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[dfrny]

Had a lot of work planned this weekend on the bike. Since I was waiting for multiple things to accomplish with the front fairing off I am glad I read this thread. I activated my XM service and the recpetion was terrible on everything but a major highway (i.e no leaves overhead). I thought it was the way XM worked so I was pretty sure I was not going to subscribe after my 3 month trial is up. With the fairing off to put in new speakers and move the (useless) air temperature probe to an opening on the lower part, I also moved the XM antenna. It was very straight forward and there was a lot of slack in a loop to place it anywhere I could think of. Since I have windshield pouches I did not want to not be able to use them so I placed on top of the front left speaker. I used some double-stick tape (not too strong) and so far it seems to hold well.

Anyway - after all of the projects were completed (new speakers, temp probe moved, saddle bag trim, floor board extensions, air horns, locking lower fairing doors) I decided to take her out and see of everything still worked. The reception was like night and day - it was flawless. I rode all over back roads (dense foliage) and it was hanging in there. Before it would be "no signal" and I would switch to a CD or FM for the rest of the ride. Now - its great. I had Channel 46 on the whole time out and got to push the new Hawg Wired speakers hard. I love XM now and will defiantly re-up when my 3 month trial is over.

Thanks for the tip - problem solved. Below is a picture of the relocated antenna. Hopefully its waterproof but just in case I can put it inside one of the windshield pouches since I left enough slack under the fairing. 

[ccr]

I too, have been so thankful for this thread.  My XM works flawlessly - in my fairing, but folks have been talking about their favorite channels here too.  I know I'd stopped at 40 in the past, but did not stay long, pretty much skipping between 46 and 49.  But a post about 40 had me check it out again and it is a great channel too.  And I had never heard of Lucy before this, and it is also been added to the favorites listing.  Thanks everyone for the suggestions. 

 

[RedDevil]

Had a lot of work planned this weekend on the bike. Since I was waiting for multiple things to accomplish with the front fairing off I am glad I read this thread. I activated my XM service and the recpetion was terrible on everything but a major highway (i.e no leaves overhead). I thought it was the way XM worked so I was pretty sure I was not going to subscribe after my 3 month trial is up. With the fairing off to put in new speakers and move the (useless) air temperature probe to an opening on the lower part, I also moved the XM antenna. It was very straight forward and there was a lot of slack in a loop to place it anywhere I could think of. Since I have windshield pouches I did not want to not be able to use them so I placed on top of the front left speaker. I used some double-stick tape (not too strong) and so far it seems to hold well.

Anyway - after all of the projects were completed (new speakers, temp probe moved, saddle bag trim, floor board extensions, air horns, locking lower fairing doors) I decided to take her out and see of everything still worked. The reception was like night and day - it was flawless. I rode all over back roads (dense foliage) and it was hanging in there. Before it would be "no signal" and I would switch to a CD or FM for the rest of the ride. Now - its great. I had Channel 46 on the whole time out and got to push the new Hawg Wired speakers hard. I love XM now and will defiantly re-up when my 3 month trial is over.

Thanks for the tip - problem solved. Below is a picture of the relocated antenna. Hopefully its waterproof but just in case I can put it inside one of the windshield pouches since I left enough slack under the fairing. 

df,
Did you cut the rubber gasket/trim where the XM antenna wire is coming through the fairing?  That looks like a pretty good size gap for water to get inside of your fairing now.  Could be just an optical illusion created in the picture though.
Cheers ,
 

[ccr]

...Did you cut the rubber gasket/trim where the XM antenna wire is coming through the fairing?  That looks like a pretty good size gap for water to get inside of your fairing now.  ...

Jamey got the instructions from Otis that he then used for when he installed XMs on our bikes.  He took a round file and filed a very small notch into the plastic on the top of the fairing. brought the wire through that goes from the antenae to the actual XM unit that sits in one of the windshield bags.  No water gets in there, it is a tight fit.  But not so tight as to pinch the wire. 

[dfrny]

Hi Red Devil - I think (will check) that is more of the angle from which I took the picture. What I did was route the wire beween the windshield and the pouches shich seems to offer some cushioning so it does not pinch. The fairing is sitting the way it was before and that appearence of the gap is where the windhield/puches slide dowing into the fairing. I would have hate to have fixed my XM and create a leak instead. 

Dave

[Chief]

Since I had the fairing off last night to replace the burned out indicator lights, I decided to move the XM antenna. I got the antenna off of the bracket with the heat gun, but the adhesive foil on the underside came partially off of the antenna base, exposing a nice little rare-earth magnet. Cool.

I reattached the foil tape and then placed the antenna, via the magnet, no tape, to the base of the windshield pouches, between two of the pouches. It's almost hidden. 

