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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | My radio display freaked out a couple of weeks ago and started displaying random characters and partial letters. (My bike was bought in the Fall of '07 and has 37K on it.) I always run in XM mode and it would only display about half of my presets and then cycle through random stations that had no pattern at all. The volume worked but the display of the volume level was unreadable. None of the modes were readable. I took it in last Tuesday for an oil change and they pulled to radio to send in under the extended warranty. I called today for an update and it turns out that last Friday a "digital wrench" update was sent out to the dealers and my guys were able to fix another Vision radio with the update. They said that my problem was more dramatic than the one they fixed so they're not sure the update would have worked. I think Pollolittle's radio is being sent off for repair also. (Also bought Fall of '07.) No word on if they will rebuild, send back a "new" '08 unit or send back an updated '10 unit. I would love to have the newest version but we'll see. Just a heads-up on the earliest models of Visions. Might have a little time-bomb in the radio unit. Kind of funny that the first two Visions sold in Memphis both came in the same week for the same problem 2 1/2 years later. Stand by for news.... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Please keep us updated. I am curious to what difference the upgrade makes. Or, if the 2010 is better. Thanks |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | well, mine happen to have been doing the LaFreak and locking up, either on or off. They sent up a warranty claim and they said to flash it first. I had the radio out while doing the front steering bearing and put it back together last night. So far, so good as I was suspecting a bad connection. We'll see as time will tell. I got mine November 17, 2007 (same as CoolHandLuke) at 11:58 am so I mine might be the bomb also. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | Tom, Teach had that problem too. I hope your fix is quicker than his. I think he got one of the first updated units.
http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4476
Edited by ScoreBo 2010-04-12 8:53 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Northeastern Penna. | Thanks for the news on this one. Many of us 08 owners might have this issue ?Hopefully Victory will be weeding out problems as they move forward with newer models over the next few years, in the Vision line. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 70
Central Victoria, Australia | Would be nice if there is a problem, we all get a recall and an updated unit, instead of waiting for units to fail |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | To be honest, I'm surprised it lasted this long. The only reason I got the extended warranty is because of the electrical system. The Vision was such a quantum leap in complexity over anything Victory had built before. Look at the guys trying to convert the turn/stop lights to LEDs. It's way more complex than any other bike except a BMW with CANBUS. The turn signals are tied into the brake system which affects the cruise control. The HID, heated grips, heated seats, power windshield, cruise control, CB, satellite, i-Pod, guage cluster with the "trigger" for various readouts. The fact that Victory got so much of it right is amazing. I tend to have pretty realistic expectations for the most part and was totally prepared to have a lot of problems with my first year model. It was going to be worth it to have something so radically different from an American company. I had done my homework and knew Victory made nice bikes, but this was a whole new level. The fact that it is as reliable as it is has really made an impression at work. I know every other rider is standing on the sidelines, watching how the Vision will hold up. There were a lot of days this winter where my bike was the only one in the parking lot. Now that Spring is here, it's hard to find a spot to park when I come in on an afternoon shift. Two and a half years of being under the microscope and this is the first issue. Amazing. The radio is not a safety issue so I don't see any kind of recall. For you guys that got the 5-year warranty for free, I'm totally jealous. But, I wouldn't trade it for the year I got to ride the Vision when no one else had even heard of it yet. Regardless of what the warranty people come back with, I know my guys at FRS Powersports have my back. It will be right. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 88
Lavon, TX | Add me to the list...
Dealer is going to try again tomorrow to download the latest patch into my radio (so far, the radio is not providing the proper response when queried about serial numbers?) - he said that Polaris has asked them to pull it and send it back for them to examine if their latest suggested "trick" doesn't work. I also have the CB, GPS, and XM modules - which I understand are all incompatible with the 2010 radio. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 741
Central New York | I also have a 08. Besides crappy reception, it has a mind of it's own. It's like spin the wheel, every time I start the bike something has changed, station, mode, volume, or any combination of the three. Planning on taking it in next week for some odds and ends warranty work. The belt being the biggie. I have to wear a bag over my head when I leave in the morning. For the first 5 miles or so it sounds like a car with a setup AC compressor. 
