I have researched this site and others about upgrading the audio on my 2015 Street Glide Special. To say I am confused would be an understatement. But it doesn't take much to put me into a state of confusion. LOL So I am coming here in hopes of clearing some of this up.

I THINK I want to upgrade my audio by adding an amp and speakers to replace the stock speakers in my fairing. I really don't have an issue with the stock set up on a day to day basis. Back and forth to work and around town it is loud and clear enough but I do have to run the volume up 3/4 of the way to hear the music at 60 + mph. At this point I start to hear distortion which I don't like. At 75 + MPH the music begins to be hard to hear at all. Wide open volume is difficult to hear some songs and the distortion gets pretty bad sometimes, static, crackling etc. My old ears don't hear a lot of the high notes other people hear, so I don't know what I am missing there anyway and I don't think anything system will give that back to me. Too many years of unprotected shooting, chainsaws and power tools took that away from me.
So, what do I think I want? I want more volume with a clear sound even at higher volume settings. Little or no distortion at higher volume. I want my occasional passenger to hear the music better and more clear as well. I only want to replace the existing speakers and add an amp. At this point I am not interested in adding additional speakers. I honestly don't think I ever will do that to this bike. I was asked about my budget on this. Of coarse I want it all for nothing. But since that isn't going to happen I would say $1000 is my max.

I have looked at several "plug and play" systems.

I heard and played with a Rockford Fosgate system when I was in DC in May. This sounded great to me on the showroom floor. I can only assume it would be better on the road than the stock system I have now. This system I could install myself. The issue with the the RF system is the radio flash. According to RF this would need to be done by one of their approved installation shops. There isn't one of those within a 4 hour drive of my home. That adds a wrinkle.

I looked at J&M Rokker. This seemed like a good option until I read reviews here on this site. From what I read here this is not a good system to purchase and install. Correct me if I wrong.

Hogtunes seem to be known to have distortion at higher volume levels which knocks them out. Correct me if I am wrong.

Harley Davidson Boom systems. Almost everything I have read says stay away from this period. So I will. Again, correct me if I am wrong.

I looked at the Biketronics systems. From what I have read on this site this is a good option, but somewhat limited. With their included line leveler I wouldn't "need" a flash. But having the dealership flash it to an "Ultra" flash would probably help. No issue on that flash. I can have it done' at the local dealership. But, some here don't seem to think this is a good or at least not to best option available. I also wonder about their "Proline" speakers. If I decided to use the Biketronics system, would the Proline at an addition $300 cost be worth the money? Any one have personal experience that would say go with the Proline, or just stay with the standard Titian II?

Then there are the "custom" systems that are pieced together from various manufacturer speakers and amplifiers. This opens many many questions for me. Coax vs traditional speakers? What is this and how are they different? Speaker impedance has to be matched with amp impedance, I understand that, I think. But how do I know what will work best with my head unit? Marine grade or not? I would think yes I need this since I seem to get get caught in the rain a lot this time of year, three times this week so far. But some folks say this isn't an issue. How would I mount an amp not designed for use under a motorcycle fairing?

As I said before. I'm confused and I am looking for help on this. Someone help an old man out.

TIA,
Kevin

 

First big question is what kind of budget are you working with? Many options out there but budget is a big factor in choosing components properly

 

I knew I left something out. Thanks for asking that. I added it to my original post, but no more than $1000. As I have said, I don't hear so good. I don't see spending a lot of money for something I will not benefit from.

 

A JL 400/4 amp bridged to Digital Design AW 6.5s and AT28 tweeters in the fairing. That is a solid fairing only combo that is hard to beat. Should work with your budget too.

 

And a BT355.

 

For give my ignorance.
Please explain bridged. Are the Digital Design AW 6.5s and AT28 tweeters one piece?

 

You're taking a 4 channel amp and turning it into a a two channel amp utilizing 1 output from each channel.

The AW6.5 and AT28 speakers are seperates meaning you need to get creative in order to mount them. Most have mounted the tweeter in a set of Hogtunes mesh grilles.

 

I Googled JL 400/4 amp and get several variations. I found an Xd 440/4, an JX 400/4 and an RD 400/4. Which one would be the right one for my application?
Where would buy the DD Audio speakers and tweeters? I have not found an online dealer for the speakers yet.

 

You want the XD400/4.

 

I believe I understand the bridging now.

Where would the BT355 line leveler go, between the head unit and the amp?

From the information I have found on this and other sites I will need to remove the OEM speaker pods and replace them with an adapter, Biketronics maybe? Which one have others used with success? This will allow me to mount the AW6.5s to the inside of the fairing where the OEM speaker are currently mounted. Will I need to add polyfill behind the speakers as I found in a couple of articles on this site?

The tweeter will mount through the speakers grill buy cutting the correct sized hole in the grill, sliding the tweeter in the hole through the grill and screwing the mounting ring(s) to the tweeter. Correct? I assume, I know I shouldn't, with the before mentioned speaker adapter mount there is enough room between the grill and the speaker to do this? Does the tweeter need to be mounted center of the grill, off to one side, does it matter?

The AW6.5s and the AT28 tweeters would be connected in parallel to the same output directly from the amp? Would I need a cross over as I found in one diagram? Where would I get this?

What turns the amp on and off? Would I need to wire it thought the ignition circuit so it shuts down when the bike is off? Wire it though a manual switch? Doesn't it come one automatically when the radio come on?

Sorry for all the questions. But I only want to do this once.