Upgrading the old stereo
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Road Master
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 856
Likes: 9
From: North Carolina
Upgrading the old stereo
My bike is a 1988, FLHTC. I ride it a lot. It still has the original HD stereo in it. That stereo is OK, quirky as heck but OK. Sometimes all the controls just freeze and what ever volume, channel, setting your own is what your stuck with till the ignition switch gets reset. The sound is OK, not fantastic but it does the job OK.
I haven't seen any replacement stereos that allow for the handlebar controls to be used on a bike that old. I have considered just getting a car or marine stereo and putting it in there. I suspect that the thing to do would be just get some decent 4 inch speakers for the fairing.
Has anyone done this? Will a standard size marine stereo fit in the hole?
Personally, I'm pretty old school so the handlebar controls isn't something I would miss all that much. The last tourer I had with a radio was a 1983 Gold Wing Interstate with a car stereo/cassette player. I think the stereo was a 40watt and worked just fine. It had a weather cover on it to keep the rain out and it worked most of the time.
I haven't seen any replacement stereos that allow for the handlebar controls to be used on a bike that old. I have considered just getting a car or marine stereo and putting it in there. I suspect that the thing to do would be just get some decent 4 inch speakers for the fairing.
Has anyone done this? Will a standard size marine stereo fit in the hole?
Personally, I'm pretty old school so the handlebar controls isn't something I would miss all that much. The last tourer I had with a radio was a 1983 Gold Wing Interstate with a car stereo/cassette player. I think the stereo was a 40watt and worked just fine. It had a weather cover on it to keep the rain out and it worked most of the time.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,959
Likes: 2
From: Florida
I have the same stereo. The display don't work, the cassette don't work, but other than that, it works fine. I'd like to have a better one, but it's not worth the money or trouble to me. I don't use it a lot, it's mostly just noise. But if I had that problem you have, I'd want a change to, that would suck.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 327
Likes: 0
From: Vine Grove KY
Sent from my iPhone using two left handed thumbs
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,952
Likes: 15
From: Senoia, Ga., by way of Miami, Fl..
My dresser is a '95 and should be similar, I think the fairing is the same anyhow.. I've got a JVC(I think) in mine now. The criteria for me was simple, relatively cheap, and it had to have Sirius, Bluetooth and MP3 input on the face. Honestly, I never really use it because I prefer the earbuds on the highway(cuts down on wind noise).. Although, it does work, fit right in the hole with no problems, you will have to pull the front of the fairing off to change it and the speakers anyhow.. Your speaker choices are pretty limited, make sure you go for good ones to make the most of it though.. I don't run a cover, it really never gets wet up there, even in the heavy rain unless its parked in the right position..
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,690
Likes: 246
From: Lakeville, MN
I did it on the 91 flhtc last summer. It is my belief that Sony is the only aftermarket company that has controls that can be linked into the controls but not bikes that are as old as ours. That said, yes, any standard DIN-size (normal) will fit. On mine, the rubber surround that goes around the current unit was a little looser on the new one that it was on the original. That concerned me but seriously, we have a fairing, shield and I don't make it a priority to be out riding in a downpour so I let it be. It's a PITA. The stock radio is WELL secured with screws in the fairing and the new one you put in will require some very slight mod or an equal amount of force to get the sleeve installed. When I had the fairing pulled off, I put a hidden wired antenna up in there. Works really well.
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Road Master
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 856
Likes: 9
From: North Carolina
The Biketronics units are from like, 1996 and up. That's as old as they go. I found a old "new in box" HD unit for switching over to a new radio but, I'm suspicious. I think it will be asking for trouble. I read where some folks tried this on the mid to late 1980s bikes and it didn't work. I'd really rather just pop a marine radio and speakers in the fairing and ride. I found a marine radio with two waterproof 4" inch speakers on ebay. The speakers have covers on them that may not work on the HD fairing. Might need some modification, which is OK. Of the radios I found the wattage is 50 or 60 watts. I had a 40watt on my old goldwing and it worked fine. I'd like to have am/fm and SDcard/MP3. They all had a CD player but I'm sure my bike vibrates too much for that.
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 327
Likes: 0
From: Vine Grove KY
The Biketronics units are from like, 1996 and up. That's as old as they go. I found a old "new in box" HD unit for switching over to a new radio but, I'm suspicious. I think it will be asking for trouble. I read where some folks tried this on the mid to late 1980s bikes and it didn't work. I'd really rather just pop a marine radio and speakers in the fairing and ride. I found a marine radio with two waterproof 4" inch speakers on ebay. The speakers have covers on them that may not work on the HD fairing. Might need some modification, which is OK. Of the radios I found the wattage is 50 or 60 watts. I had a 40watt on my old goldwing and it worked fine. I'd like to have am/fm and SDcard/MP3. They all had a CD player but I'm sure my bike vibrates too much for that.
Here a best pic I could find sorry but like I said I was able to use the rubber and the cover except in this pic it got ripped off. Use the bracket that come either radio might have to bend the tabs out a little bit slide it in there a cross bar that the old one mounted too were you mount the new one and that all I can remember being bolted down. If your slightly mechanically inclined it easy to figure out.
Last edited by Rabbito; Mar 20, 2014 at 08:19 AM.
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Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 856
Likes: 9
From: North Carolina
When I last had my fairing front off it looked like the speakers come out of the front. I can have that fairing front off in a few minutes. But, I'm not pulling it till I have something new to put in there. Great prices on fleabay.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 327
Likes: 0
From: Vine Grove KY
What I remember is they are through the back but it's been 2 yrs since I had the bike looking at another side the felt cover stays on Sent from my iPhone using two left handed thumbs
Last edited by Rabbito; Mar 21, 2014 at 07:21 PM.