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Thread: New owner

  1. #1
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    New owner

    The wife and I just bought a dealer new 2016 F6B Deluxe in matte silver, now I'm waiting on a break in the weather so I can go get her. I'm trying to learn all I can about the F6B in the meantime. I currently ride a 97 Valkyrie standard I've put about 120,000 miles on (minus the 5000 the previous owner clocked up). About 90,000 of those miles were ran as a darkside bike which is how she is outfitted now.

    Motorcycles have been my primary mode of transportation for most of the last 48 years although Indiana winters mean a lot of time in the cage this time of year. If this bike lasts as well as my Valk has then this will probably be the last bike I buy if I don't break it.

    Wonder if you folks would mind sharing some of your knowledge concerning these bikes, specifically the intercom and audio system? My first question is, can I plug my Garmin 550 Zumo into the intercom system? I use it for both music and GPS, can I still use it this way? Will my passenger and I both be able to hear it?

    Is there a 2nd audio in connector in the left saddlebag? If so, what is it's function? Phone? MP3?

    The wife & I have Ultimate Seats on our Valk and are wondering how big an improvement they are over stock on the F6B with the primary consideration being passenger comfort?

    Thanks in advance.

    Mike

  2. #2
    Can't help much,

    The connection in the saddlebag is for a flash drive or mp3 player. I use 8gig keys and can

    ride for 2 weeks without repeating. Make sure you read up on formats, number or folders

    and files or you'll have trouble,

    You might crash your B, but you won't break it mechanically unless you're an idiot.

    I also have a Valk, a '98 Tourer - but I've only ridden it once since '13 when I bought the B.

    Time to sell it.

    Spring will come.

  3. #3
    Senior Member JackB's Avatar
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    Welcome many of us on this site had Valkyrie's great bike.
    The connector in the saddlebag is for a tumb drive to add more music. Sorry I can't help with the intercom system.
    The stock seat isn't bad I have a Mustang seat which I like but I think the Ultimate on the Valk is more comfortable I don't know how comfortable it is on the F6B.
    Ride safe.

  4. #4
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    Welcome aboard Mike. I can't help ya much with the sound system, I don't use mine much and haven't delved into it much except for the occasional listen to the radio or some of my own music on a flash drive. As for navigation, I'm a paper map kind of guy.
    I can offer some info on the Ultimate seat though. As I told you in my PM from the other site, I think the OEM seat on the "6" is the best OEM seat I have had on a motorcycle. My main complaint was that I needed to straighten my knees a bit and being short, highway pegs don't do a lot for me. That's why I bought an Ultimate "King Rider". It sits me a little higher because the foam doesn't compress as much. Then I got some KuryAkyn mini boards with 3/4" comfort drop mounts. The combination of the seat & lower boards gave me what I needed for knee comfort.

    Good luck & enjoy that new ride when our Hoosier Winter releases its grip.

    Doug
    aka six2go

  5. #5
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    I have the same GPS unit. You can hook it up thru the F6B audio system by plugging the GPS's line out cable into the F6B's (optional) audio line in cable, which can be dealer installed into the left side storage box before you pick up the bike (if it's is not already there). Another option if your GPS cabling is damaged, is to buy an auto type serial power adaptor plug ($5.00) and Bluetooth adaptor ($10-20) for the power port in the same glove box and use the Bluetooth sound from the GPS. The Bluetooth gets to the F6B's sound system thru the same audio line in cable plugged into the new Bluetooth adaptor, plugged into the power port. I did not go the Bluetooth route because I've had lots of issues with Bluetooth connectivity between devices made by different companies on previous bikes (there's a thread about this issue in here somewhere).

    The F6B audio system won't mix from different audio inputs / sources: (which are am/fm/weather radio, audio line in, serial line in the left saddle bag plug) This means you can't hear the radio and the GPS (or the GPS directions and the serial line in from the left saddle bag) at the same time.

    The serial plug in the left saddle bag works best with a thumb drive. Some folks have their phones plugged in to this butf but not all phones work, and you can't use it as a phone while it is. I've got a 128 Gig microSD card/thumb drive back there. It holds about 15,000 uncompressed MP3 songs while the biggest microSD card the Garmin will recognize is 32 Gig. While the SD card in the Garmin will allow me to play tunes AND hear the directions thru the speakers or headset, it obviously doesn't hold nearly as much as the one in the saddlebag. I have a both a 32 Gig card in the Garmin (they are cheap) and a 128 Gig in the saddle bag (not so cheap) . Why both? Because sometimes I like to listen to stuff that is not on the 32 Gig drive in the Garmin.

    The OEM Honda wired headsets sound are designed for voice, not so much music (not a lot of bass). I use them when my wife and I are riding, it will allow us to talk to each other and hear any one audio source (at the same time). If you use the Bluetooth adaptor in the glove box, you can also talk on a cell phone using the headsets. I don't know how well the phone works thru the Garmin using the headsets, but I know I can hear it thru the audio speakers using the Bluetooth adaptor if the phone is on the handlebars. My phone's micorphone can still hear me talking (even at 60mph or so). The wiring for a passenger headset can be installed under the rear seat (if not already there). It takes a couple of hours to install.

    I bought my 2015 F6B Deluxe, in September, no miles, for a steal. I got the dealer to install the audio jack and a few other 3rd party items. But the service shop managed to disconnect the headlights while installing the audio jack. So beware the stealer, make sure you closely check the bike over before you leave the shop. I learned that the lights were not working when I drove thru a tunnel on Skyline Drive two days after I picked up the bike. The high beams worked, but I am sure the traffic coming towards me did not appreciate my high beams in a dark tunnel.

