When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hello all. Hopefully you can help me out (again...)
Finished up my 300x2 / Polk install and took the bike for a test ride. I wasn't overly impressed with the sound quality / clarity and then about 5 minutes into the ride i started getting a very loud scratching feedback type noise. It did not change with speed or volume. So I pulled over and took the amp fuse out and went home.
When i got back to my house I put the fuse in and turned the ignition switch on. Music played and now no feedback. Then I started the bike and same thing - n feedback. Anybody have any ideas what I did wrong? This is my first time doing an install but I thought I followed directions pretty diligently.
Would love to get this straightened out before Sunday if possible. Thanks!
I would check your ground wire going to the amp. I did an install over the winter sounded good in the garage but when the guy fired it up to take it for spin this spring he had motor noise. Found the ground wire had come lose from the amp.
I would check your ground wire going to the amp. I did an install over the winter sounded good in the garage but when the guy fired it up to take it for spin this spring he had motor noise. Found the ground wire had come lose from the amp.
Thanks I will check it. It is like a very loud popping noise. Most engine noise that I have experiences was a whining noise that increased with speed. Never heard anything like this before. And the fact that it isn't constant is strange to me also.
Thanks I will check it. It is like a very loud popping noise. Most engine noise that I have experiences was a whining noise that increased with speed. Never heard anything like this before. And the fact that it isn't constant is strange to me also.
The "popping" noise sounds like you have a loose connection. Be sure that every connection is good and tight.
Did you attach the ground wire from the amp to a fairing bracket or the top of the steering head? If so, you want to remove some paint from the attachment point so that you have a "metal on metal" ground.
You also mentioned that the sound clarity wasn't good. Did you adjust the gains on the amp? Are you sure that you have the polarity (positive & negative) correct on wires from the speakers to the amp? If one of them is crossed-up, it can cause problems.
The "popping" noise sounds like you have a loose connection. Be sure that every connection is good and tight.
Did you attach the ground wire from the amp to a fairing bracket or the top of the steering head? If so, you want to remove some paint from the attachment point so that you have a "metal on metal" ground.
You also mentioned that the sound clarity wasn't good. Did you adjust the gains on the amp? Are you sure that you have the polarity (positive & negative) correct on wires from the speakers to the amp? If one of them is crossed-up, it can cause problems.
WTR thanks for the reply. I will check the connections and polarity. Hopefully that's what it is. I grounded to the existing triple tree ground.
For future reference by other forum users, what was the connection problem?
Sorry - should have posted that. There were 2 problems. The polarity was reversed on one of the speakers and a connection on the input side also came loose. Both rookie mistakes I guess.
Took a nice ride today and everything worked perfectly. Thanks again for all of the help.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.