Sirius radio info

[moonie]

Hi all, im new to the forum and have a question concerning the Sirius radio on the 2012 R1200RT Premium.

 

Not much info in the owners manual about using the left side spin ring for using the radio, or much else actually so any help would be appreciated.

 

Also I'll post a few pics. I purchased this from a local used motorcycle dealer in Michigan after seeing it on Craigslist. It has 33K miles on it, but my purchase price ended up being $11300,

 

I think I got a good deal since Nada was showing it at $16k+

 

Anyway, I hope to learn a lot from you guys and maybe even meet up for some events next year.

 

 

 

[mickeym3]

Moonie, welcome back aboard. The NADA is off on several bikes, yours being one of them but nevertheless sounds like you got a good deal. Did you follow the link Larry provided? Including on the right side scroll bar where you select R series and then the mfg date range? That's where you're going to get more specific instructions including even a quick reference guide which you can laminate and keep on the bike. The audio features are not quite as intuitive as they should be but you'll get the hang of it. I loved my Camhead, if you haven't dealt with SIRIUS subscriptions though you're likely in for a tortuous conversation with them (or 2,3,4...).

[lkchris]

The spin ring aka wonder wheel changes stations by sideways movements.

 

IF you have the BMW Communicator Bluetooth receiver at your helmet, turning the ring adjusts volume. Don't think this works with any other brand.

[moonie]

The spin ring aka wonder wheel changes stations by sideways movements.

 

IF you have the BMW Communicator Bluetooth receiver at your helmet, turning the ring adjusts volume. Don't think this works with any other brand.

 

Thanks, I was wondering about that. I already have Sirius in 2 other cars and my smartphone, so im well versed on the intricate nature of talking to the (non local) reps.

 

If I just get a nice helmet with a Bluetooth system, can I pair the radio to play through the helmet speakers without having the spin ring work? Just trying to stay away from spending over grand just to hear the radio and talk on the phone.

 

[Fathom]

 

FWIW, I love Sirius/XM (not the fidelity or the customer service, but the variety + depth of programming) and would probably be considered an early adopter (have it at home, in the car, and even installed an extra docking station & antennae in my cube at work), but in 2013 when I was getting my RT, a bit of research indicated that the communications package /XM would only really work if I a) purchased Shuberth helmets for my wife and I; b) purchased the BMW-specific communicators (which apparently only work properly in Shuberths); and c) spent another nice little stack of C-notes for system itself. I did the math at the time, and figured that it would set me back an extra $3300 or thereabouts. Having (then) recently purchased the Senna system and new helmets that were not Shuberth, I said ahhh... maybe not, and proceeded to have my dealer (Morton's in Fredericksburg, VA) dig up what is likely one of the very few '13 RTs in the U.S. that's fully optioned with everything... except the comm package. Things may have changed / improved in later model years, and I know there are a few on the board with advanced degrees in electrical engineering who've gotten it to work with the Senna set-up, but I've pretty much opted for the Boxer Symphony instead. If I really need some road tunes, there's always my Smart phone and several thousand songs in my Amazon cloud account I can listen to through a pretty decent set of Sennheiser earbuds, which beat the helmet speakers hands down any day of the week. Total cost (not including stuff I already have): about $25 bucks for the Beemer-ready micro USB phone charger cord.

 

Apologies that this is not helping you out a great deal, but I'm hoping some others who may be thinking of buying a new or used bike might take some of this into account, and perhaps save a few bucks, or at least know what's required going in.

[moonie]

So since i started this thread, I thought i should return and report what i've learned.

 

First off, I finally figured out how to use the radio and pair the radio and change the channels and yada yada yada!

 

Secondly, i started looking at helmet Bluetooth systems and what if anything would be compatible with the RT's Bluetooth and wonderwheel combo.

 

As mentioned by others nothing except the BMW system with the Schubert helmet actually works perfectly, but several post in the and other forums has a workaround using something called a BMW repair cable and a Bluetooth dongle using the rear speaker connector that's not used with the 1200. (more on that later).

 

I suffered paralysis analysis for about 2 weeks on which helmet system to buy. Since i own a SHOEI Neotec, I finally settled on the Sena 10U that is made to fit internally and not be visible from the outside.

 

I'm happy to report it sounds Great! Its not as bass heavy as a set of BEATS AUDIO headphones, but better than good and loud enough to hear at 85mph with ear plugs in.

 

It also comes with a handlebar mounted volume control that I found worked well when positioned on the right side of the left controller brake reservoir instead of on the grip next to the wonder wheel.

 

Now the bad news. It only sounds (better than good) when paired directly with my Samsung S5. It does sound thin and distorted at high volume levels when paired to the 1200's BT radio system.

 

Since i Don't own a Schubert with the BMW set up, I'll assume it sounds the same with it as well, since its probably the BT transmitter they use.

 

I have read that using the SENA MH10 Bluetooth dongle attached to the rear speaker outputs sounds amazing and allows full control of the bikes radio controls including the wonder wheel.

 

I plan on installing a NAV and the BT dongle as a winter project. I will post a link with pictures to a BLOG when its done. In the meantime I highly recommend the SHOEI/Sena 10U combo..It rocks!

[RoadRunner]

You may need to adjust the treble and base to get it to sound better. The owner's manual makes a note of too much base causing distortion.

 

 

[moonie]

You may need to adjust the treble and base to get it to sound better. The owner's manual makes a note of too much base causing distortion.

 

 

I guess i need to update my update. That was the first thing I tried after pairing my motorola bluetooth headset to test the pairing process before i purchased my Sena. In fact, there is an overall lack of signal quality using the installed Bluetooth.

 

The cool thing about the rear channel workaround is that when complete, the wunderwheel works correctly so there isn't any need to use the Sena handlebar remote....which by the way works very well!

Its just a crappy transmitter the bike system uses. Thats the problem with these guys, always trying to re-invent the wheel instead of using already available proven technology.

 

Chrysler did the same thing with my car stereo and their U-connect crap.

 

I read that now several car manufacturers are finally getting it right and cooperating with companies like Google and using Android as operating systems for several auto entertainment/GPS stuff.

 

Since I am a professional IT service tech, I'll complete the upgrade and share the results, and keep my riding experience enjoyable from the seat down BMW and my communications and direction experience special built by me!