Shorter or fold down antenna for '89??

[NewfoundlandVenture]

I've just bought an '89 VR, and haven't even had a ride yet (too much snow!). I still don't know much about the bike, but I'm learning much from the forums here.

 

I have a 3' steel antenna (probably original) on the bike that doesn't fold. My bike will be outside in the summer, and so I just bought a cover. Unfortunately, to put the cover on, I need to remove the antenna, which I am figuring will be a pain. This is an antenna for the radio and the CB, and I'd like to keep just one antenna, as I'm unfamiliar with dividing into two.

 

Is there an antenna short enough that it will go under my cover, or is there a fold down adapter that will work with my bike? I went to my dealer but they didn't offer up anything... When hunting around online, what do I need to look for technically speaking??

 

Thanks so much for any advice that anyone can give!

[Venturous Randy]

First of all, if it is original, it will fold down. Have you tried to loosen the nut and see what it will do?

RandyA

[NewfoundlandVenture]

I just had a look at the antenna during lunch.... I guess it is not stock, because it doesn't fold. It is also longer than I had envisioned, at 4 1/2' with a coupler about 1/2 way in the antenna.

 

there is an antenna here , advertised as being motorcycle compatible. Can anyone advise if this would be appropriate for my '89 VR, with radio and CB. This antenna is considerably shorter than what I now have, would I only be giving up range with a shorter antenna, or are there other considerations? If it is just range, is there a way to determine how much range is sacrificed with such a shortening?

 

Thanks again!

[cliffno350]

not sure but dont really think that antenna is what you want try, ebay and gold wing antennas will fit and fold and work well as well as venture antennas.

[lonestarmedic]

I believe that antenna is suitable for AM/FM reception only. NOT CB!! Hustler and Wilson make fold down adaptors. I will check and repost.

 

JB

[funrider]

On these bikes, the cb antenna also works as your radio antenna. You need the connector that is like used for a radio. You could also go to two antennas, one for the radio and one for the cb, then you can use the regular cb antenna end for your cb and a regular radio antenna for the radio part of it.

[lonestarmedic]

Here is a link for the Hustler quick disconnects. Also Clay's has a couple of short antennas that are suitable for use with AM/FM. The Firestick series antenna can have a splitter box put to them. I used a CB antenna only, removed the splitter, and then installed a hidden amplified AM/FM radio antenna

 

 

http://www.claysradioshop.com/acc_antennamounts-brackets-page2.htm

 

JB

[Gearhead]

I've just been thru this, although from a slightly different angle, and learned way more about CB antennas than I thought I needed to. My story and findings:

 

- My 87 had dual short antennas, fiberglass-core-wire-wound (like a Firestik) that were only 16" long. They topped out right at the height of the rack so the cover fit. The radio worked, reception decent. When I finally used the CB I thought the reception was very short, signal starting to get weak at ~1/4 mile.

 

- Gave a ride to friend who, upon stopping, tried to dismount as from a bicycle by swinging his leg over the back (hehehe) and broke the CB antenna, so the quest was on.

 

- First, you MUST have a CB antanna for your CB, and the radio can use that thru a splitter. You cannot use a radio antenna for the CB.

 

- Sources seem to indicate that a fiberglass or whip antenna of less than 3' is really asking for trouble, and the little rubber ones are worse. When I say trouble, that can take the form of high SWR but the main thing is short range. 3' is the minimum length for good CB operation with good range, thus saith my sources. This explains my short CB range with 16" antennas.

 

- Dual antennas in such close proximity actually reduces range of the CB transmission. Some say this only applies side-to-side, that forward and backward range is not affected. Not sure.

 

- One experienced source says that the Yammy factory splitter is very inefficient, that a bunch of signal is lost. He recommends the Firestik splitter, available for under 20 bucks, if you want to stick with one antenna.

 

- For shorter antennas, like 3 or 4 foot, fiberglass is supposed to work better than a steel whip.

 

- Make sure your mount has a good ground to the rack and ultimately to the chassis. This is very important.

