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[woode]

My bike doesn't arrive until next month, but I'm already starting to get a bad feeling about the whole radio system.  The Zumo has top of the line motorcycle-friendly features, and also includes bluetooth, MP3, XM, and XM Traffic.  On a premium bike with a premium price, why would you include a substandard system that doesn't have bluetooth, XM Traffic, and a usable GPS system?  Sure, we can choose to not use the included features, but they certainly contributed a tidy sum to the $35K.  So, you have to resort to a frankenstein configuration using the Zumo with whatever features are usable on the H-D unit.  You then end up with a beautiful bike whose lines and appearance are marred by gadgets & wires.  I use my Zumo heavily on both the bike and my car, and XM Traffic is a must-have option, particularly on a Motorcycle.  Better to be routed around traffic than to sit and bake with an oven between your legs.  Bluetooth is now being included on the lowliest of cars, so is it too much to ask to include it on a bike that costs twice as much as many new cars?  I think not! 

Unless I'm wrong.  In which case, I will slip again into the background and continue to lurk.

[1abastarsmda]

My bike doesn't arrive until next month, but I'm already starting to get a bad feeling about the whole radio system.  The Zumo has top of the line motorcycle-friendly features, and also includes bluetooth, MP3, XM, and XM Traffic.  On a premium bike with a premium price, why would you include a substandard system that doesn't have bluetooth, XM Traffic, and a usable GPS system?  Sure, we can choose to not use the included features, but they certainly contributed a tidy sum to the $35K.  So, you have to resort to a frankenstein configuration using the Zumo with whatever features are usable on the H-D unit.  You then end up with a beautiful bike whose lines and appearance are marred by gadgets & wires.  I use my Zumo heavily on both the bike and my car, and XM Traffic is a must-have option, particularly on a Motorcycle.  Better to be routed around traffic than to sit and bake with an oven between your legs.  Bluetooth is now being included on the lowliest of cars, so is it too much to ask to include it on a bike that costs twice as much as many new cars?  I think not! 

Unless I'm wrong.  In which case, I will slip again into the background and continue to lurk.

Yup, yup, yup...it's all correct and we all have a problem with digesting it.  With the current state of the MoCo, I doubt we will see any changes to better that situation in the next few years.  What likely happened was the MoCo went to to Harman Kardon and told them they wanted a stereo with AMFM/CD/XM/CB/Intercom/Weather/Mp3 and gave them pricing guidelines to stay within.  They've had this setup for a few years and it hasn't hurt their sales, so why should they bother with having it upgraded.  If the CVO's weren't selling and they found out it was because of the stereo situation, they would make changes.  As it is, I think the majority go into the purchase seeing all it capabilities advertised and don't realize what a joke of a product it really is.  Do they care if we aren't happy with what they gave us...it doesn't seem that this fact matters to them.  Face it, you get a frame, wheels, tires, and sheet metal...it's up to you to change it to the bike you really want. They are kidding when they say "make it your own".  There isn't much on these bikes that can't be upgraded to something better.  Personally, I've made it this long without a GPS and I'll use it to it's capabilities and that's probably as far as I will go with it.

[Hugh Janis]

I'll have to check that out.  I didn't think you could put street number in.  I thought that was pretty stupid.  I guess I'm the stupid one.

Me too.  I'll check it out in April.  Thanks J-Carr!

[J-Carr]

Me too.  I'll check it out in April.  Thanks J-Carr!

If I don't suffer a brain fart and forget, I'll try to pop the GPS tonight and note down exactly when you can enter it.  I remember it's not obvious because I did a couple of trips with out it cause I missed it too.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[J-Carr]

Here's the exact spot to enter it:

After you spell the street and hit END it will give you a list of matching streets.  You're probably arrowing up or down and then pressing OK.  DON'T PRESS OK!  Instead, after you arrow up or down and highlight the correct street pres 4 (X-Road) to enter an intersection, 5 (Address) to enter a street number.  You'll then be able to enter the cross road or address number and press end.  The unit will display the completed address and you can press OK to navigate to where it thinks it is  , or click Store to save it or POIs By to find one of the pre-programmed destinations.

Hope that makes it simpler when the weather clears!

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[Hugh Janis]

Once again, YOU ROCK!  I now like my HD GPS better!

[1abastarsmda]

Here's the exact spot to enter it:

After you spell the street and hit END it will give you a list of matching streets.  You're probably arrowing up or down and then pressing OK.  DON'T PRESS OK!  Instead, after you arrow up or down and highlight the correct street pres 4 (X-Road) to enter an intersection, 5 (Address) to enter a street number.  You'll then be able to enter the cross road or address number and press end.  The unit will display the completed address and you can press OK to navigate to where it thinks it is  , or click Store to save it or POIs By to find one of the pre-programmed destinations.

