Bike info: 2008 Street Glide
Audio plan: front fairing speakers with amp

Please disregard my previous inquiries since that configuration failed after about a week. Either the Walmart amp quit working or the stock HU didn’t like being connected to that amp.

I have researched the forum as much as possible, found some valuable information, and made my current purchases based on other’s input while still trying to keep my expenses low.

I opted for the Jensen HD1BT HU which I bought on eBay for $365. I chose it because it’s plug and play, Bluetooth ready, waterproof, and fairly inexpensive. I understand there are other higher quality options, but the Jensen seems like it will fit my needs. I also bought a hidden antenna to put inside the fairing.

I got the two speakers and adaptor rings as a kit on eBay for $200. They are brand new in the box (I believe NOS) Biketronics Titan/Hertz 6.5 BT447, rated at 3 ohm, 100 watt RMS and 200 watt peak. I haven’t been able to find data anywhere about these specific speakers, but I think they are the older ones with a Biketronics stickers on the magnet? Any more info about these speakers would be greatly appreciated!

I bought the amp used on EBay for $170 and it should be arriving in a few days. From what I’ve seen on here, it’s a good amp for a two speaker setup. From previous posts, it looks like I should turn the BX2 off, set the crossover switch at high and adjust it to around 110 hz. To set the amp gain, I should adjust the volume of the HU to 1-2 marks below max, and then adjust the amp gain by ear to a level just below distorting. Others have mentioned that the gain screws typically end up being oriented to pointing between the letters A and I in the word “GAIN” on the amp. I plan on trying both techniques and seeing which sounds better.

My questions for everyone:

Should I run each speaker on it’s own 2 ohm channel? How much wattage does that send to each speaker? Is that enough wattage? Does the difference in ohms (3 ohm speakers vs 2 ohms from amp) cause a problem? Or would the speakers run better bridged at 4 ohms? What wattage would that send to each speaker and would that be too much wattage? Would 4 ohms (bridged) from amp cause damage to my 3 ohm speakers? I want this setup to last as long as possible, but I also don’t really want to sacrifice performance unnecessarily.

If bridged is better, do I insert the speaker wires from both speakers into the one amp output or do I “daisy chain” the two speakers together from the amp?

I've heard that after the adjustments are done, it’s wise to tape over the adjustment screws on the top of the amp to reduce the possibility of water damage. Would a plastic vapor barrier over the top of the amp help as well?

Should I buy or fabricate some type of amp rack/bracket to keep the amp elevated off the top of the HU or is Velcro sufficient? If Velcro the amp to the top of the HU, do I run the risk of heat from the amp damaging the HU?

Since the Jensen HU has RCA outputs, do I just need to connect these RCA outputs into the RCA inputs of the amp and then run new speaker wire from the amp outputs to the speakers? What do I do with the old speaker wires currently part of the factory harness inside the fairing?

Should I run a ground wire all the way from the battery, or is the ground on the triple tree sufficient?

Do I connect the amp remote wire to the positive wire of the cigarette lighter, or....?

I’m sorry for this post being so long, but I tried to clearly explain what I have to work with and get all of my questions out of the way in one shot.

Here is a picture of my speakers if that helps to identify them.






Thanks in advance,

Bobby

 

Still hoping for advice....

 

Well, the Arc ks125.2 from eBay arrived today and it looks brand new. Since I didn’t get any input here I decided to forge ahead on my own with helpful advice from previous posts. I guess now I’ll just document how I did it in case anyone needs a hand in the future.

I connected the HU to the amp inputs with RCA plugs and then used quality speaker cables from the amp to the speakers. As far as the old factory speaker wiring from the harness, I just taped it up and tucked it out of the way.

I adjusted the amp settings exactly like I mentioned in my first post and then I covered the adjuster holes with clear packing tape as an extra precaution against water damage.

I mounted the amp to the top of the HU with heavy duty Velcro. It seems like it’s strong enough to keep the amp from moving around. I’m still not sure if heat from the amp will pose a problem for the HU. Hopefully it’s ok.

This amp wouldn’t turn on when I hooked the “auto on” wire to the cigarette lighter. The HU had a designated power wire marked “amp” and when I used that, everything turned on like it’s supposed to.

I taped a piece of heavy plastic over the HU and amp to help ward off moisture.

I opted to wire the speakers with each one going to its own amp channel.

Aside from testing everything with the engine running in the garage, I can’t give a full report on the system yet. It’s definitely louder and clearer than the stock system I started out with, and hopefully it’s powerful enough to let me listen to music on long trips.