iPod to purchase?

[Tony in AZ]

I have (had) an iPod nano ver 1... can not find that device to save my back side. I already looked in the bike.

Since I am a tech idiot ver 10 ... Is there a good - bad ipod to buy or avoid? The latest whiz bang - gotta have it device is not something I would buy. I dont use the device often , so the less cash involved always make me happy. I tend to stay away from used electronics on eBay type places.

[Westdc]

Does it have to be an Ipod? Reason I use Mp3 Players 8 gig to 32 gig can be had at wal mart really cheap these days - Sync them to my PC and ride -just a sugesstion

[jmohme]

Just stay away from any hard drive based iPods. They do not hold up well on the Wing.

[Just Dave]

Ask around your friends and see if anyone has an older I-phone they are no longer using and use it for an i-pod. Might be free.

[MMR]

Tony, since you have a 2013 Wing, are you using the USB connector in the left saddlebag, and using the AUX button on your radio system to listen to the music? I have a 2013 F6B, and with that thumb drive USB plugged into my left saddlebag, I have about 110 CDs downloaded onto that thumb drive, so I can listent to music through that, and with the handlebar controls on the radio system, it is like using an I-pod. Cost for the thumb drive is about 15 bucks.

[Tony in AZ]

Great suggestions. As I said : I am a tech idiot. Never thought of old iPhone , thumb drives, or the budget mp3 player. My computer is set up for the ipod, so I can use one of the other options.

I did not know a simple thumb drive would function on the 1800. My USB connector is in the trunk for the audio, that is how I used the iPod. Need to do some research. Nobody I know has an old iPhone. Although: my son may have one, soon . LOL

[Tony in AZ]

hmmmm, sitting here thinking: I guess some of the iPods are simply a fancy thumb drive? Never thought of them like that. I can use tech stuff, I just dont understand what fits what, format to format , ect

[MMR]

Tony, since you have a full Wing, you are right that the USB connector on your bike is inside the trunk. On my F6B, it is in the left saddlebag. The idea is very easy, using the right formatting, you simply download every CD and song you have on your computer...download it to the thumb drive (I use one of the 16GB micro-drives, and then plug it into that USB connector. Then, from your radio controls, you put the AUX on all random (ARDM), and it plays through the radio system, and you can use the volume controls of the radio, and the up and down buttons on the left handlebar controls, as it it were playing a CD.

This saves a ton of money, is easy to use, and works really good. Someone with better tech skills than me will have to tel you what format that thmb drive needs to be done in. I do know that my 110 DCs are all in individual folders, so my video screen will show it as track # 31, song # 4. And if done right, it can even tell you who the artist is, and what song is being played.

[clayusmcret]

hmmmm, sitting here thinking: I guess some of the iPods are simply a fancy thumb drive? Never thought of them like that. I can use tech stuff, I just dont understand what fits what, format to format , ect

The important difference is the iPod (or similar device) has things like Random settings. It's a fire and forget music option. How does one control a simple thumb drive on a bike? I don't have a newer bike so all I have is a dumb USB port that I added myself. My point may be moot on a newer bike.

[MMR]

The important difference is the iPod (or similar device) has things like Random settings. It's a fire and forget music option. How does one control a simple thumb drive on a bike? I don't have a newer bike so all I have is a dumb USB port that I added myself. My point may be moot on a newer bike.

Clay, on the newer Wings & F6Bs, you can control much more of the radio functions with the buttons provided, i.e., you can set the AUX system to be on Random, All Random, and a couple other settings. Things were changed with the 2012 model year and later. When I put my audio system on AUX to listen to the music that is loaded onto the thumb drive, plugged into the USB connector that is part of the bikes' audio system, I can listen to all the 110 CDs, or over 1000 songs...on the All Randon setting, so I am not listening to the same artist for their entire CD. And it is very easy to hit the button to flip past a song, if one comes along that I don't like, or an tired of hearing. All done with the hand controls on the left handlebar.

[JeffP]

I tried using a USB stick with my F6B but found I liked the newest I-Pod better as far as controlling the music. Some of the songs would not play with the stick. I'm happy using my I-Pod because all my music is on I-Tunes but I'm sure properly set-up a USB stick will work. I just couldn't get all my music to play.

[orangecrate]

They're gonna quit making IPods.

[glarson3]

They're gonna quit making IPods.

Just the iPod classics. They'll still have the iPod touch, mini, etc.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10/28/tim-cook-ipod-classic-discontinued-because-apple-couldnt-get-the-parts

[Papa smurf2]

i got my Ipod Shuffle on Ebay for about $60. its 8 gb and holds Tons of songs

[MMR]

I tried using a USB stick with my F6B but found I liked the newest I-Pod better as far as controlling the music. Some of the songs would not play with the stick. I'm happy using my I-Pod because all my music is on I-Tunes but I'm sure properly set-up a USB stick will work. I just couldn't get all my music to play.

Jeff, the issue is all with HOW the thumb drive is formatted. If it is done right, it works perfectly through the bike's audio system, using only the handlebar controls, to change volume, to change songs, etc. But a lot of the guys had problems with HOW to format the USB thumb drive when these first came out. To be honest, my wife did mine, as she is pretty smart about this stuff. Now that she has it down pat, anytime I get a new CD (which is never), so...antime she gets a new CD, and downloads that to her computer, it takes about 10 minutes for any and all new songs she has to be downloaded onto my USB thumb drive, and I plug it back into the bike.

I can go coast to coast...border to border...and listen to the USB thumb drive, via the Aux button on my bike's audio system, and never have to search for a radio station. I think I have about 1100 songs on there right now, and it is only about 1/2 full. I am using a 16GB thumb drive...one of the mini units.

There has to be someone on here that is technologically advanced...but can speak LOW tech... in the science of new audio equipment, that can explain to you and others what the correct formatting is for these USB thumb drives. I do know that when done right, each CD is loaded into their own folder, and the thumb drive reads each folder, and the individual tracks inside each folder. Mine right now shows that I have about 110 folders on the thumb drive, and then a list of all the songs from each CD within that folder.

When done right, I can now play the thumb drive via the USB, by using the Aux. button on the bike's audio system, and what will happen is that when a song is playing...the video screen on the bike (Informational screen) will show WHO the artist is....WHAT the name of the song is....and the TIME of the song is, as it plays.

Hopefully, someone that can "speak" LOW tech, will offer to give instructions on how to do this right.

[glarson3]

You need to format the thumb drive in FAT32 format, and make sure there are no hidden files. You can create separate folders to contain different artists, or separate genres of music, etc. I know there's a limit on the number of songs in each folder, and think it's something like 125 or so. The manual will have the details.