Ok guys with baggers. You ever notice that at 70 MPH down the highway how you can't hear your music? Well I think I may have solved that problem with out destoying your inner fairing.
I have been playing around with different speakers on my bagger for a while now. And the coaxial speakers I've been using usually are all highs no bass. Then theres the complaining from my girlfriend that even at 55 MPH she can't hear the music.
So I recently bit the bullet and bought a set of JL Audio C3 600 component speakers. One thing that drove me to these were the fact that you can either run the tweeters separately or as a coaxial set up but with component sound still. Next thing that made these speakers appealing is that they are 6" diameter speakers, not traditional 6.5" speakers.
After buy the speakers I had to find a way to make the speakers mount, without losing the ability to go back to the stock set up if for some reason I ever had to. I had to change the original speaker grill for more room, I decided to go with the Arc Audio Chrome grill cover and installed it.
Next I found at my local car stereo shop a set of .5" speaker spacer rings and had them make me a set which measured 6 and 3/16th outside diameter and cut out 4 and 7/8th inside diameter. Ended up looking like this:
I drilled 4 countersunk holes in it for the stock bolt to come thru then I could use the stock nut to fasten it down. One thing I did have to do is cut out for the inner fairing bolt on the bottom of the ring.
Then I had a .25 inch speaker spacer ring made by same audio shop. Same inside and out diameters cut out and same cut out for the bolt for the inner fairing. With the new speaker I drilled out hole for the screws to go in, and i drilled out holes for the little bit of extra sticking thru from the original mounting bolts. I had to cut out the inside diameter a little to give my speaker room to extend without hitting the spacer.
Next comes the fun part. So with these being open fairings you need some kind of encloser to help the speaker from the weather and to help direct sound out toward the rider. So I bought 3 sheets of .069 thick ABS plastic. I measured from where the back of the mounting rim of the speaker would be to the outter fairing support bar located right behind the speaker. The longest side was 5" and the shortest side was 2.5". So I cut my ABS to 5 inches with another cut down to 2.5 inches. Then with a new roll of heating and air tape I pulled off enough tape till the roll of tape was the same diameter as the basket of my speaker. Then I took a heat gun and molded the ABS around my roll of tape with a small overlap. I then used ABS, PVC glue and glued the overlap together.
After letting the glue dry I had another .5" speaker spacer, same outside diameter as before but inside diameter is now the same as the outside diameter of the rolled ABS. I then glued the speaker spacer to the ABS roll.
I then cut a piece of ABS and glued a back onto my enclosurer as seen in picture above. Drilled a hole for my wires to run thru and put in rubber grommets and ran the wires thru them. I added some of the heating and air tape not only to help with the weather getting yo speaker, but just incase the glue didnt hold up.
I then set the speaker in the enclosurer and lined it up and drilled holes thru the .5" speaker spacer ring that lines up with my .25" speaker spacer ring. I then had to notch out for the bolt on the inner fairing out of my speaker.
I then put my speaker in the enclosurer, with my .25 speaker spacer with a 1.5 inch screw thru the predrilled holes. Once in place on the bike I screw the screw into the .5" spacer ring that is held in place by the original mounting studs.
I then add 3 more screws thru the predrilled holes and screw them into the first .5" speaker spacer.
I do have to say with the crossovers that come with the speakers and an amp these things sound awesome. My girlfriend says she can hear every word to ever song now. And I have to admit, I like all the stares I get while playing my music and ppl asking what all I got on the bike and when I say 2 6 inch speakers their mouths drop.
Cost:
Jl audio speakers- $500
.5" rings (4 total) - $80
.25 rings (2 total)- $40
3 sheets ABS- $35
Memphis Amp and wiring kit- $350
Arc Audio grilles- $25
PVC glue-$8
HV/AC tape-$10
Total time: 2 days about 6 to 8 hours each day. But keep in mind I had already had different speakers installed. Memphis PRX-603s, a 6 inch coaxial speaker and had already made some plastic rings for it. The hardest part was the enclosurer for me.
