Upgrading or installing a motorcycle stereo takes special considerations. Understanding what is involved with the configuration and demands of your stereo is the first step.
When replacing factory components, a wiring harness adapter is always recommended. This will allow you to put your stock components back in, and more importantly it won’t void your factory warranty. When harness adapters are not available, they can easily be made.
A simple speaker upgrade is generally more involved than one would think. Most stock motorcycle stereo systems operate at a different impedance level than your common aftermarket speaker. Installing a pair of 4 ohm speakers in a system that requires 2 ohms will do damage to your stock radio and/or your new speakers. Another thing to keep in mind when replacing speakers, is the available power to drive the speakers. Although it is possible to add larger speakers with the use of speaker adapters, your factory radio may not have enough power to run them. Lastly but equally important, when selecting your new speakers be certain they will be able to withstand the elements. A paper cone speaker will not last long when exposed to any water. For this reason, marine grade equipment is always preferred.
The addition of an aftermarket head unit or receiver will generally provide more power to your speakers, provided your speaker impedance matches your new stereo. The major down side of replacing that stock radio is that in most cases you will also lose the hand control functions for the stereo.
For these reasons, we have found that the best way to to achieve better sound quality and more volume with the least amount of headaches is with the addition of an aftermarket amplifier and upgraded speakers. Using this configuration makes it easy to match your speaker impedance to your amp, retains the use of your handlebar controls, keeps the stock appearance, as well as adding plenty of power for larger speakers.
The installation of an amplifier consists of two key steps, mounting and wiring. With very little room to spare inside a fairing, a small amplifier will be needed. Stay away from digital amplifiers, as they generally provide more distortion than power. It is also important that your bike’s electrical system is able to provide the extra power that is needed.
Fabricating a mount that holds the new amplifier in the area above the radio usually works best. Mounting it directly to the radio can cause additional heat, excessive vibration, as well as extra stress on the radio and it’s mount.
The wiring of the amplifier is fairly straight forward. The connection from stereo to amplifier can be made with a standard hi-lo converter installed. The ground wire should be attached independent of any other ground wires (to neg. terminal on battery). The amps “remote power on” wire can be attached to an accessory wire in the fairing, make sure this power supply is switched to be off when the ignition is off. Running the power wires will take the most time and care. The wires must be routed cleanly to the battery with a fuse placed inline within 8 inches of the pos. terminal on battery. The speaker wires are attached in a standard fashion.
This brings us to the rear speakers. If your bike came equipped with rear speaker it probably has a factory amplifier as well. This will make upgrading easy. Simply upgrade the amp and speakers with the factory wiring. If you plan to add rear speakers there are several options. You could replace your bag lids with aftermarket speaker lids which have the speaker openings molded into them. The other option is to place the speakers in the bags. This will work well only if the bag is ported. We generally port them on the tire side of the bags.
When installing rear speakers,adding an amplifier to power your speakers will net you the best results, as the stock head unit will not provide enough power to drive the rear speakers. All of the connections are similar to that of the front amp and speakers. If the head unit is only a 2 channel system you will need to connect the speakers to a hi-lo converter that will be attached to the stock front speaker wire. It is also possible to add speakers and/or an amp to the rear tour pack. This is done in the same way as side bag speakers.
Now that we have covered the basic concept of the stereo upgrade, it is important to mention the risks. Poor installation can cause damage to the bike’s electrical system, damage to the stereo equipment, and even damage to the bike it’s self. With that in mind, if you are not extremely confident in your ability to get the installation done properly, professional installation is recommended. The money you will pay to have the job done right will be way less than repairing a poor installation job.
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