did the same with mine, signal goes up by 1 bar on meter. not perfect but better, easy mod. Mike

 

Do the update to get rid of the popping, worked for me, cant help with the signal, the fm sig sucks too imo

 

The XM cuts out about the same as it did on my 2010 FLHTK. I left the antenna in the recommended location. Anytime there is something blocking the southern sky - tall buildings, trees, etc. the signal cuts out but it does the same thing in my truck with XM antenna on the roof. I agree that the signal buffer is only about 1 second. The FM radio range is way shorter than my 2010 - I thought it was because of the shorty antenna.

 

XM reception is horrible on my '14 Limited - unusable for all practical purposes. What is the most effective process for contacting someone at HD to report the problem? Maybe we should all report this. I am considering asking the dealer to remove it and issue a credit. We use Sirius XM daily in both my truck and wife's car daily with zero issues. Something has to give here - will not pay for an unusable service, and the cost of that XM module was a tough pill to swallow too. HD needs to provide a fix - that weak antenna cannot remain inside the fairing, in my opinion.

On another note: I am running shorty antennas and don't have any complaint with FM reception. I was picking up hard-to-reach Philadelphia stations very well deep in the woods of southern NJ today. I suppose that FM reception on my bike is a match or slightly better than in my truck. No pops on FM stations either, FWIW...

Two days and 400+ miles on the new ride. Biggest positive is the improved ride quality from premium ride single cart front and adjustable rear suspension (45500158 & 54000008). Another big surprise is the convenient ergonomics of the bag latches and new-style hand controls (which we all will use hundreds of times). Only real disappointment so far has to be XM radio, which is useless without a functioning antenna.

 

You have to move it out of the fairing and even then it cuts out a lot. I contacted XM and they recommended a cone antenna they sell, but it's another $50 bucks and the reviews are mixed.

I then contacted a professional electronics installer and they have done some XM to Sirius swap outs, but it's not cheap. It also does not provide all the options you have on the screen, but it is Sirius. Not worth it for me. If I'm going to do that I'll just get Sirius through my smart phone and run it through the stereo. Not as convenient, but it'll be a LOT cheaper.

 

(this is cut and paste from my blog, sorry) my early impression on our new motorcycle, the Ultra Limited, the XM Satellite radio reception was bad at best. It was so bad that I was considering having it removed and asking for my money back (not really sure how that would have worked out).


After reading different takes about the radio on HD Forums and other sites, I decided to try it with the antenna moved out of the fairing and onto the “dash”. In this case to the right of the Project Rushmore air vent. The appearance of the antenna in this location is, and you can see for yourself, not bad. When I have the vent closed the antenna even looks like it is meant to be there.
View from the front

But this was not about aesthetics or appearance it was about reception. Prior to moving the antenna I would get reception a grade of 40% out of 100. The drops and lost reception was more than inconvenient, it was I want to return it bad. After moving the antenna I will grade out reception as 80% out of 100. Now the only time I lose reception is when there is a mountain or heavy foliage blocking the southern sky.


I still think Harley Davidson should install a buffer in the radio to allow for those short drops when they occur. I don’t think a 4-10 second buffer would increase the price of the radio beyond what people are willing to pay.
If you are considering purchasing an XM radio module for your motorcycle do not waste your time and add stress levels by allowing them (or yourself) to install the antenna in the default location. Install the antenna on the dash from the start; it will work a whole lot better and you will be happier with the reception you receive

 

I relocated the puc outside the faring on my 14 FLHTKSE with almost no improvement. I believe the problem is what YPD485 said, the 1 second buffer. Don't get me wrong. I love my bike. It is by far the best I have every set my but on. It just ticks me off that we pay the prices we do for our bikes and EVERYTHING not work as it should. Just saying.

 

Going along with everyone else, the XM reception on my 14 FLHTK is terrible.........I would understand if I was driving under a moderate to heavily wooded area but that is never the case. I can drive under one tree and have my reception go out, only to return in about 10-15 seconds. I seldom have more than one bar, two if I am lucky.

I am probably going to relocate the antenna from the stock position to the outside but I'm just not sure if I will like that "unclean" look.

 

My XM reception seems to be on par with my roof mounted unit on the Pickup. Not sure where the dealership put the antenna but I'm assuming its where the instructions say to put it. As for FM reception, I was highly disappointed in the performance when compared to my 2010 Limited I traded in. Just by accident I found the connector between the seat and the tourpack. When I pulled it apart, white powdered aluminum corrosion was covering both the male and female ends. Cleaned them up and used dielectric grease when putting back together. My reception is greatly improved, picking up Boise 105.9 from Baker City Oregon over 100 miles away

 

hen I had my 04, I used a handlebar mounted XM receiver. The antenna was on top of the unit and I got pretty good reception. So, when I got my 2011, I had XM with the Garmin 665. In my opinion, the reception was bad.

So, when I got my 14, I simply decided to not have it installed.