Hope yall enjoy the write up of how to and the customization of the speakers.
I have been playing around with different speakers on my bagger for a while now. And the coaxial speakers I've been using usually are all highs no bass. Then theres the complaining from my girlfriend that even at 55 MPH she can't hear the music.
So I recently bit the bullet and bought a set of JL Audio C3 600 component speakers. One thing that drove me to these were the fact that you can either run the tweeters separately or as a coaxial set up but with component sound still. Next thing that made these speakers appealing is that they are 6" diameter speakers, not traditional 6.5" speakers.
After buy the speakers I had to find a way to make the speakers mount, without losing the ability to go back to the stock set up if for some reason I ever had to. I had to change the original speaker grill for more room, I decided to go with the Arc Audio Chrome grill cover and installed it.
Next I found at my local car stereo shop a set of .5" speaker spacer rings and had them make me a set which measured 6 and 3/16th outside diameter and cut out 4 and 7/8th inside diameter. Ended up looking like this:
I drilled 4 countersunk holes in it for the stock bolt to come thru then I could use the stock nut to fasten it down. One thing I did have to do is cut out for the inner fairing bolt on the bottom of the ring.
Then I had a .25 inch speaker spacer ring made by same audio shop. Same inside and out diameters cut out and same cut out for the bolt for the inner fairing. With the new speaker I drilled out hole for the screws to go in, and i drilled out holes for the little bit of extra sticking thru from the original mounting bolts. I had to cut out the inside diameter a little to give my speaker room to extend without hitting the spacer.
Next comes the fun part. So with these being open fairings you need some kind of encloser to help the speaker from the weather and to help direct sound out toward the rider. So I bought 3 sheets of .069 thick ABS plastic. I measured from where the back of the mounting rim of the speaker would be to the outter fairing support bar located right behind the speaker. The longest side was 5" and the shortest side was 2.5". So I cut my ABS to 5 inches with another cut down to 2.5 inches. Then with a new roll of heating and air tape I pulled off enough tape till the roll of tape was the same diameter as the basket of my speaker. Then I took a heat gun and molded the ABS around my roll of tape with a small overlap. I then used ABS, PVC glue and glued the overlap together.
After letting the glue dry I had another .5" speaker spacer, same outside diameter as before but inside diameter is now the same as the outside diameter of the rolled ABS. I then glued the speaker spacer to the ABS roll.
I then cut a piece of ABS and glued a back onto my enclosurer as seen in picture above. Drilled a hole for my wires to run thru and put in rubber grommets and ran the wires thru them. I added some of the heating and air tape not only to help with the weather getting yo speaker, but just incase the glue didnt hold up.
I then set the speaker in the enclosurer and lined it up and drilled holes thru the .5" speaker spacer ring that lines up with my .25" speaker spacer ring. I then had to notch out for the bolt on the inner fairing out of my speaker.
I then put my speaker in the enclosurer, with my .25 speaker spacer with a 1.5 inch screw thru the predrilled holes. Once in place on the bike I screw the screw into the .5" spacer ring that is held in place by the original mounting studs.
I then add 3 more screws thru the predrilled holes and screw them into the first .5" speaker spacer.
I do have to say with the crossovers that come with the speakers and an amp these things sound awesome. My girlfriend says she can hear every word to ever song now. And I have to admit, I like all the stares I get while playing my music and ppl asking what all I got on the bike and when I say 2 6 inch speakers their mouths drop.
Cost:
Jl audio speakers- $500
.5" rings (4 total) - $80
.25 rings (2 total)- $40
3 sheets ABS- $35
Memphis Amp and wiring kit- $350
Arc Audio grilles- $25
PVC glue-$8
HV/AC tape-$10
Total time: 2 days about 6 to 8 hours each day. But keep in mind I had already had different speakers installed. Memphis PRX-603s, a 6 inch coaxial speaker and had already made some plastic rings for it. The hardest part was the enclosurer for me.
Hope yall enjoy the write up of how to and the customization of the speakers.
