My wife and I ride Harley Davidson motorcycles and truly enjoy our SENA 10 units. However, we would also like to be able to use our factory audio and CB with the units.
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50 comments
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hd I can't believe this hasn't been done yet. I would like the same interface unit too.
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chuck arndt Is there a way of using any CB or the HD CB with the SHM10?
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Steven Schmidt I have developed a harness that enables a Sena SMH10 to act as an interface between your bike and your Sena headsets (rider and passenger). See the "Would like to see a Harley-Davidson factory audio/CB interface." See the thread on "Would like to see a Goldwing factory audio/CB interface" for details. Note the last comment in the thread is from the 1st of 10 GW riders to use the harness I developed for GWs, and listen to what he says about it. The other 9 riders are waiting for warmer weather to install their harnesses
I have built 1 such harness for a HD, and am waiting for a HD rider to step forward to test it because I don't have access to a HD (I own a GW).
Steve
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Steven Schmidt Sorry for the typo in previous comment.
I have developed a harness that enables a Sena SMH10 to act as an interface between your bike and your Sena headsets (rider and passenger). See the thread on "Would like to see a Goldwing factory audio/CB interface" for details. Note the last comment in the thread is from the 1st of 10 GW riders to use the harness I developed for GWs, and listen to what he says about it. The other 9 riders are waiting for warmer weather to install their harnesses
I have built 1 such harness for a HD, and am waiting for a HD rider to step forward to test it because I don't have access to a HD (I own a GW).
Steve
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hd Steve Schmidt,
I have a 2012 Harley, and am interested in your harness. I live is So. Calif, and ride with several other Harleys that use Sena's as well. Please contact me at bobpl58@yahoo.com
Thanks, Bob
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Steven Schmidt For the benefit of riders following this thread, Bob Laverty and I are meeting soon in Long Beach to test the HD-Sena Harness on his bike. We will report the results of the test next week, right here in this thread, on this forum. Stay tuned.
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John Crossno Steve: FWIW, I have a 2014 Ultra Limited. I don't know what the differences are between the system on this bike and previous/other versions, but I'm open to testing if you need another one. I'm in MA, so no in-person visits unfortunately. This is my first Harley.. been riding a GL1500 but decided to emigrate to see what the rest of the world looked like ;)
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Steven Schmidt Hi John;
Thanks for your interest in a HD version of my harness.
To get up to speed on how it works, and other issues go see the "Full Use of GW's CB with Any BT Headset" thread on the GL1800riders.com forum. The GW version of my harness is now being produced and sold by Sierra Electronics and you can learn more about the harness by visiting their Web site at: http://www.sierra-mc.com/products.asp?cat=539 Also, Sierra Electronics will have demo units at their booth at both Daytona Bike Week and Kissimmee.
I have just finished building a HD version and will be testing it this week on my buddy's 2010 HD Ultra. I could use a couple more test pilots though and I'll contact you as soon as I'm able to offer you a harness for testing.
Steve
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John Crossno Steve,
I'll check out the link and other info. I can be reached at my first name @crossno.us too. Thanks! I think it's awesome that you are working through this. I can't believe that Sena is so willing to leave this revenue source on the table. -
Mccreadyrd Steve, Please keep us updated as to how testing from you January post went. . . I ride a 2011 Roadglide Ultra with the same radio as the Ultra Classics and the ability to use the CB radios while on group rides with my headset would be the icing on the cake . . . I live in the Sacramento area and we have been blessed with plenty of riding season this year. . . . .
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Scott Paggioli Steve,
How did the testing go I have a 2014 ultra and would be interested in this cable and know others that would be also.
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Ken So how is the Harley interface coming along? I bought an SR-10 and would really like to use it on my Harley as you have done with your Goldwing. Do one need to mount the SR-10 where the rider can reach it; or can it be mounted within the fairing? Looking at the picture in the Sierra website, I can't tell how the SR-10 is powered. Can it stay connected to the Harley switched power so that when the ignition is turned ON, the SR-10 turns on as well?
Thanks.
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Steven Schmidt Hi Ken;
Thanks for asking. The HD harness is coming along well, but much slower than I thought because I don't have a HD and must therefore use my buddy's HD whenever he'll let me, which is not nearly as often as I'd like. Today, I have the HD harness out in the car so I can stop by his house after work to test it again. So, I'm excited that today could be the day where I nailed down the harness' configuration.
The last test I did on his HD was a week ago and it was near-perfect, except the voice modulation during CB transmissions was not strong enough. So, I went home and replaced a couple of 10K resistors with 4.7K. That should do the job, and I'll find out today.
When I'm done with my testing I've got a HD guy that wants to test it further. I need his help to determine where the adapter/harness should be placed on HD Ultra Classic. Going to let him play with it for most of May.
The harness is currently setup for a Sena SMH10, but making it work on a SR10 is easy; so, I'm not worried about that.
To your questions:
- The SR10 needs to be where it's easy to turn it on or off. After it's on, you don't need access to it. Could be mounted in the fairing if you can reach it to turn it off/on. With a long enough cord, you could put it in a saddle bag. The test harness connects at the headset port for ease of testing; however, the production model will connect to the bike's audio system at the connector that's in the fairing, out of sight.
