Audio Upgrade with 2 CVO amps?

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Feb 10, 2014 | 02:47 PM

WrayZor

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From: Las Vegas, NV

Audio Upgrade with 2 CVO amps?

I have a 2013 CVO Road Glide that I am in the middle of upgrading the head unit on. I have contacted Pete at Sounds Customs and he sent me the wiring harness and handle bar control unit. I know to get the rear speakers to work, that I have to tap into the 35 wire harness for pins 1, 2, 24 and 25. My question is will my 2nd CVO amp in the saddle bag still power up? Seems like I should have more to do or wire than just the speaker inputs? Thoughts or experiences with this?

Feb 11, 2014 | 07:07 AM

UltraNutZ

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From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Quote:

Originally Posted by WrayZor

CVOs are a animal all their own. You have a LOT more to do than simply wiring those 4 pins for rear outputs. IMO you're better off just pulling the CVO amps out altogether and going aftermarket. These CVO setups utilize the head unit to send a signal (using front outputs only) to the amp, which in turn converts it into CANBUS data and that's where all the issues come in. It can be done but it's not easy and is going to require some pretty extensive wiring (cutting/splicing) to get that amp to work. In the end, you have to ask yourself is 40 or 60w (depending on amp model) really worth it?

Feb 11, 2014 | 10:21 AM

Eshaw301

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From: Atlanta, Georgia

I agree..

. You are better off just getting rid of all that crap from the moco altogether and just going aftermarket with everything. After paying attention to the audio experts on this forum, I will have 10 speakers, 2 amps, and about 1000 watts RMS for about a grand worth of money. I was faced with that dilemma back in 2011 when I was deciding between a CVO Road Glide and a Road Glide Custom. The determining factor? That stereo system. Here's another thought...sell the CVO and take the money and buy you a Road Glide Custom for about $16-18k. Take the extra money and dump it into stereo, wheels, and motor upgrades and then you'll have a bike that is truly custom and that blows away those "factory customs" in terms of performance, sound, value, etc. Either way you go....good luck.

Feb 14, 2014 | 08:12 PM

WrayZor

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From: Las Vegas, NV

Well, after all the confusion and different levels of advice and knowledge on this forum, I now know its possible to use the 2 CVO amps. The main stereo connector is wired the same as a non-CVO bike and the rear speakers/amp was simply wired to the 4 speaker wires on the 35 pin connector. The MTX amps used by Harley detect line level inputs from the speakers, so no extra wiring needed. The system sounds much better than it did with the stock head unit. This Clarion NZ503 rocks!

Last edited by WrayZor; Feb 14, 2014 at 11:33 PM.

Feb 15, 2014 | 09:21 AM

JMJOHN

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From: Tucson AZ

Wrayzor ,,,,,,,

do you plan to attend bike week in Daytona ? ,,,,,,

J&M now has all of the special CVO adapter harnesses needed and the intricate wiring knowledge to get the job done right ,,,,,

__________________
JMJOHN,,,, www.Jmcorp.com ,,,, send email direct to John@Jmcorp.com for your HD-Forums VIP Discount Promo Code.

Feb 17, 2014 | 08:10 AM

UltraNutZ

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From: East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Quote:

Originally Posted by WrayZor

no one said it wasn't wired the same at the head unit. What I said (or maybe should have been a little more clear about) is the wiring up front is all the same. Where the issues come in is at the amp itself. As John also pointed out, once the signal from the head unit is piped to those CVO amps, the amp then becomes your "fader control" mechanism and is not handled by the head unit; It's simply a display for what the amp is doing. Signal is fed to the amp, the amp then sends signals back to the head unit via CANBUS.