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| SF, don't know why Victory is BSing you around, the download won't fix a fried curcuit board so you'll be getting a new radio. Here is what happens so you know. It will start by giving you partial display (what you have now) and then it will display partial letters and next it will look like a bar code. They will tell you they have a new download and that they are having difficulty runnig the program and then tada they will run the download and the radio will still be broke. They will then order you a new radio which is what they should have done from the start and it will be perfect. Mine was bad from day 1 and took forever before they would finally replace it, and it took a fight to get it done. I had Victory give me the download line about a month prior to my 1 year warranty expiring. They didn't YET have the download and asked me to wait until they could give that a try to which I agreed when they told me they would replace the radio IF the download didn't cure the issue. I played along and of course it didn't fix anything. It was at that point that Victory wanted to turn the radio over to Polaristar for extended warranty repair which in turn opened up a whole NEW can of worms. After some arguing back and forth it was eventually replaced but it took a little over 2 months.
I hope they get you fixed right away. If you have any problems remind them this is a KNOWN issue with the 08 radio's and don't allow tem to give you the story they haven't seen this before, they have. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I thought I was having problems, no display problems but it would lock up and not respond to any buttons. I would have to recycle the circuit by pulling in the clutch and hitting the starter button if I was rolling. It would respond again and then lock up again. Well I had the radio out and when I put it back in I made sure all the connections were good. It has not repeated the problem in the last couple of days that I had suffered through for about two months and on and off for about six month. I don't know if that will help any one. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Teach, I guess I wasn't very clear on my situation. My dealer pulled my radio and packed it last Tuesday to be shipped off under the warranty (along with Pollolittles.). That Friday, another guy came in with radio problems, the same day they got the digital wrench update. The update fixed his problem. I did not have to wait around for the digital wrench to show up, they just shipped it off for repair/replacement. They told me I would probably get a new, off the shelf '08 unit if they had any left or maybe an '09 if they were out of '08s. (It will come with all the latest updates.) My radio ran fine until this issue came up so I haven't had anywhere near the problems you have had to deal with. My guys have been very straight shooters on what to expect from Polaris. They have their own ways of doing things that don't make sense to a lot of us but my dealer is an expert in their ways. My dealer is their customer, not me. They have a great reputation with the head office and a very open pipeline with the regional rep. If I end up getting frustrated with the situation, believe me, my dealer will be twice as hot. I've never had a radio on any bike prior to this so in the grand scheme of things I don't really miss it all that much. Just wish I didn't have all those holes in the dash while the unit is out. Also keeps me from riding in rain since the cable connectors are all exposed through the holes. My guys know this is being tracked here so I'll post as soon as I know anything. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| varyder, yep sorry to say yours is also on its way out. Double check to see if your bike has the 5.12A download, if not have them do it at your dealer. They should be able to get the authorization number to do so if you tell them about the locking up.
For anyone having weird radio issues I'll try to post how it goes:
1. Radio starts to lock on rare occasions but works fine most times. Buttons don't work, sometimes you have a display, sometimes a partial display, sometimes the display locks.
The temp fix to get it going is to turn the key off and back on. Sometimes this takes several turns.
2. Frequency of locking increases. Not only does it become more frequent but it will occur while riding with the radio in use. Cycling the key on and off takes longer to eliminate the locking.
3. Radio locking gets worse OR you only have a partial display OR no control but radio plays (just cant change volume, channel etc)... Again turning the key may work occasionally but more often not.
4. Radio display goes completely OR you have what looks like a bar code for display. Radio may or may not work otherwise.
It can take a few days to get to level 4 or up to a year as it did on mine. The download 5.12A, is suppose to eliminate a gate issue where the computer prioritizes which components (headlite, FI, start, radio) get power which can lock the radio out on startup. You can check this by making sure the radio is turned off before shutdown each time. If this cures your display issue the download may be all you need. From what I've come to know the 08 & 09 radio's can have this problem.