 

- Standard antenna connections use 3/8-24 threads for mounting and a PL-259 (I think I have that right, it's threaded) cable connector. MC factory stuff, of course, uses something different. If you're replacing a factory antenna, which I think has the cable built-in, you will need also need a mounting stud, angle connector (optional), new cable with PL-259 on both ends. That will connect to the input of the splitter or CB. Splitter CB output is also PL-259 and goes right to the CB. Splitter radio output is a different type connector, a smaller push-type which is standard for radio antennas. That lead needs to thread to the other side of the fairing where the radio is and connect to it. If your antenna is already aftermarket, it has probably been retrofitted with standard hardware and cables. Pull the CB out of the dash (6 or 8 screws) and see what you've got in there.

 

- Now, for the great fold-down question that precipitated your question. There is, readily available, a "lift and lay" fold-down which has standard 3/8-24 threads, so it goes between the mounting stud and the antenna. Number is 203EZ. The ideas is great; lift a sleeve and the thing folds down. Gold Wings come with a real nice one stock. However, the 203EZ is not so nice; it's loose and sloppy, allowing the top of a 3' antenna to wiggle around 2". And that's it. There are no other current options. The 203EZ does come packaged in a couple different labels, one being AUFO, another being Bud's, but it's the same junk part. Firestik made a line of fold-downs that use a big wing nut (look up DV-SB) and have no slop, but they're discontinued. Some are still out there and I'm looking for one.

 

- Much more info is available at Firestik.com, in the tech section.

 

- I decided on a single Wilson Flex 3' fiberglass antenna. I liked this one because it is thinner than the Firestik, even the lighter Firefly model which would look like a tree trunk on the back of my bike (to me). I modified my mount so the antenna is farther back and no longer obstructing the removal of the saddlebag lid. The opposite side bracket has been removed. I don't think my factory splitter is working right, not to mention the aforementioned power loss issue, so I bought the Firestik splitter. I haven't installed it yet; I need to figure out how to deal with the connectors on the radio side.

 

- wearecb.com has good prices and were good to deal with. WalcottCB.com has most everything, but didn't have the Wilson antenna I wanted. Local truck stops might have just what you want.

 

- It might be better to buy a Gold Wing CB antenna. You'd have to figure out how to mount it, but it comes with the cable, mount and fold-down all built in. I dunno what type of connector is on the cable.

 

Hope this saves you some trouble.

 

Jeremy

[Condor]

If it doesn't have a center loaded coil about half way up it's an aftermarket. They do make a cover that has an opening for the antenna. I see tham on Ebay for about 25-35 bucks.

[Gearhead]

Hmmm, I've wondered about a grommet hole for the antenna. Sounds like a pain to put on and take off every day - I wonder if it's easier than I think?

 

Jeremy

[NewfoundlandVenture]

Gearhead, the Grommet may be an interesting idea to pass the existing antenna through... though, like you, I wonder if getting the cover on and off of a 4 1/2' antenna on a daily basis is going to be much fun.

 

I've heard about the 203EZ, with good and bad reviews, so I'm still undecided about whether it is worth a try.

 

Condor, it does have the coil in the "coupling" about half way up the antenna. I'm afraid I know very little about antennas other than that I want to have mine folded under the cover, and they are necessary for radios. Even looking at the 203EZ, it seems like it would require a male end on the bottom of the antenna, and I think mine has a female end on the bottom. Maybe the 203 can be installed either end up?? I'm gonna have to explore my antenna a bit more.

 

I really don't want to try and shift to 2 antenna at this point, as I am so new to the bike, and I'm not really sure how much of what is on it works yet.

 

Thanks for all the advice people, I'll let you know how it turns out!

[Condor]

Condor, it does have the coil in the "coupling" about half way up the antenna. I'm afraid I know very little about antennas other than that I want to have mine folded under the cover, and they are necessary for radios. Even looking at the 203EZ, it seems like it would require a male end on the bottom of the antenna, and I think mine has a female end on the bottom. Maybe the 203 can be installed either end up?? I'm gonna have to explore my antenna a bit more.!

 

The OEM is over 4' long. When the OEM get's stuck it's a bear to get it unstuck. I usually cover the base with a towel and take a pair of channel locks to it.... gently... It'll usually starts to turn with little effort. Once moving it's a piece of cake. Here's a couple of pics of an OEM antenna base.

Rather than a grommet the cover I mentioned has about a 10" velcro slit that lets the antenna move forward or back as needed.