- SR10 is powered by its own battery when I use it, but it can be powered by the bike with the charge cord. Don't think the SR10 will turn off/on with the ignition switch. That would certainly turn off/on the bike power to charge the SR10; but, it wouldn't change the SR10's power status. Charging the SR10 while using it will introduce a ground loop that may cause an undesirable alternator hum in the audio to your headset. A ground-loop isolator can help get rid of the hum. Unplugging the charge cord will get rid of the hum.
Plan on the end of May or early June before I've got a harness ready for mass production. Going to see if Sierra Electronics wants to build them.
Steve
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Steven Schmidt Hi Scott;
The testing has gone very well, but slow. Received audio from the bike is excellent, better than a GoldWing. Modulation of voice during CB transmissions was too weak; so, I made some adjustments to strengthen it. Will test these changes today I hope, or sometime this week. Just got back from the HD dealer to get the connector so the harness can be plugged into the bike where the rider's intercom cable connects. Hope to claim victory very soon.
Steve
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Larry Lionel Furgason AKE already makes a dongle for a Harley. CB and Intercom work great. It has 2 modes. 1 for duplex and one for stereo. Have to be in Duplex for Intercom and CB and stereo for Sena Intercom. You can add another dongle for your phone which ties into the radio harness. Phone is connected to the GPS. I think it is called the Bomm which is at http://www.hdbomm.com/. AKE http://www.spoiledbiker.com/product3326.html
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Matthewa1970 I have a 2014 Street Glide Special. I have the SPH10H-FM headsets and the SM10. I purchase the Harley 7 pin adapter when I purchased the SM10. I can hear the radio, hear phone calls and GPS navigation thru the headset, but no one can hear me when I answer the phone. My IPhone 4s is Bluetooth to the bike. I see the phone call and can answer it. I hear the other person, but they cannot hear me. The bike has been flashed and I tried a Harley headset and everything worked fine.
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Matthewa1970 Steve
Is there an update on the Harley connection?
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Ken The more I use the Sena, and the more people that get them; the less I need the Harley radio interface.
Couple of years ago, most everyone on Harleys used CB. Now, all my friends have Sena (or have pre-ordered the 20S and are waiting.)
I wanted a Harley interface, mainly to accommodate those that still use CB. I guess it's still a requirement, especially when traveling in a larger group where Bluetooth communications are limited to only a few helmets. I do miss being able to listen to AM radio when traveling, though. I have an SR-10 that I'd like to locate under the batwing fairing (inaccessible) so I can at least hear my Harley radio.
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Steven Schmidt HI Matthewa1970;
The SM10 is a great product for transmitting one-way, from the bike to your BT headset. However, it is NOT a 2-way transceiver; so, it will never be able to hear what you have to say in the mic of your BT headset and send it to a phone, CB radio, or any such thing.
The 2014 HDs with BT are designed for a wired heaset, allowing the rider to hear the GPS and hear/talk on a BT phone paired to the bike's audio system; however, the 2014 HD audio system does NOT have the necessary headset profile to allow intercom sessions with BT headsets. HD salesmen do not know this and are leading many HD riders astray.
The harness I've created uses a 2-way BT transceiver (Sena SHM10) connected to the bike's audio system so the rider with a wireless BT headset can speak into the mic and then out the CB or even a phone paired to the bike's audion system. It works the same way as the AKE product mentioned by Larry in a previous post; however, my harness is simpler to install and cheaper to build. I have an AKE unit, given to me by a rider who hated it, but I haven't tested it yet. Clearly, Larry likes it. It certainly sounds like a suitable alternative.
Ed Gieseking in Las Vegas is testing my prototype HD harness. I sent it to him 4 days ago. The last techinical problem to solve is the CB transmissions did not have enough audio modulation. I replaced 2 resistors, tested the harness on my buddy's HD, and found it was just about perfect, very loud. However, I want it to be just a little too loud at the max mic gain setting; so, I replaced the same 2 resistors again with even lower values and sent the harness to Ed. I'm pretty confident this last change will be spot-on; but, I've got to hear from Ed first before it's time to celebrate.
So, the harness is close to being ready technically, but now the challenge is to figure out where you HD riders want to put it on the bike. It was easy on Gold Wings, but might be a little tougher on a HD. Hopefully, Ed can figure it out and provide some guidance for the rest of the HD community.
When I'm done with testing and have a bullet-proof harness I plan on building a few for some HD riders to test on their bikes. Each one takes me about 4 hours to build; so, I've got to keep the numbers low, probably about 6 riders. More info on that subject as soon as I have a harness that needs no further adjustments.
BTW: This thread on this forum has the most HD riders interested in this harness. I've tried several times on HD forums to generate some interest, with no success so far. For contrast, the Gold Wing riders jumped all over this new capability. I know its all about the ride, not the talking on the CB radio; but, I'm glad you guys are interested.
