Pre-set Station memory loss

[Z Factor]

I have owned my VR for a long time and I have always had a problem with the radio stations not staying in memory. Granted there are times that I do not ride for long periods of time, so if the battery goes dead I would understand it. However if I don't ride it for several days, I must reprogram the stations. It has been like this since the first time I bought it back in the late 80's. Is this a common problem, and is there a fix for it?

[Condor]

I have owned my VR for a long time and I have always had a problem with the radio stations not staying in memory. Granted there are times that I do not ride for long periods of time, so if the battery goes dead I would understand it. However if I don't ride it for several days, I must reprogram the stations. It has been like this since the first time I bought it back in the late 80's. Is this a common problem, and is there a fix for it?

 

Just a guess, but maybe you have a faulty chip since it's been doing it all along. ??? As far as a fix? Try finding just the box on ebay for a couple of bucks and swap them out. I don't think it would be economical giving it to tech.???

[cbmel]

I'd have to look at the wiring schematic to be sure, but I'm thinking that there may be a separate battery to hold the pre-sets. Sometimes they put in one of those watch-type batteries for that purpose. IF that's the case, that could be the problem.

 

If you don't have a schematic, let me know and I'll go out into the frostbite to check mine.

[DANJ]

I have always had a problem with the radio stations not staying in memory.

 

My 93 has been doing the same thing since I got it. If I ride even every other day or so the stations stay in memory just fine, but if it sits for a week no presets except one.

 

I'ee be interested if anyone has a fix.

 

DJ

 

[Burninator]

I have the same problem with my 86 Venture.

[Thom]

me too , even if i leave my battery tender on ??

and every time i start my bike the cb gos back to ch. 9

[cbmel]

Most CB's will go to channel 9 on startup. I looked at the wiring diagram in the owner's manual. It didn't show a backup battery, but I'm still thinking that there may be one. I guess it might become a winter's night project to pull the tuner and open it up to see.

[Z Factor]

Well I am glad to see I am not the only one. However if others have this problem you would think that some of them have come up with fixes by now. Who is the manufacture of the radio unit, and are there any places that are known to repair them? The reason I ask is that several places like the one linked below that repair many different car stereo systems;

 

http://www.carstereohelp.com/

 

If we can't find someone who has come up with a fix, we might be able to check with either the manufacturer or a stereo repair place for assistance.

[cbmel]

I opened up the control heads - the parts (on the removable piece) that have the volume controls and preset buttons. I couldn't find a backup battery in either of those units.

 

If there's any to be found, it must be in the tuner unit itself - the part that stays in the fairing. If I can get my fingers thawed I may try going inside that part to see if there is one.

 

The things I do for amusement. Sure wish it was the season to ride instead of putz!

[Rocket]

I have owned my VR for a long time and I have always had a problem with the radio stations not staying in memory. Granted there are times that I do not ride for long periods of time, so if the battery goes dead I would understand it. However if I don't ride it for several days, I must reprogram the stations. It has been like this since the first time I bought it back in the late 80's. Is this a common problem, and is there a fix for it?

 

If I remember correctly, there are 2 in-line fuses inside the left fairing, for audio system power. You may need to remove the console cover to see them, as mine are somewhere between turn signal & outward portion of the left inner fairing panel. I am guessing, that one is a constant power feed for the station presets & would be a low amp fuse. If so, I would be checking for a blown fuse & dirty or undone connections.

[muffinman]

The problem is either the connector being dirty or it has loose connections.Put some dielectric grease in the rectange connector inside the fairing under the cassete.If that does not do it test the red and the red/blue wire to see which one is power and which is memory power.If the dielectric and tightening the connectors does not help I would suspect the inition switch being bad or dirty all power to the radio goes through the switch.

Jeff

[muffinman]

I have repaired three of these radio units and there is NO backup battery in them.When my bike was loosing presets it turned out to be loose connectors.The only thing I found bad in one that I fixed was a bad internal cable.

Jeff

[cbmel]

Thanks for that info, Muffinman. That'll save me some frostbite today!

[Z Factor]

So did any of us find and repair any loose connections resulting in an effective repair?

 

Is there a place to send our units presuming we are not electronic repair guys?

[BradT]

I would have guessed the battery. (after checking conections).

 

During the cranking of the engine will put a large strain on a battery, even if it is charged. So if the battery is on its last legs this drain will cause the battery to loose power to the radio clearing your memory. On the second gen it will also loose the presets on the trip counters.

 

Brad

[Thom]

i found my problem last nite , bad neg. connection on the battery , installed new eyes on the battery cables , works great now , found it the hard way ! tryed to start the bike , everything worked until i hit the starter , than everything went out , lites , radio , everything , 10 miles from the shop and home with just a screw driver , you would be suppriced what you can do with a screw driver .

[Z Factor]

i found my problem last nite , bad neg. connection on the battery , installed new eyes on the battery cables , works great now , found it the hard way ! tryed to start the bike , everything worked until i hit the starter , than everything went out , lites , radio , everything , 10 miles from the shop and home with just a screw driver , you would be suppriced what you can do with a screw driver .

 

If your radio is like mine, presumably you will still not know if your problem is solved if you corrected your battery connection problem just last night.

My radio would hold the presets for up to a day, maybe even two, but then if I did not ride it in the intervening period of time, that is when they would be lost.

[Z Factor]

Any updates?

 

My unit is still losing the presets after two days of not riding.

 

Has anyone determined who actually made our units? If I can get that info, I have a place in Florida that might be able to tell me if they could work on our units.

[muffinman]

The radios were made by Mitsubishi.

I still think that your problem is not in the radio unit but somewhere in the wiring of the bike.

Have you checked the radio before starting the bike after 2 days?

Jeff

[Thom]

my pre-sets have been trouble free sents i fixed the battery cable

[mbrood]

A friend's 84 radio was troubled. Somemimes it was ok, sometimes it would "blink" once or twice when riding and then the presets were always dropping out. After looking things over A LOT... I thought maybe it was dirty connections deep in the bucket where the radio "rack" drops in and connects up to power, the amp and speakers... we sprayed the connectors with contact cleaner and added dialectric grease. This seemed to help a bit but not fully. We took out the screws holding the LOWER connectors (in the bottom of the bucket) and put a small washer under the connectors so the connectors were shoved UP by the washer. This gave a TINY bit of more DEPTH to the mated connection and seemed to have solved it all. (yes, these tiny screws are backed with nuts and washers! (grr)

 

Our idea was that the connectors don't mate real good and that the lower bucket also flexes a bit when the radio "rack" is intalled and between the two it was probably just sitting on the connectors making it "iffy".

 

As a side note, my 86 "rack" gets to a bit under 1/4" closed when I feel a strong resistance and then that "mating slide" feel. My presets are rock solid. My friend's originally had less than 1/8th with a "mush" feel when it seated in the "rack locks".

 

And yeah, when ever you get down there, make sure and disconnect ALL connectors, clean them up and grease them!