Improving the sound of your Harley-Davidson stock audio equipment: speakers and amplifier

In this case study, we're going to work directly with the sound system to improve our experience when shooting with music in a simple way and without special tools.

The amplifier and the speakers
Usually, when we think about upgrading an audio system, the first thing that comes to mind is installing larger, more powerful speakers. The sound we hear is produced by an electrical signal that travels from the radio to a coil located at the base of the speaker, creating a variable magnetic field that acts on a permanent magnet attached to the speaker cone, moving it rhythmically and creating sound waves, thus converting electricity into sound.

To put it simply, we can say that the electrical signal coming from the transmitting device (the radio) is not very powerful, and if we try to move a very large speaker system, the signal loses quality, producing distortion and saturation.
It's important to increase the power of this signal by amplifying it, achieving a more powerful signal with virtually no loss in quality. This is the responsibility of the amplifier or sound stage.
It's essential to choose a good combination of speakers and amplifier to ensure compatibility and thus guarantee that our investment will meet expectations.

Equipment installation
In this case, we chose a Hogtunes amplifier + speaker kit, which comes equipped with all the necessary connections compatible with the original HD audio equipment, making installation much easier.

We will start by opening the "batwing" fairing cover by loosening the front screws.

and the rear ends,

This way we can now remove the front panel and have access to the radio.

Next we will disassemble the original speakers by loosening the screws that hold them to their support,

and we'll replace them directly with the new ones. In the following image, we can see the difference in size (and quality) between the two components.

We will place the new amplifier on top of the radio housing, securing it with the Velcro provided in the kit.

The next step is to make the connections indicated in the instructions. Basically, what we do is insert the amplifier into the radio output, and then connect the speakers to the amplifier output.

The source of energy
The amplification process requires extra energy to be carried out, so we have to feed the power stage directly from the battery, for which we will pass the connector from the front area

below the fuel tank

to the battery terminals.

For this we will use the motorcycle's main wiring conduit.

Ending
At this point, we can turn on the ignition and listen to our favorite song, gradually increasing the volume and checking that everything is correct. We'll close the fairing again and test the audio system again while driving, verifying that it's not affected by vibrations or generating parasitic sounds during engine revving.

Now all that's left is to select the songs that will accompany us on the journey, thus becoming the soundtrack to the movie of our lives.

Frank Burguera

#harleymechanics