First, Take it to dealer and have software reloaded. There have been other minor issues with these radios since they came out. (disc skipping, blank LCDs) Could be just a code error. If that doen't work, ask to have it replaced.

 

HD & HK pulled together and created a real POS using the cheapest parts possible to maximize their take of our hard earned bread. (and then threw together firmware that could have been designed better by a 12 year old. No folders for MP3's? WTF? But then we are still basically riding 70 year old technology with "fluff" added.)

The laser pickup in the HK is one of the cheapest available. It is used on a lot of 19.95 players available at any local "junk is us" store. To get around the cheap laser assembly you have to use premium CD's. Rule of thumb - Blue or Silver is the color of the side being burned. Burn speed will generally have no effect if you are using a decent burner. I burn at 60X on TDK RAD80M-50468's without any problem.

 

Not any more than a Corvette is 52-year-old technology with its small-block V8. The machining and materials are not comparable to the 1955 engine, nor is the modern HD engine to older models.

Time will tell on mine, as it's only nine months old, but so far I'm impressed with the HK unit, including the CD player. I have an HK stereo in my 1995 car, including a Casio (owned by HK) 6-CD changer in trunk and single-CD player in the dash, and they have not given me any trouble. I'm also not diligent about cleaning the laser lens, and assume that since HK owns Casio that they're still using their CD mechanisms, but I really have no way of knowing.

Have you removed the laser assembly to determine its quality? If so, what makes it "cheap"? I'm not doubting your claims, but just would like to know where you're getting your information.

 

If anyone that is having success with the H/K unit reading their MP3s would share when brand of CDRs they are using, I would appreciate it.

 

Here's the link for the latest HK firmware.

http://www.hogtunes.com/softwareupdates.htm

 

I've had good luck with Verbatim CD's, available at Sam's Club, although the top-drawer in optical media is Toyo Yuden. Not cheap and its label often pirated, I only use TY DVD's for video recording. Beware of buying TY's on Ebay or elsewhere because of the pirating problem. If they don't say "Made in Japan" on the label they are not real TY's. Two on-line dealers are reliable sources for TY media: www.rima.com and www.supermediastore.com. I usually buy from Rima because their prices are better.

That said, CD burning is far less critical than DVD's, and I've used Verbatim and cheap generic CD's from Staples in the HK player without any trouble.

 

In case anyone else runs into the same problem I have had with the H/K playing recorded MP3 disks, I'll share what worked for me...

What I tried:
- Multiple brands of disks (from both Japan and Taiwan factories)
- Both PC and Mac software/burners
- Different burning speeds
- iTunes and different CD burning software
- Several different Harleys (07 and 08 models)

All songs on the CDs would play on the computer and in my car.
However, many of songs would not play in the bikes tested.
The same songs played in every bike.
The CDR type or burning speed did not make a difference.

Humm....

So, I tried "Convert Selection to MP3" in iTunes using VBR (Highest Quality) and iTunes Encoding on MP3s that would not play on the H/K. I then made a playlist and burned them to a CDR. SUCCESS! Every song worked on the H/K regardless of CDR type or burning speed. So, since I can't tell which MP3s are encoded correctly, I am now converting my entire MP3 collection.

 

Ditto on the Staples disks. I get 'em on the spindles that are about a foot tall. Never had a problem.

 

So, when the MP3 partworks properly... does the bike display show the song name, band name, etc..?

Picking up my '06 Ultra next week and wondering what to expect.

 

Depends... it will either display the song name or "Track #" and Album