I then ran, and taped, the antenna wire under the left pouch and behind the windshield through a tiny little notch I filed in the inner fairing very near the left windshield bolt. 

I buttoned everything up and checked it out and now I can even receive, although with a good bit of fade, an XM signal in the basement. Before, all I got was No Signal.

It was an easy fix, and yielded great results. That fairing must be lined in lead or something.

[Rooster]

The Xm antenna that was on my road king was supposed to be in one of the saddle bags but kept cuttin out so moved it to the back of license plate discovered the magnet on the back, stayed there and never moved and reception was much better. Now the new cuse seems to work even better hardly ever cuts out.

[iski]

I will move my XM antenna eventually.  Another one of those strange MoCo deals - seems like SOMEBODY would have figured out a way to mount this on the OUTSIDE of the bike at the design/engineering phase.   

[Midnight Rider]

Really, the ulitmate solution would be to have the little puck (er) mounted in a small indention on the top of the leather dash just made to fit the size of the antena.  Then a hole large enough to pass the connection to the radio could be drilled into the fairing behind the leather dash, a grommet installed, and it's good to go.  Meanwhile, mine will sit dead center of the top of the dash.  I'd be  about cutting up the dash, but it's on my mind.

Another good location, though involving more wire fishing, would be on top of the leather TP, just behind the passenger backrest.

I have found that when the signal is marginal, even passing your hand over the antena will cause a loss of signal for a second or two.  But at least with mine on the dash now, I can listen to XM when I've got the scoot in the driveway for washing/detailing, but I have to park it at least 8 feet from the side of the house, or the signal is intermittant.  I have some tall trees it has to shoot through as well.  Use to never get a signal out there though....

[Chief]

Really, the ulitmate solution would be to have the little puck (er) mounted in a small indention on the top of the leather dash just made to fit the size of the antena.  Then a hole large enough to pass the connection to the radio could be drilled into the fairing behind the leather dash, a grommet installed, and it's good to go.  Meanwhile, mine will sit dead center of the top of the dash.  I'd be  about cutting up the dash, but it's on my mind.

Another good location, though involving more wire fishing, would be on top of the leather TP, just behind the passenger backrest.

I have found that when the signal is marginal, even passing your hand over the antena will cause a loss of signal for a second or two.  But at least with mine on the dash now, I can listen to XM when I've got the scoot in the driveway for washing/detailing, but I have to park it at least 8 feet from the side of the house, or the signal is intermittant.  I have some tall trees it has to shoot through as well.  Use to never get a signal out there though....

Tour pak is no good for me as it isn't hardly ever on the bike. The spot between the leather pouches is optimal because it is almost totally hidden but still get's great reception. And, being attached via magnet, no glue is involved.

[Midnight Rider]

That works, Chief, no need for anything else done.  I was fortunate enough to be able to pull mine off with the sticky (looks like 3M tape) stuff still intact, so just stuck it to the dash.  That's where it will reside from this point forward, unless some reason to change shows itself.

The weather thing for the GPS would be on a different antenna, so if that ever happens, I'll cross another bridge to get there.

[Chief]

That works, Chief, no need for anything else done.  I was fortunate enough to be able to pull mine off with the sticky (looks like 3M tape) stuff still intact, so just stuck it to the dash.  That's where it will reside from this point forward, unless some reason to change shows itself.

The weather thing for the GPS would be on a different antenna, so if that ever happens, I'll cross another bridge to get there.

Have you seen that thing? It's about the size of a hockey puck!!! I can only imagine mating that to a bracket integrated with the GPS mount. As soon as they get that in something other than the GPSMap, I'll have to get one. My 2610 is great right now, but a lot has changed since I got it. Some of the changes are actually positive too.

[Midnight Rider]

Have you seen that thing? It's about the size of a hockey puck!!! I can only imagine mating that to a bracket integrated with the GPS mount. As soon as they get that in something other than the GPSMap, I'll have to get one. My 2610 is great right now, but a lot has changed since I got it. Some of the changes are actually positive too.

Yeah, it HUAGE alright.  I've seen a pic of the Garmin XM mounted to a GPS mount on a bike...the tacky part of it is all the extra wire.  To have on-board, live weather radar images would be awesome though.

[arcticdude]

I buttoned everything up and checked it out and now I can even receive, although with a good bit of fade, an XM signal in the basement. Before, all I got was No Signal.

I think I'd like to be there when you ride that thing back up the stairs out of the basement!!

[DakotaZeb]

I've had no problems with the reception on my '06 SE Ultra.  Only time it faded out was in the mountains with tall pines lining the road.  I am even able to get reception when the bike is parked in the garage.

Talked to a guy the other day about reception and his was fine also.  In fact he was telling me he never signed up for XM service after the 3 month free-bee and he is still getting it.  His 3 months ran out last fall.  One lucky guy!!