The Official 2014 audio upgrade thread
Road Captain
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 547
Likes: 13
From: bay area california
Just spoke to Ed from cycle sounds. Very knowledgable guy and eager to help. Ordered a magic box and will post reviews soon.
Here are some pictures of the amp mount I made for the PBR300x2 for my SGS. Here are the specs in case someone else wants to make their own...
Material is 3/16" aluminum 8.875" x 3.875"
Mounting hole centers are 8.25" x 3.25", 3 holes are for 5/16" bolts, the bottom right corner is for 1/4" bolt. That's how it is on the bikes bracket.
Amp mounting hole centers are 6 7/32" x 3". I drilled and tapped for 10-24 pan head screws 1/2" long.
I knew the amp mount screws were going to poke thru the bottom so I welded 2 spacers on the ends 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide, before drilling the holes, probably doesn't need to be welded but it's easier to install the bracket this way, plus I just love TIG welding aluminum!
It's overkill...but I know it will never break and the amp isn't going anywhere..
Material is 3/16" aluminum 8.875" x 3.875"
Mounting hole centers are 8.25" x 3.25", 3 holes are for 5/16" bolts, the bottom right corner is for 1/4" bolt. That's how it is on the bikes bracket.
Amp mounting hole centers are 6 7/32" x 3". I drilled and tapped for 10-24 pan head screws 1/2" long.
I knew the amp mount screws were going to poke thru the bottom so I welded 2 spacers on the ends 1/4" thick, 3/4" wide, before drilling the holes, probably doesn't need to be welded but it's easier to install the bracket this way, plus I just love TIG welding aluminum!
It's overkill...but I know it will never break and the amp isn't going anywhere..
Road Master
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 815
Likes: 28
From: Montgomery, AL
Grr me too! Thought I would get my sound finally done this month!
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: SoCal
Lower Fairings Worth It?
So I got through all 70 pages of this thread over the last 2 days and hope that someone can answer a dumb question -- If one does not have money to burn, on a '14 SGS (or SG) is it worth adding the lower vented fairings ($575 at Kutter) to get the extra pair of front speakers? Assume that 90% of riding will be solo and the rider loves loud classic & southern rock. Some forum posts suggest that the saddlebag lid speakers are better heard by a passenger but going with rear speakers are much cheaper than buying lower fairings (I know about the black gloss ones on eBay for ~$150 but IMHO they don't look so good since they're not color matched). Maybe just sticking with a 2-channel set up by swapping out the HD fronts with quality speakers plus a good amp (plus Ed's magic box) will do the trick? Thanks.
Last edited by CoachKG; Jun 30, 2014 at 07:36 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 73
Likes: 2
From: San Diego, CA
Ditto
So I got through all 70 pages of this thread over the last 2 days and hope that someone can answer a dumb question -- If one does not have money to burn, on a '14 SGS (or SG) is it worth adding the lower vented fairings ($575 at Kutter) to get the extra pair of front speakers? Assume that 90% of riding will be solo and the rider loves loud classic & southern rock. Some forum posts suggest that the saddlebag lid speakers are better heard by a passenger but going with rear speakers are much cheaper than buying lower fairings (I know about the black gloss ones on eBay for ~$150 but IMHO they don't look so good since they're not color matched). Maybe just sticking with a 2-channel set up by swapping out the HD fronts with quality speakers plus a good amp (plus Ed's magic box) will do the trick? Thanks.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 466
Likes: 9
From: Jacksonville, IL
I've wondered the same about hawg wired, just don't hear about them all that much. I've also been tempted to buy the J&M 6.5 xxt series and tie it in with their 180w amp since I can get a good price on it. I'm sure when biketronics releases their 7.1 kit it will be in excess of 700 which is quite a bit more than I want to spend.
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Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
From: Kansas
I've wondered the same about hawg wired, just don't hear about them all that much. I've also been tempted to buy the J&M 6.5 xxt series and tie it in with their 180w amp since I can get a good price on it. I'm sure when biketronics releases their 7.1 kit it will be in excess of 700 which is quite a bit more than I want to spend.
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 73
Likes: 2
From: San Diego, CA
JM vs BT vs Frankensystem
Looking at the J&M Website, I don't see how it's any cheaper. I am seeing: $390 (speakers) + $440 (amp) = $830 total. And that's not including any wiring kits or anything (maybe they come included). But still, that's not any cheaper than BT. Unless you're getting a good deal on it elsewhere...
I'm on a budget and want bang for the buck. If I had the time and money to spend on really going all out I would have fun playing around with different combo's...but I don't have either the time or money!
Let the knife throwing begin...