My wife had a fairing and stereo put on her bike last year, and one of the speakers recently stopped working. I checked all of the wires, and nothing has come loose.
She spoke with the installer, and he said she would probably need a new stereo, that a faulty voltage regulator probably shorted the current one. Said it's very common, that they tend to spike.
According to the installer, it happens a lot, but I haven't heard of this happening with anybody else. She went with a good grade stero and speakers, but it lasted just over a year.
Is this a common issue, and what should I check?
Thanks

 

Never go back to that installer again!! The speaker DID NOT stop working due to the voltage regulator!! What Bike are we trouble shooting?

 

It's a 2013 Dyna switchback with an Alpine stereo. There are no trouble codes on the bike, and no other issues.
We've had to take it back once already, when a wire came loose and nothing worked.

 

The first thing I would rule out is the possibility that I had changed my settings and turned the balance or fade so far to one side that it shut down the sound coming from the speaker. Then open your fairing to get to the back of your head unit and speakers. Then check for loose connections. If all connections are good switch wires from one speaker to the other to see if it is the speaker or head unit. You didn't mention amp. If there is one you may need to check that also. If you have a volt meter you can use it instead of switching wiring from side to side.

 

Also If it does happen to be the voltage regulator spike. I would Inquire as to why a installer did not install a fused link to prevent damage in this case. If he did not add link he would be replacing the head unit with his dime.

 

Definitely not a setting, I tried all of that first. Also pulled the fairing and checked all of the connections.
We had him look at it yesterday, he plugged in a new stereo, and everything worked fine. So, definitely the stereo is bad.
He's sure the voltage regulator caused it, but I told him I disagreed. He said it happens often, and he tells all of his customers to replace their voltage regulators before replacing the stereos.
He doesn't add a surge protector, I asked about that also.
We left, and I ordered a new stero online, that I'll install myself.

 

Glad you found the issue. FWIW, if it was the voltage regulator, your issues would have been bike related NOT audio related.

 

A couple questions. 1. Are you running an amp on that bike? 2. Is the guy telling you to replace the stock regulator or get an upgraded regulator? I'm really struggling with this idea that the regulator is causing the stereo to stop working. All the voltage regulator does is regulate the amount of power output from the stator. The only possible scenario with a faulty voltage regulator is a dying battery. In such case the stereo will still work fine until you turn up the volume?

 

It's not a separate amp, just the Alpine Bluetooth stereo. He didn't say to upgrade the regulator, only to change it.
You're not alone struggling with the idea that it's the regulator. he said several Harley mechanics, and people from J&P cycle told him he's mistaken. But they're all wrong.
With bike week 2 weeks away, and my son coming home to ride with us, it's not worth the aggravation of arguing it with him. The new stereo is on the way, and we won't use him, or recommend him to anybody.
I appreciate the input.