    I've got 4,000 miles on it, so still I'm an amateur compared with the guys on this site. I'm sure I've missed something.

  6. #6
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    Thanks

    Really appreciate the info guys.

    Thanks to Dadeo's info I just ordered a thumb drive and a bigger card for my Zumo (only had a 8GB in it).

    Can't wait to pick her up.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by dadeo View Post
    I have the same GPS unit. You can hook it up thru the F6B audio system by plugging the GPS's line out cable into the F6B's (optional) audio line in cable, which can be dealer installed into the left side storage box before you pick up the bike (if it's is not already there). Another option if your GPS cabling is damaged, is to buy an auto type serial power adaptor plug ($5.00) and Bluetooth adaptor ($10-20) for the power port in the same glove box and use the Bluetooth sound from the GPS. The Bluetooth gets to the F6B's sound system thru the same audio line in cable plugged into the new Bluetooth adaptor, plugged into the power port. I did not go the Bluetooth route because I've had lots of issues with Bluetooth connectivity between devices made by different companies on previous bikes (there's a thread about this issue in here somewhere).

    The F6B audio system won't mix from different audio inputs / sources: (which are am/fm/weather radio, audio line in, serial line in the left saddle bag plug) This means you can't hear the radio and the GPS (or the GPS directions and the serial line in from the left saddle bag) at the same time.

    The serial plug in the left saddle bag works best with a thumb drive. Some folks have their phones plugged in to this butf but not all phones work, and you can't use it as a phone while it is. I've got a 128 Gig microSD card/thumb drive back there. It holds about 15,000 uncompressed MP3 songs while the biggest microSD card the Garmin will recognize is 32 Gig. While the SD card in the Garmin will allow me to play tunes AND hear the directions thru the speakers or headset, it obviously doesn't hold nearly as much as the one in the saddlebag. I have a both a 32 Gig card in the Garmin (they are cheap) and a 128 Gig in the saddle bag (not so cheap) . Why both? Because sometimes I like to listen to stuff that is not on the 32 Gig drive in the Garmin.

    The OEM Honda wired headsets sound are designed for voice, not so much music (not a lot of bass). I use them when my wife and I are riding, it will allow us to talk to each other and hear any one audio source (at the same time). If you use the Bluetooth adaptor in the glove box, you can also talk on a cell phone using the headsets. I don't know how well the phone works thru the Garmin using the headsets, but I know I can hear it thru the audio speakers using the Bluetooth adaptor if the phone is on the handlebars. My phone's micorphone can still hear me talking (even at 60mph or so). The wiring for a passenger headset can be installed under the rear seat (if not already there). It takes a couple of hours to install.

    I bought my 2015 F6B Deluxe, in September, no miles, for a steal. I got the dealer to install the audio jack and a few other 3rd party items. But the service shop managed to disconnect the headlights while installing the audio jack. So beware the stealer, make sure you closely check the bike over before you leave the shop. I learned that the lights were not working when I drove thru a tunnel on Skyline Drive two days after I picked up the bike. The high beams worked, but I am sure the traffic coming towards me did not appreciate my high beams in a dark tunnel.

    I've got 4,000 miles on it, so still I'm an amateur compared with the guys on this site. I'm sure I've missed something.
    That's a lot of great info Dadeo, thanks. I saw the passenger headset wiring and the left side glove box cord in the Honda accessories online list and had them added as dealer installed accessories along with the tall windscreen. Concerning the Zumo, did you hard wire it into the bikes electrical system or do you power it from the glove box outlet?
    Thanks again,
    Mike

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frye View Post
    That's a lot of great info Dadeo, thanks. I saw the passenger headset wiring and the left side glove box cord in the Honda accessories online list and had them added as dealer installed accessories along with the tall windscreen. Concerning the Zumo, did you hard wire it into the bikes electrical system or do you power it from the glove box outlet?
    Thanks again,
    Mike
    I hard wired directly to the battery. You could wire it to an empty slot on the accessory block (next to the battery) but I had trouble with the screws and decided I wanted the Garmin to get juice even if the bike is off. The battery will stay charged and and it won't shut off when I turn the bike off. I have to remember to turn the GPS off, but the Garmin doesn't draw much juice even if you leave it on by mistake. Hard wiring allows you to keep the glove box power outlet available for an unplanned powered accessory (er like my wife's dead cell phone) on a trip.

  9. #9
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    New Owner

    Welcome to the F6B, you will love it. I have a 2013 and I have put an ultimate seat on mine and just love it. I would recommend it along with the Baggershield adjustable
    windscreen. I still have a 98 Standard Valk that I put 80,000 miles on it with and ultimate king seat, still ride it, but not as much as the F6B


    Kokomo Kevin

  10. #10
    Senior Member shortleg0521's Avatar
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    Here is what I did.
    I have a Sena 20s headset a long with a Sena SM 10 that the headset jack goes to.
    My phone is bluetoothed to the SM 10 a long with with my headset.
    I have a XM radio in the left pocket plugged into the 3.5 plug and a thumb drive in the saddle bag.
    ,My wife and I can talk with Sena 20s headsets, we can each talk on our own phones thanks to the SM 10
    We can also listen to any music source on the bike.
    You can also plug your zumo into the SM 10 and you will hear directions or the music from it.

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