6.5'' Adapter Rings
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,156
Likes: 27
From: Texas
IMO if your going to buy an entire system from 4 different vendors please don't be a child about an extra 5 min of labor. If you require the "close your eyes install" buy the entire kit from the same vendor, then have it done for you.
I will apologize if I appear a little cranky on this, but the bitching to everyone on the forums over a $40.00 that doesn't fit something we don't sell, only shows you should have you bike worked on by someone the works on bikes.
comon guys.. all the guy is saying here is the adapters fit; plain and simple.
In reference to the screws being too short, I don't get it. I've installed many of these adapter rings over the years from Cycle Sounds which are the same adapters manufactured by DragonFly and NEVER, NOT ONCE have I ever had an issue with them including screw holes for speakers lining up properly. And even if I did, it's a simple fix; drill new holes. I mean hell most of you do it for your tourpak pods anyways so what's the difference.
In reference to the screws being too short, I don't get it. I've installed many of these adapter rings over the years from Cycle Sounds which are the same adapters manufactured by DragonFly and NEVER, NOT ONCE have I ever had an issue with them including screw holes for speakers lining up properly. And even if I did, it's a simple fix; drill new holes. I mean hell most of you do it for your tourpak pods anyways so what's the difference.
Grab a hand-full of 5/8" long screws and see if they will attach the adapter rings to your fairing. This is what was sent with my kit, so either my adapter rings are too thick, Harley has changed the attachment points on the batwing or I don't know how to read a measuring tape. I think it's more likely that they packaged the wrong screws.
My adapters have a thick area molded into them to at the 4 screw hole locations for mounting the speakers to the adapters. If I had "moved over" and drilled new holes, the screws would have been mounted in the thinner portion of the adapter, which I didn't feel comfortable doing, due to the cantilevered weight of the speaker on the adapter and road vibration. As I stated in an earlier post, I massaged the adapters and speakers together, but based on my experience with other adapters, it shouldn't have been necessary.
I've been a General Contractor for 23+ years, owned a BMW Motorcycle Dealership for 8 years and was a BMW Certified Technician, so I'm pretty sure that I know whether or not a $40.00 set of plastic adapters is fitting properly.
P.S. I'm tired of beating a dead horse, so I'll have no further comment on this issue.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 14,670
Likes: 139
From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Grab a hand-full of 5/8" long screws and see if they will attach the adapter rings to your fairing. This is what was sent with my kit, so either my adapter rings are too thick, Harley has changed the attachment points on the batwing or I don't know how to read a measuring tape. I think it's more likely that they packaged the wrong screws.
easy killer.. I was just commenting that I've never had issues. It certainly isn't beyond comprehension that wrong size screws were shipped so I'm not taking away any validity from the issue you experienced.
...drills out the 4th hole, puts a screw in it, and guess where it goes? right through the front of his fairing. Then has the f-in nerve to email me and tell me that I should have told him the instructions say not to use the 4th hole. If he was standing in front of me I probably would have decked him simply for being an idiot.
Sold a car to a guy and told him there was a screw missing in the headlight switch but the other three were holding it just fine. He took it upon himself to run a 1.5" sheet metal screw in there to make sure it stayed. Guess what... Car caught fire when he turned the switch on... He'd run that screw right through the wiring harness adapter for the switch!
... Back on topic now!
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,656
Likes: 10
From: Aledo, Texas
Actually, I rather enjoyed Dragonfly's post! When I built my Train, I used a Heartland 250 kit and then contacted PM (actually the guy I buy parts thru did) to see if their 1" extended open primary would work. They didn't know for sure so I purchased it anyway. It did work and I made sure to tell both vendors for the next guy down the road. You can't expect every manufacturer's part to fit perfect in every situation. Sometimes to have to modify your part you're using to modify with........ If you can't hadle it, get someone else to do it for you.
BTW: I'm damn sure no mechanic, but I'll give most anything on my bike a shot.
BTW: I'm damn sure no mechanic, but I'll give most anything on my bike a shot.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 385
Likes: 1
From: SEPA
comon guys.. all the guy is saying here is the adapters fit; plain and simple. Believe me I've run across my share of people who won't read instructions either and usually for 2 reasons; 1- they think they know it all already and wind up being the ones to f**k their stuff up or 2- they simply want someone else to do it for them. Actually had a guy email me the other day about the CS fairing adapters saying "hey it's only got 3 holes for screws to mount to the inner fairing" so I explained why. Low and behold he drills out the 4th hole, puts a screw in it, and guess where it goes? right through the front of his fairing. Then has the f-in nerve to email me and tell me that I should have told him the instructions say not to use the 4th hole. If he was standing in front of me I probably would have decked him simply for being an idiot.
In reference to the screws being too short, I don't get it. I've installed many of these adapter rings over the years from Cycle Sounds which are the same adapters manufactured by DragonFly and NEVER, NOT ONCE have I ever had an issue with them including screw holes for speakers lining up properly. And even if I did, it's a simple fix; drill new holes. I mean hell most of you do it for your tourpak pods anyways so what's the difference.
