Mike,
I decided on a Alpine receiver (IDA-X100M) marine grade radio, Hawg Wire Universal Adapter/ DX-70 speakers /PSC150 watt amp, Sirrius/Alpine satellite tuner and a powered AM/FM fairing antenna. I had Bluegauges.com change the tach/speedo lighting to blue and changed the other gauges to blue LED’s. This audio setup was 100% plug and play….I did not have to cut one single wire and can unplug anyone of these components or all of it and return it to a stock configuration.
I decided to go aftermarket for a few reasons…first, I just did not like the look of that big old black radio adjacent to all the nice shiny brushed aluminum SE gauges…plus I also wanted to change the radio/gauges to blue backlighting. You would think with the MSRP of on the stock radio somebody at HD could come up with some cosmetic/functional improvements . Although the new I-Pod interface is a step in the right direction…it’s a pricey one, as is the HD satellite option (almost a $1000.00 for these 2 options alone). Second, I wanted to have full control of my I-Pod Nano with my hand controls (volume, selecting tracks, pause, etc.)…I also get full charging capability, the aux cable is now a USB cable wired to the back of the unit and the song title/artist and album art is visible on a nice 2x2inch digital screen. Once I attach the I-pod I never have to touch/or look at my I-Pod again. The final reason was cost/functional comparison of this setup vs. keeping the stock radio …I do realize you can now change the backlighting of the stock radio (Iron Cross), have an aux input installed and purchase a aux cable which now charges your I-Pod, or purchase the HD I-Pod interface and cable, purchase the Harley satellite tuner, etc.
I just could not see putting that kind of money into the stock radio considering many of the aforementioned mods would void my warranty (I got a 3yr warranty on the Alpine receiver) , the Alpine unit would have far superior functionality , and appearance-wise I think it better compliments our gauges/inner fairing. Just got back from a 2500 mile trip on the bike and the system performed flawlessly…I actually listened to the satellite radio more than the I-Pod (news, sports, wx, talk shows, comedy, and virtually any genre of music you can think of)….paid for itself on this trip alone. Here is a breakdown of costs associated with this setup (prices reflect discounts off MSRP at the time).
Alpine iDA-X100M Receiver (3yr warranty included) $346.99
Hawg Wire Universal Install Kit(HUA-470)$233.96
Hawg Wire Speakers(DX-504-70)$224.96
(Need to upgrade speakers due to different ohm rating of HD receiver vs. aftermarket receivers )
Hawg Wire 150 Watt Amp(PSC1502)$555.46 (Optional)
Alpine Sirius Satellite Tuner/Interface (KCA SC-100/SC-C1) $92.63 (Optional)