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Ken Steven, even though I rarely have the need to use the Harley's CB radio, I'm still interested in the harness. I'm hoping that it can be mounted and powered by the motorcycle's B+ under the fairing; not needing any human manipulation once installed and paired. When my 20S arrives, I'll decommission my SMH-10R. Hopefully, I'll be able to use it with your harness. I also have an SR-10 that worked for receive audio, but no transmit in it's purchased form. It is also very cumbersome to mount and use; with wires all over the place.
It's amazing to me that Harley hasn't come out with a BlueTooth retrofit kit that will plug into the 2005 - 2013 touring bikes and let us throw away the helmet cable.
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Matthewa1970 Steven I have a sph10h-fm headset also. I don't have. Cb, but are looking for a way to talk on my phone when it is connected to the bike -
Matthewa1970 Steven Will your harness work with the sph10h-fm? I had to get this type as I use a half helmet -
Scott Paggioli Still very interested in your solution to the lack of blue tooth capable of microphone input for CB capabilities
others have commented that they might not need this. I have seen solutions for this that involve a simple adapter to a 3.5 jack and a blue tooth dongle.On the 2014 models it is important to have vioce input for use of the infotainment system as well as the CB. Keep up the good work, best of luck to you. -
Steven Schmidt Hi Ken;
Several issues to contend with when mounting the bike's BT unit under the fairing and powering it with the bike's charging system. Not impossible, but difficult. First, the SMH10 used as the bike's BT unit does not turn on automatically when the charge circuit is energized; so, the rider needs access to it to turn it on. Second, connecting it to bike power will introduce an audio ground loop that causes alternator noise. A ground-loop isolator and a power line filter help to get rid of most of the noise.
SMH10R will work as the bike's BT unit, but I would need the mic/earpiece cable so I can solder it to the harness' circuit board.
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Steven Schmidt Hi Matthewa1970;
The SPH10H-FM headsets will pair to the bike's SMH10 BT unit.
Want to make sure you realize that the harness is just the wires, connectors, circuit board, and helmet clamp that together create the necessary connection of a Sena SMH10 BT transceiver module to the bike's audio system. And that means that although the harness may cost $60 to $80, the required BT unit must be purchased separately for about $110 (Amazon price today).
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John Crossno Just a comment, FWIW... I noticed the same alternator noise on my GoldWing (before I traded it in for my current ride - '14 Ultra Limited) when I supplied power to the SMH10R from the bike. It's too bad Sena couldn't/doesn't resolve it on their side, but that's a different story. Also, it's probably necessary to have access to the SMH10 normally anyway because you'll need that to pair a BT device, pull it to upload new firmware, etc.
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Scott Paggioli John,
On my bike I powered it from the taillight furthest point from battery this made a substantial difference over powering right from th battery or the accessory lead. -
Ken Thank you, Steve Schmidt. I understand what you are saying. I totally forgot that I must turn the 10R off and on manually. That could be a problem. I don't know what the current draw is when ON; it must not be much since it'll run for 10 days on that tiny little battery. I suppose I could just leave it on hot B+ from the battery full time; maybe it wouldn't run the motorcycle's (very big and heavy) battery down, even if left on for a month without riding. I sure measure the current draw.
About alternator or ground-loop whining or hum: The 10R has a very small battery, so I often use it while charging. Even with earbuds, I cannot hear any undesired noise. Maybe I'm just lucky in that respect.
So maybe my SR-10 would be a better candidate for mounting inside the fairing and listening to the Harley radio. It was weird when I had it all wired up and mounted on my handlebar. It kept taking priority over my GPS, changing audio volumes, etc. Found that I could turn the Harley radio OFF to stop those symptoms. But the SR-10 was susceptible to alternator whine; and often the whine would shut off the channel between my Garmin Zumo and my helmet. It all got so complicated and attention-consuming that I shelved the whole thing almost a year ago. I think the ground loop and alternator whine issue can be filtered out, which might make it work better. But it was pretty horrible the way I had it hooked up.
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Steven Schmidt UPDATE ON THE HD HARNESS
We have a configuration that works! Tested it today on my buddy's HD and it was perfect. CB transmissions were loud & clear. Could over-modulate the audio, as well as under-modulate it. Audio received from the bike has always been perfect. Recall that the audio from the bike is mono, not stereo, because Blue Tooth's Headset (Intercom) Profile can't handle stereo. Harness works just as well as any I've made for Gold Wings. Test unit plugs into the same port as your headset cable. Not pretty, but hey, it's a test unit. Picture of the test unit attached.
Will start next week making a few harnesses to support you testers out there (if you're one, you already know it). A tester's job is to figure out where to put the helmet clamp and SMH10, and where to connect the harness to the bike's audio system. I think it needs to plug into the Audio Overlay Harness connector under the tank, then run the wires to a saddle bag or some other place that offers both protection and access.
So, we should have some happy testers out there in about 2-3 weeks. And if you're not a tester, take comfort in knowing a harness will be available for you sometime this summer, perhaps early summer.
HD-Sena Harness 1.JPG -
Owheathcock Steven,
I'm very interested in purchasing your harness. I've leaving for a road trip across the North East in a few weeks. I'm willing to be a beta/test rider if that benefits getting feedback and test data.
You can email me at owheathcock@gmail.com . Thanks.
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