculous that you have to have a radio flashed every year to function correctly. 

[Joel]

On my 2015 Limited it was doing a similar audio problem that I found that pulling off the road and turning the bike off for a few seconds then restarting would bring back audio, the dealer did a new switch pack and system update and never had the problem again.

[bigC]

Mine was doing the same thing.  I called the dealership and they said that the radio needs flashed every year.  They said it costs like $55.  I'm not going to deal with that, so I plan on upgrading my radio to an aftermarket radio.  Ridiculous that you have to have a radio flashed every year to function correctly.

Time to find another dealer.

[kojak]

The past few months have been listening to SiruxXM and the sound cuts out every so often. Information is still showing on the radio though. Turn volume up to full and no sound. Have not tried changing to FM or AM though when this happens. When turn bike off and then back on, the sound comes back. Is this an indication that the SiruxFM module is going bad or is it the radio itself? No use taking to dealer since this is an intermittent problem, can not diagnose a problem if iit is not there. This happens while riding down the highway so can rule out interference with buildings for example.

From AI:
On a Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra, this symptom is fairly common enough that there are a few known suspects.

Your bike uses the Harley Boom! Box infotainment system, and based on your description, I would put the likelihood roughly like this:

Boom! Box head unit/software issue — most likely
Loose/intermittent fairing connector or amp connection
Audio amplifier overheating/failing
SiriusXM tuner/module — possible but less likely

The biggest clue is:

display continues working
rebooting the bike restores sound

That behavior screams “electronic lockup” more than hardware signal loss.

On 2014–2016 touring Harleys, the Boom! Box systems had a reputation for:

occasional software freezes
audio muting glitches
amplifier communication dropouts
intermittent fairing harness connection issues from vibration

The factory amp on Ultras can also intermittently thermal-protect itself. When that happens:

radio appears normal
audio disappears completely
cycling ignition resets it

A failing SiriusXM tuner usually causes:

“No Signal”
channel unavailable messages
frozen metadata
or Sirius-only problems while FM still works

Since you said ALL sound disappears (or at least you haven’t verified otherwise), I’d lean away from the Sirius module for now.

Things I’d check in order:

1. Test FM immediately when it happens

This is the most important diagnostic step.

Next failure:

switch from SiriusXM to FM
then Media/Bluetooth if available

Results:

FM dead too → not Sirius module
only Sirius dead → Sirius tuner/module or software path
2. Inspect fairing connectors

The Road Glide fairing vibration can loosen connectors over time.

Common spots:

back of Boom! Box head unit
amp connectors
fairing harness plugs

Even slightly loose pins can create intermittent audio loss.

3. Check for amp overheating

Especially if:

hot outside
long rides
high volume
aftermarket speakers

If sound drops only after riding awhile, amp thermal shutdown becomes more likely.

4. Firmware update

Many 2016 Boom! Box units benefited from software updates.

A dealer can:

check firmware version
update infotainment software
scan for stored radio/amp communication codes

Even intermittent faults sometimes leave history codes.

5. Battery/charging system

Harleys get weird electronically with marginal voltage.

Check:

battery terminals tight
charging voltage around 13.8–14.4V while running

Low voltage can make the radio reboot internally or mute.

One trick some owners use:
When audio cuts out, instead of cycling ignition:

try changing sources rapidly
or hold power/mute button to soft reboot radio

If sound returns without key cycling, that further points to Boom! Box software.

At this point, I would NOT replace the SiriusXM module first. The odds are better that:

the Boom! Box itself,
the amp,
or a connection issue
is causing the problem.