In reference to the screws being too short, I don't get it. I've installed many of these adapter rings over the years from Cycle Sounds which are the same adapters manufactured by DragonFly and NEVER, NOT ONCE have I ever had an issue with them including screw holes for speakers lining up properly. And even if I did, it's a simple fix; drill new holes. I mean hell most of you do it for your tourpak pods anyways so what's the difference.
I also had a problem with the lowers, the wires off the cross over are short so I just extended them.
I am curious to try other speakers, if anyone would like to send me a set.
We have tried many in the past with the same results. I have however noticed if we over torque the ring we do get some distortion in the ring as it meets the fairing on one of the four fairings we have here which leads me to believe not all are the same and can cause a fitment issue we can not control.
Being mindful of this we were able to still get our speakers mounted with minimal effort. Thank you to all for bringing this issue to our attention with the Polk Speakers.
We have tried many in the past with the same results. I have however noticed if we over torque the ring we do get some distortion in the ring as it meets the fairing on one of the four fairings we have here which leads me to believe not all are the same and can cause a fitment issue we can not control.
Being mindful of this we were able to still get our speakers mounted with minimal effort. Thank you to all for bringing this issue to our attention with the Polk Speakers.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,156
Likes: 27
From: Texas
I am curious to try other speakers, if anyone would like to send me a set.
We have tried many in the past with the same results. I have however noticed if we over torque the ring we do get some distortion in the ring as it meets the fairing on one of the four fairings we have here which leads me to believe not all are the same and can cause a fitment issue we can not control.
Being mindful of this we were able to still get our speakers mounted with minimal effort. Thank you to all for bringing this issue to our attention with the Polk Speakers.
We have tried many in the past with the same results. I have however noticed if we over torque the ring we do get some distortion in the ring as it meets the fairing on one of the four fairings we have here which leads me to believe not all are the same and can cause a fitment issue we can not control.
Being mindful of this we were able to still get our speakers mounted with minimal effort. Thank you to all for bringing this issue to our attention with the Polk Speakers.
On a side note:
I can't wait until one of our other Motorcycle Audio Forum Vendors, who frequents this Forum far to often, chimes in and tells everyone how the adapters that he sells with his equipment are perfect in every way, form and fashion. This seems to be what he's up to these days, in order to advertise his products and peddle his goods.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,644
Likes: 224
From: Coeur d'Alene
Started my project today and just wanted to add my experience with the 6.5" adapter rings that come in Arc Adio packaging. They mounted up just fine and the Polk MM651's I installed on them didn't require any modifications. These are available on ebay and Amazon.
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 988
Likes: 1
From: Ashevegas
I am curious to try other speakers, if anyone would like to send me a set.
We have tried many in the past with the same results. I have however noticed if we over torque the ring we do get some distortion in the ring as it meets the fairing on one of the four fairings we have here which leads me to believe not all are the same and can cause a fitment issue we can not control.
Being mindful of this we were able to still get our speakers mounted with minimal effort. Thank you to all for bringing this issue to our attention with the Polk Speakers.
We have tried many in the past with the same results. I have however noticed if we over torque the ring we do get some distortion in the ring as it meets the fairing on one of the four fairings we have here which leads me to believe not all are the same and can cause a fitment issue we can not control.
Being mindful of this we were able to still get our speakers mounted with minimal effort. Thank you to all for bringing this issue to our attention with the Polk Speakers.
Last edited by rbferg; Apr 11, 2013 at 10:52 PM.
Nice follow-up!! I wish I had an extra set of Polk's for you to try but mine are crankin' right along so far! I'm no pro-installer but I do have a pretty good mechanical aptitude. I prefer things to work the way they're designed without having to drill holes into the weakest part of the adapter ring to make them work. Some say their rings work with no problems, some say they don't. Makes me wonder if there was possibly a bad batch?
Thanks for the input, as I don't know all the specifics of the ABS injection molding process. I can however tell you that the cheap molds start with a solid block of 6061 billet aluminum. That are CNC’ED to exact tolerances. The mold wehad made, was from billet STEEL that was to be good for 250,000 parts before any rework. The Billet Steel cost twice as much as aluminum. We have never experienced and difference in fitment in 5 years of using them. Through all the input good or bad from all concerned it seems only Polk speakers have an issue. Yet some say they have no problems with the same speakers. Same as we have four fairings in the shop andour 1 test ring worked perfect in 3 out of 4 of the fairings. Does it become the one rings fault for the one fairing it doesn't distort with, or is the one fairing?????
I will not claim by any means that Dragonfly is a bigger or better company than Polk. Yet is seems we only have problems with their speakers. BUT, not even all of them.
Rock On everyone!!
Last edited by Dragonfly2000; Apr 12, 2013 at 01:21 AM.