Did I hook my speakers up correctly?
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 140
Likes: 24
From: Boise, ID
Did I hook my speakers up correctly?
I finally was able to install my audio system into my 2015 Road Glide Special this weekend, but now I am doubting if I made the right connection to my speakers. The amp is a Biketronics 4180.14 kit, but with Arco Moto 602v2 speakers.
Before installing the amp and bracket into the fairing, I connected all of my wiring to the amp. I made sure to connect the provided speaker wire connections with the stripe wire for negative and plain wire for positive.
When it came time to install the new 602s I noticed they did not have any indicators for polarity aside from two different colored wires running from the speaker spade terminals into the speaker itself. As you can see in the attached photo, one wire is red and the other is black. One would think red = positive and black = negative, however the spade terminal size is opposite from what the provided Biketronics speaker wire was. In other words the BT negative speaker wire had a narrow female spade connector, and the positive speaker wire had a wide blade connector.
Since there was only one possible way for me to connect things, I just went with that. But now I am wondering if I connected things out of phase? The sound is much louder and clearer than stock, but just about ANYTHING is better than stock, so I don't have anything to base an opinion on.
Did I hook up the speakers backwards? Is there a standard for wide blade vs narrow blade in regards to positive and negative?
Before installing the amp and bracket into the fairing, I connected all of my wiring to the amp. I made sure to connect the provided speaker wire connections with the stripe wire for negative and plain wire for positive.
When it came time to install the new 602s I noticed they did not have any indicators for polarity aside from two different colored wires running from the speaker spade terminals into the speaker itself. As you can see in the attached photo, one wire is red and the other is black. One would think red = positive and black = negative, however the spade terminal size is opposite from what the provided Biketronics speaker wire was. In other words the BT negative speaker wire had a narrow female spade connector, and the positive speaker wire had a wide blade connector.
Since there was only one possible way for me to connect things, I just went with that. But now I am wondering if I connected things out of phase? The sound is much louder and clearer than stock, but just about ANYTHING is better than stock, so I don't have anything to base an opinion on.
Did I hook up the speakers backwards? Is there a standard for wide blade vs narrow blade in regards to positive and negative?
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 908
Likes: 117
From: Texas....6ft from the sun
If you have a AA battery, connect speaker wire to speaker and touch each end to the battery ends (nipple end on bat is +). If the speaker moves OUT, its correct. If the speaker moves IN, it is reversed. Better yet if you have a volt meter, put it on AC volts and touch it on the speaker connections to find + and -. If you get +12v that is correct, if you get -12v that is backwards. This will help you identify + and - on the speaker.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Last edited by Sturgis67; Aug 7, 2017 at 02:09 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,812
Likes: 122
From: Joliet IL.
So for guy's with same question...what ended up being the + (pos) terminal and - (neg) terminal...should be industry standard, with larger spade being + (pos)!!
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2016
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From: Boise, ID
The speaker wires from Biketronics had a plain wire/large terminal as + (pos) and a wire with black stripe/small terminal as - (neg).
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5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City
So which is the negative?
Earlier in the thread someone said small terminal in negative. So on the moto the small is positive? The stock speaker wire in the pod is solid correct?
Apparently there is no industry standard, which is sort of dumb. But the Arc Moto 602v2 speakers had a red wire/small terminal which was the + (pos) and a black wire/large terminal which was - (neg).
The speaker wires from Biketronics had a plain wire/large terminal as + (pos) and a wire with black stripe/small terminal as - (neg).
The speaker wires from Biketronics had a plain wire/large terminal as + (pos) and a wire with black stripe/small terminal as - (neg).
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 278
From: USA
I also checked with battery method and indeed it checks as wide spade positive narrow spade negitive.
So both Biketronics and Arc speakers (at least my Moto 602s) have wide spade (+) and narrow spade (-). Makes sense that it is industry standard as mentioned earlier.
And yes the solid wire in the pod is positive.
Last edited by timbo141; Sep 11, 2017 at 10:18 AM. Reason: Added Arc Moto 602 photo
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