IPOD Classic (80G) on A Harley Ultra Classic

[stagetroll]

I am using an 80G Ipod Classic on my Harley, and I also use it in my car. Both vehicles use the 3.5 jack. On the Harley however, I get the songs jumping around, sometimes locking up. I have used other Ipods and haven't had this problem. I also have used this IPOD on other motorcycles with no problem. Changed the cable to a Monster brand and still have the issue. Wondering if it is some kind of interference or maybe just cause it's an older model Ipod. Any help on this matter is appreciated.

[otaku]

Might be the hard disk skipping due to shock/vibration.
Were the other iPods hard disk models or flash models (nano/touch)?

[S2_Mac]

Too many unknown variables to say anything "for sure". If by "songs jumping around" you mean "skipping," then the first thing to suspect is vibration affecting the hard drive, especially if your music files are ripped to higher bitrates. Are you driving a hardtail? Running a badbad set of BagPipes? Riding on washboard roads? If so, there might just be a whole lotta shakin' going on ;-) OTOH, if you're hearing songs playing out of order or the iPod stops playing midway through a playlist, there may a problem with the iPod's internal database; Restoring the iPod software through iTunes is the fix for that.

Or, if you're hearing "static" or "pops" or "tearing" in the playback, you've pbl'y got a bad cable or a bad cable connection; intermittent contact (or noisy spark plugs/ignition circuit) is the typical cause of "harsh" noise in iPods. (And Monster Cable, despite their marketing, is no less susceptible to these problems than other cables.)