A NEW HARLEY RADIO

One of my personal pleasures in life, is to jump on the Harley, head out on the highway, and turn the radio up to full volume. For me, it doesn't get much better than listening to the sound of that V-Twin motor, as a backdrop to some good ole rock & roll music. The only problem with that scenario is that the good ole rock & roll music must come from a local radio station. I often like to ride in remote locations like Death Valley, and I can assure you, there is no local, classic rock radio station in Death Valley.

My Electra Glide Classic is 10 years old, and every time I think about getting a new one, I keep saying to myself, "this old bike is the best running Harley that I've ever had". When it was brand new, before I ever put a single mile on it, I had our best engine builder take the motor completely apart. Bryan rebuilt the engine with lots of performance parts, and after 10 years and 30k miles, it still runs perfect, and has never seeped or leaked a speck of oil.

The great running motor notwithstanding, the radio with it's dinosaur cassette player, has seen better days. The tape player, or perhaps the few tapes I have left, don't seem to work any more. So, for years, my riding music has been limited to whatever radio station was within reception range. Often, especially in places like Death Valley, the sound of the Harley motor was the only music in my ears.

A few weeks ago, I decided that the Harley needed an audio upgrade. I just received this retro kit, including 100 watt speakers a few days ago, and it's installation will be one of my first projects when we get back to Lake Havasu. With the new radio, I'll be able to plug in my Ipod, and along with the CD player, the time periods of no music, or undesirable music, will be a thing of the past. This package from Biketronics integrates the new stereo with the handlebar controls, so I won't be giving up anything regarding volume & station selection, as I ride down the road.

I did try and remedy the problem a few years ago, when on a trip back to Georgia, my son Mike and I installed a Sirius satellite kit. It worked for 1 day, as I rode west through Alabama & Mississippi, then it abruptly quit. When I got home, I tried to fix the problem, but finally gave up when I decided that the antenna was defective.

Soon, while riding in the open desert, or in remote locations, instead of only being able to pick up that one station that is in a different language, and inevitably plays mariachi type music, my options will be expanded greatly!