So.... I know this has been beaten to death and I don't want to start a bashing tread. Here is my sitituation, I have recently acquired a 2014 Ultra Limited and I want to do a upgrade on my stereo. I have about a $1,000 budget and I would like to know if you were in my shoes how would you spend YOUR money? I have searched these forums and others and every time I think I have all figured out I read something that changes my mind....information overload! PLEASE HELP!

 

$1000 bucks should be damn respectable for a 4 speaker Rushmore Ultra setup. Start making an itemized list and that should narrow down your budget for the key components like the fairing speakers and the amp.

BT355 Line Levelers ($150)
RCAs ($15.00)
Miscellaneous Install Supplies ($20.00)
Speaker Grills ($40.00)
Fairing Speakers ($300.00)
4 Channel Amp ($300.00)
Tour Pack Speakers ($150)
Tour Pack Speaker Spacers ($40.00)

Total = $1015

So with that itemized budget you could get a pretty killer system. I would focus on the fairing speaks, then the amp, then TP speaks. Shifting some line item costs to the fairing speak budget will be where u system can really deliver. Point being, if u can get the very best bang for your buck "drop in" tour pack speaks moves $40 to the fairing speak budget. If u already have the Boom metal grills, that moves another $40 to the fairing speaker budget. I'm also a huge fan of component speakers so if ur in the $300+ range, get components.

Now for the discussion of what type of sound your are looking for aka, music genres?

T

 

I typically listen to classic/ hard rock, when my wife rides I have to throw in a little country.
Thanks for the advice, just what I'm looking for..

 

Maybe start with the Polk mm651 or Alpine SPR 60 on your short list for TP Drop Ins. If u ever plan on adding lid speaks, the Polks are not the best choice due to their 2.7 ohm rating, but very good if ur staying with stock speaker locations. Plenty of other options there so leave the short list growing as ur research continues.

That moves $90 towards ur amp and fairing budget.

There are also some Hertz HCX 165 for sale in the audio classifieds that do well in the TP pods but u will need spacers.

T

 

There's one part missing from T's excellent list. Ultra's require a breakout harness to power the rear speakers which would add another $100 unless you want to splice into the main audio harness. If you don't mind losing the fade feature you could offset some of the cost by using only one line level and just use the front speaker outputs on the HU. In doing so this would increase sound quality.

Half inch spacers should work with the HCX speakers. They can be found for $7.

 

You could just run speaker wires back, after all you'll already have the tank pulled to do power and ground for Amp, the rest is cake. Total cost for that is less then 20 for supplies depending on the gauge and brand of speaker wire you run.

 

There are no speaker output connections under the fairing on the Ultra models. To do it this way two pair of speaker wire would have to be run from the rear speakers to the amp input and another two pair of wires run from the amp outputs back to the speakers. That's a lot of extra wire running through the wiring channel and an increased chance of picking up noise on the way form other wires in the channel.

 

So....after talking with Donna at Biketronics I think I have figured out the direction I'm going. BT7P1.14 speakers with their mounting brackets, the BT4180.14 amp with mount, wiring break out harness with two BT355 line levelers. A little over budget at $1017 and still have to put speakers in the rear pods. She gave me a couple of recommendations so I will do my research a pull the trigger by the end of the week. I figure I can pick something decent up that will handle the power a for a couple hundred buck. So for around $1200 I should have a complete plug and play system that I can put in on a rainy Florida weekend. What are you thoughts??

 

Go with the BT355s w breakout harness, the BT speaker brackets, and the BT4180.

Get different speakers than BT for the fairing and the TP.

T

 

Pretty sure there are brackets speakers and amp on the for sale page, pick all you can up used most of the stuff over there has very little use on it and can save you a lot. to spend on the very best fairing speaker you can afford .