Hope that makes it simpler when the weather clears!

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

Thanks.  When I tried using the GPS and didn't see a way to enter a street number, I thought it was well beyond a piece of crap.  I really prefer to listen to CD's when I ride, but I'm hoping that I when I activate my XM radio, it will be a reasonable substitute so I can leave the GPS CD in.  One of my buddies bought the same bike that you have a few weeks back, had it delivered, and hasn't been on it yet.  He has a driveway that is about a quarter mile long, all dirt, and all the melting snow runs down the hill to the end of the drive where it meets the road.  It's a muddy mess.  I told him it's time to buy a load or two of stone to fill it in...anything to get that thing out for a ride.  It takes some real willpower not riding your new bike even once.

Back to the GPS.  I know you can't program in more than one place at a time, but I'm assuming that you can program in addresses for each place you want to go and save the addresses, and then select the next address quickly to get you to your next destination.

[J-Carr]

Back to the GPS.  I know you can't program in more than one place at a time, but I'm assuming that you can program in addresses for each place you want to go and save the addresses, and then select the next address quickly to get you to your next destination.

Too bad about the weather for your buddy.  It's tough when you get a new bike and have to park it.

You are correct in your assumption about routing with the GPS.  Enter and save each address.  I think it's 20 you can store.  You can name them as you'd like so you can make it "trip segment a", "trip segment b", etc.  This would allow you to kind of fake out a route.  Of course the problem is that you may still end up going on a different set of roads then you thought.  All GPS units seem to calculate with a bit of a "I'll do it my way" attitude.  With a Zumo or similair unit you can plan it on a PC and download it so it's much easier to make it take the roads you want.  On the HK unit you'd have know way of knowing what roads it will take, other then to the first destination.

Like I said earlier.  I like it because it's built in so if something comes up or I'm just trying find a new restaurant etc, it's fine.  For trip planning and leading group rides I'd highly recommend the Zumo.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr 

[brhulen]

I've read where the Nav CD must be in the player in order for the GPS to function, is that right?  If so I think the necessity of leaving the Nav CD in is a throw back to the dinosaur age?  So I guess you can't listen to an audio CD while cruising along?  So lets see here, listen to music CD - get lost.  Watch or listen to turning instructions - get bored.  Just kidding, I've never been bored riding any kind of motorcycle.  Why can't the MoCo come up with a better rat trap, like maybe a second slot or perhaps just download the information into the memory, that's what I thought it did.  Maybe I'm missing something here, but I have never found the CD slot in my Garmin GPS while out hunting, or for that matter while flying. Yeah, I know that's what the AM/FM/Satellite radio is for, but for the most part Sat radio doesn't work up here and there are plenty of places where you'll receive no AM or FM either.  And yeah I know there's the port for an IPod or whatever, but they could definitely make a better one.  Truth be known I've never used the doggone thing as there aren't that many roads up here that require a GPS to find your way, but it'll come in handy I guess once we move down to the lower 48.  Okay, I'll step down off the podium and go sit in the corner and behave.

Brett

[J-Carr]

I've read where the Nav CD must be in the player in order for the GPS to function, is that right?  If so I think the necessity of leaving the Nav CD in is a throw back to the dinosaur age?  So I guess you can't listen to an audio CD while cruising along?  So lets see here, listen to music CD - get lost.  Watch or listen to turning instructions - get bored.  Just kidding, I've never been bored riding any kind of motorcycle.  Why can't the MoCo come up with a better rat trap, like maybe a second slot or perhaps just download the information into the memory, that's what I thought it did.  Maybe I'm missing something here, but I have never found the CD slot in my Garmin GPS while out hunting, or for that matter while flying. Yeah, I know that's what the AM/FM/Satellite radio is for, but for the most part Sat radio doesn't work up here and there are plenty of places where you'll receive no AM or FM either.  And yeah I know there's the port for an IPod or whatever, but they could definitely make a better one.  Truth be known I've never used the doggone thing as there aren't that many roads up here that require a GPS to find your way, but it'll come in handy I guess once we move down to the lower 48.  Okay, I'll step down off the podium and go sit in the corner and behave.

Brett

You're mostly sort of right.   

You have to put the disk in to enter addresses and then have it calculate the route.  Then you can pull it out and put a music CD in.  It will continue to give you directions... UNTIL.... you miss a turn, go onto a new section of road, or ask it for Fuel, Food or any other POI.  Then it will tell you to insert the Navigation CD.  And it wont go back until you do.  Even if you return to the original route.  Even if you try to cancel your request to try to find a POI.

So your only option is to keep the dang CD handy in a glove box door holder or some similiar contraption.  Maybe stick it in your teeth and hold it there.  Sit on it?  CDs are somewhat flexible right?   

When navigating I leave it in.  My buts too big to sit on it.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

[1abastarsmda]

You're mostly sort of right.   