[MikeM8560]

Ive got a firestix and the 203 ex I belive it isnt bad to me

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b22/MikeM8560/Venture%20XVZ12/MVC-664S.jpg

[BOO]

Technically the "Splitter" in the system is really a "Duplexer".

Other than that there's a lot of good information is this thread.

Jerry

[mraf]

This might help. Moderators feel free to delete if it is a infringment.http://bludolphintravel.com/gmg/marshallmod.htm

[mbrood]

I got a couple 203EZ adapters for my bike a while back... one fit tight and the other had a bit of "wobble" to it. The supplier was generous enough to send a replacement but I asked him to check it first for "wobble"... he said he was sending one of the "better" ones but even IT had a bit of play.

 

I chased it down a bit more and found that they USED to be US made and held to tight specs but when they got farmed out (overseas) they had to loosen the specs to get a "friendly bid". So I think it's the nature of the beast for that particular one... and I didn't find anything better at the time.

[Freebird]

This might help. Moderators feel free to delete if it is a infringment.http://bludolphintravel.com/gmg/marshallmod.htm

 

Marshall's site has been linked here many times. I think I even have an article and link from him in the tech library. No problem that I can see.

[NewfoundlandVenture]

Again, Thanks for all the input. I think the first, easiest, and least expensive way to try is with the 203EZ, and see if that will provide a good enough quality fit. I checked locally, but couldn't find anyone who carries it, so I found one online that won't be a bank buster if it doesn't work out. Hopefully it'll be here in a week or two, and I'll let you know my take on it then.

[GigaWhiskey]

I found it at walcottcb.com

 

I could not find it at the firestick site

[NewfoundlandVenture]

I did get that adapter after, but unfortunately, it was a different size than my Antenna.... I think the adapter was 3/8", my antenna is no more than a 1/4".... I've resigned myself to just unscrewing it now after each ride when I put the bike under cover. Hopefully a better solution will present itself at some point!

[GigaWhiskey]

Glad you woke me up on this one. I have been wanting to improve my FM reception for a long time, it is not very good and nowhere near my car reception. I have never done the Marshall Mod for AM/FM (I have no CB), always pushed away from that page, because I have personal issues with the author.

[Gearhead]

I just went thru all this. First, Firestik used to make fold-downs with a wing nut to tighten. No more, they killed the line. You might still be able to find one available here or there with the built-in spring; all the others seem to be gone.

 

203EZ is not a Firestik product. It is marketed under several brand on Ebay, but they are all from the same source. There are no other aftermarket fold-down options that I could find. 203EZ's have wiggle, apparently some more than others. Mine has wiggle, 1.5 to 2" at the top of my 3' antenna. I decided to live with it. When riding it's not noticable at all, since the tip of the antenna whips around anyway. I don't hear the mount clunking. It folds down nicely, although I thought the spring on the collar was too stiff. I disassembled the thing and had a weaker spring laying around that works nicer IMHO.

 

I was assured that the wiggle would not cause intermittent contact or other issues with the operation of the antenna. When doing SWR testing, I shook the bike with the meter connected. The mount wiggling did not show up the SWR meter, so I guess it's fine.

 

I dunno what kind of antenna you have, Newfoundland, but pretty much all standard aftermarket CB stuff has 3/8-24 threads. OE stuff, of course, is not. I'm under the impression that Venture, GW and Harley all use different metric threads. For maybe 30 bucks you could get an aftermarket stud mount and antenna with 3/8 threads.

 

Jeremy

[PBJ]

On page 72 of the July 2008 issue of American Motorcyclist there is a product endorsement for a hidden antenna Put out by KK Motorcycle Supply( Sorry no website listed) It fits into your fairing and replaces a whip antenna. It says in the ad that its for Harleys but its not a Harley made pruduct so maybe they make them for Ventures and Wings too. the unit goes for about $80.00 this might be an altenate answer to your antenna situation.

[Freebird]

You folks can be happy that Firestik discontinued the fold down mount with the wing nut. It was JUNK. I had those on my '99 and lost two antennas because of them. They were made of a cast or pot type metal and could not take any stress. I now have the fold down mounts with the spring slides that I picked up at a truck stop. Yes, there is some wiggle but they work great.