There isn't anything that is going to cause you major grief with this radio problem, BUT it does become annoying.
varyder I suspect when you unplugged it you reset everything, sort of like rebooting because the holding program also lost power when you unplugged. I hope you are all fixed but check into the download. If nothing else your dealer can document the issue....... T |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I think bad connections can have the same symptoms as a bad radio. I've had the radio out many times and noticed this time a distinct click that I had not noted before. Since it is somewhat difficult to reconnect I would like to think it was self-conflicted. Anywho it is working fine but the dealer made note of the matter. Not broke is hard to fix. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Got my radio back today. Two weeks exactly. It's an new '08 unit (same part #, different serial #). Took about 30 minutes to install and get the XM talking to it. It has all the latest software updates so should be fine. Sure was tough pulling up to gas stops and talking to strangers with those holes glaring at me from the dash. On the other hand, the bike appreciated having my undivided attention to just listen to the tranny, engine and exhaust hum their tunes. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | Does it sound better, have better reception, or work better in any way (other than your display issues)? In other words, is it a better radio? |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | VVTour, My radio sounded pretty good before and it sounds good now. I have J&M speakers installed and only listen to XM. I wear earplugs and have the volume set at 9-10 and it is perfectly clear, especially songs with a lot of mid-highs. I'm not an audiophile but for a 51 year old I think my hearing is pretty well intact. On the way home from the dealership, I had a Jimmy Buffet song with steel drums cranked up (Channel 55 - Margaritaville) and a truckload full of lawn workers riding in the back perked up when I was about 50' away, pulling up to pass them. They all stared at the bike as I went by, heads turning like watching a slow motion tennis match. We got to a light and I was in the left turn lane and they were two lanes over, with a car between us. I looked over the car and made eye contact with those guys and cranked the volume up to 16 (my limit before it distorts). They all broke into big ol' grins and started nodding. The little old lady in the car between us started to look annoyed and when the green turn arrow came up, I was out of there with a grin of my own. My personal opinion about the '08 radios is either you got one that is fine or you got one that is totally crappy from day one. I live in a big city so the FM reception has always been clear. My iPhone has a few songs on it and it has always worked fine when I checked it (very rarely). Weather band is perfectly clear (for weather band anyway). My biggest improvement was the J&M speakers. I had a rear speaker blow after about a year (started to rattle, the mechanic at my dealership noticed it before I did). Instead of ordering stock replacement rear speakers, my dealer gave me a credit for what the rear speakers plus labor would have cost under warranty. It was within a couple of dollars of a full set of J&M's. I ordered all four J&M's and installed them myself. The stock speakers would distort at about 11-12 and the J&M's are clear through 16. Like I said before, the style of song makes a big difference also. Lots of low end gets pretty muddy. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is a 16 every time. If you can't get your radio to sound clear under any circumstances or it won't hold your settings or shuts off by itself, take it back. When the display starts to act up, the radio is on it's last legs. Except for the wait, the warranty experience was totally hassle free.
Edited by SongFan 2010-04-21 8:37 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 2027
Brighton, TN | Songfan, glad your rolling with Tunes again. I didn't know our two radios got a chance to get acquainted. Haven't heard whether mine is in yet or not, I'll stop by this afternoon and see.
My problem, was the radio would be just a jamming along, then go under high power electrical lines and it would turn totally off and then turn back on about ten seconds later. If playing MP3 maybe it comes back up playing FM at about Half volume. I kinda was dimissing it, then I went around the 385 loop and it cycled about 4 or 5 times, then the fuel level quit showing anything over about 1/4 tank. So, I just threw it all together.
They tried to do the update to the radio, but the software wouldn't recognize the radio and would not update. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 146
| Well, include me in the list of radio issues. I didn't even know it was the radio unit itself if it hadn't been for Spock. (Thanks Spock!) Ever since I purchased my '08 I was NEVER able to hear well at all while using the cb. The cb volume was turned all the way up to 30 and I was barely able to hear another rider at highway speeds. I was embarrassed to say anything about it to my fellow wing / hd riders during our many trips and was fixing to try and mount an external speaker or something. Spock told me of the same issue with his and that his had been replaced under the extended warranty. I never thought I would say anything good about the extended warranty. I called the local dealer and explained the problem and she said to send her an email outlining the problem. I did and almost exactly an hour later she called back to say that she got the claim approved and the new radio is on its way here. YAHOOOOOO!!!!! I'll revisit this post after install and provide a review. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | charbin - 2010-04-14 2:39 PM
I also have the CB, GPS, and XM modules - which I understand are all incompatible with the 2010 radio.
Are you serious? Who told you this? |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | ScoreBo, Read this thread. Answer comes about halfway down the page from Man314. http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=5601&posts=18&start=1 |
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Radio out for repair