You have to put the disk in to enter addresses and then have it calculate the route.  Then you can pull it out and put a music CD in.  It will continue to give you directions... UNTIL.... you miss a turn, go onto a new section of road, or ask it for Fuel, Food or any other POI.  Then it will tell you to insert the Navigation CD.  And it wont go back until you do.  Even if you return to the original route.  Even if you try to cancel your request to try to find a POI.

So your only option is to keep the dang CD handy in a glove box door holder or some similiar contraption.  Maybe stick it in your teeth and hold it there.  Sit on it?  CDs are somewhat flexible right?   

When navigating I leave it in.  My buts too big to sit on it.

Ride Safe,
J-Carr

Don't we have any brainiacs on here that can figure out how to connect an extra hard drive to the radio so it stores the NAV CD info?  I'm wondering if you could hard wire a CD changer from the saddlebags to the stereo someway where you could listen to the CD's in the changer and keep the NAV CD in the stereo and use both at once.  My thoughts are that if you used a CD changer that plays through the stereo by FM modulation, in other words you set a particular FM frequency for the CD changer to play, then you would still have use of the unit's CD slot and the NAV system would work fully, since you are tuned to a radio station, and it would then cut in as it is supposed to for turn by turn directions.  Hey, I may actually have something here.  Somebody that knows more, please comment.  I just happen to have a 10 disc Sony CD changer here that will fit in a saddlebag and I have no other use for it, and it is the FM modulator type of hookup.  You wouldn't even have to do any real wiring to the stereo, since they just plug into the antenna jack on the stereo.

I guess the NAV system isn't good enough to go to a lot of trouble to salvage its use, but maybe what I said above would actually work.  If the MoCo came out with the same system, with a good NAV system and bluetooth capability, we could all have time to worry about how the bikes run and how they look.  It truly is a shame and an injustice for them to use such antiquated equipment on what is supposed to be a state of the art machine.

[RedDevil]

I've read where the Nav CD must be in the player in order for the GPS to function, is that right?  If so I think the necessity of leaving the Nav CD in is a throw back to the dinosaur age?   So I guess you can't listen to an audio CD while cruising along?  So lets see here, listen to music CD - get lost.  Watch or listen to turning instructions - get bored.  Just kidding, I've never been bored riding any kind of motorcycle.  Why can't the MoCo come up with a better rat trap, like maybe a second slot or perhaps just download the information into the memory, that's what I thought it did.  Maybe I'm missing something here, but I have never found the CD slot in my Garmin GPS while out hunting, or for that matter while flying. Yeah, I know that's what the AM/FM/Satellite radio is for, but for the most part Sat radio doesn't work up here and there are plenty of places where you'll receive no AM or FM either.  And yeah I know there's the port for an IPod or whatever, but they could definitely make a better one.  Truth be known I've never used the doggone thing as there aren't that many roads up here that require a GPS to find your way, but it'll come in handy I guess once we move down to the lower 48.  Okay, I'll step down off the podium and go sit in the corner and behave.

Brett

This is actually no different than any built in navigation system in your car or truck, except they usually have a separate, or additional slot, DVD drive.  You have to have the DVD in for them to work properly also.  I guess because of the size of the head unit, they couldn't put two cd slots in the radio head.    I leave mine in all the time because I listen to XM and am perfectly happy with that.  Channel 46 Rocks!!  (literally). 

   

[woode]

Don't we have any brainiacs on here that can figure out how to connect an extra hard drive to the radio so it stores the NAV CD info?  I'm wondering if you could hard wire a CD changer from the saddlebags to the stereo someway where you could listen to the CD's in the changer and keep the NAV CD in the stereo and use both at once...... 

Wow, it would be so much easier & cheaper to plug in an Ipod if you want to listen to your own music, and XM for everything else.  I've had CD players & changers in my last two cars that got zero use.  They're just too limited compared to other options.

[1abastarsmda]

Wow, it would be so much easier & cheaper to plug in an Ipod if you want to listen to your own music, and XM for everything else.  I've had CD players & changers in my last two cars that got zero use.  They're just too limited compared to other options.

But the point was to allow the NAV system to cut in for turn by turn...you don't have that when you plug in to the auxillary jack.  At any rate, the NAV system isn't that great to start with, and not really worth the work to try to salvage its' functionality.

[woode]

But the point was to allow the NAV system to cut in for turn by turn...you don't have that when you plug in to the auxillary jack.  At any rate, the NAV system isn't that great to start with, and not really worth the work to try to salvage its' functionality.

OK, I see your point.  So it seems that the onboard Nav is OK in a pinch, but the Zumo would be superior for all other functions, as it also provides XM, XM Traffic, MP3, and turn by turn.   So, does use of the Aux port disable CB, AM/FM, and Intercom?