A client from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, recently contacted the Westminster Speed and Sound team to ask about installing a concert-quality sound system upgrade on his 2015 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited. By concert-quality, he was referring to a system that would play at extraordinary volume levels, deliver all frequencies with accuracy and remain clear and detailed when cranked. After inspecting the motorcycle and auditioning several speaker options in our showroom, we created a system that would more than check off all those requirements.
Harley Speaker Upgrades
Our plan for this amazing Harley-Davidson was to start by installing four pairs of speakers on the motorcycle. The first set of speakers we installed were ARC Audio Moto602 6.5-inch component speakers in the stock locations in the front fairing. Next, we mounted a second set of Moto602 speakers in the lower speaker enclosures on either side of the engine. Finally, the TourPak speaker locations on either side of the rear seat received a third set of Moto602s. In all cases, these fantastic speakers were a bolt-in solution that didn’t require any modifications to the motorcycle or the speaker locations.
To round out the speaker upgrades, we installed one of the Rockford Fosgate TMS69BL14 bag lid speaker upgrade kits. This kit includes speaker grilles and mounting adapters that make use of the stock bag-lid covers. Our technicians used the included templates to make an opening in the lids, and then we installed the grilles and mounted the TMS69 6-by-9-inch speakers in place. Unlike other bag lid speaker solutions that involve painting new fiberglass covers, this kit can be installed in less than a day and always sounds fantastic.
Harley-Davidson Ultra Glide Audio System Amplifiers
Ensuring that the speakers have adequate power to sound great at high volume levels was fundamental to this project. As such, we chose a pair of the impressive ARC Audio Moto720 amplifiers for this Ultra Limited. The first amplifier is mounted in the front fairing just above the Boom Box! radio. Each amplifier channel connects directly to one of the four front speakers to deliver up to 150 watts of clean power. The second Moto 720 amplifier is installed in the Tour Pak storage compartment on the rear of the bike. This amp runs the four rear speakers with another 150 watts for each.
Not only do they sound great, but the Moto720 amplifiers are among the most efficient solutions in the industry. Making the best use of the available electrical system power is crucial on a motorcycle, and nobody does it better than ARC Audio.
Motorcycle Subwoofer System
To complement the eight speakers we installed, we set to work integrating one of the amazing new Rockford Fosgate HD14-SBSUB dual 10-inch powered subwoofer systems on this bike. The HD14-SBSUB kit includes a pair of rotomolded enclosures that fit perfectly into the saddlebags. Each enclosure is home to a 10-inch weather-resistant subwoofer. The system also includes an 800-watt M5-800X4 four-channel amplifier to power the woofers. The amp is wired in a bridged configuration so that each woofer has 400 watts of power available. The throttle-side subwoofer enclosure is designed to allow for the amp to be installed at the rear of the saddlebag.
The system is unique in that one or both of the enclosures can be removed without any tools should the owner need the cargo space for a long trip. Snap-in covers are included with the kit to seal the grilles when the enclosures are removed to keep everything clean and dry. Rockford Fosgate also includes fully water-tight harnesses and electrical connectors for the rear speakers, along with the amp and subwoofers. If a service technician needs to remove the saddlebags, they can do so without concern over cutting or modifying any wiring.
System Configuration and Calibration
The last step in creating one of the most amazing motorcycle audio systems on the road was installing and configuring an ARC Audio PSM digital signal processor. The PSM is a six-channel DSP that includes crossovers and equalizers and signal delay adjustments for each channel. First, we set our microphone in the listening position after flashing the stock radio to remove most of the built-in equalization. Next, we calibrated the output of the front and rear speakers and the subwoofer to deliver a smooth frequency response and excellent output.
The result of several days’ worth of work is a motorcycle audio system that sounds amazing and plays louder than anything we’ve ever created. The addition of the subwoofer system was more than just the icing on the cake. It delivers a solid bass output that can be heard and felt even at highways speeds. Best of all, the entire 2,000-watt, 10-speaker system is nearly invisible, other than new grilles on the saddlebags.
To say that the client was thrilled was an understatement. He loves the way the system sounds and is thrilled that it’s nearly invisible. If you want to upgrade your motorcycle with a concert-quality sound system, drop by Westminster Speed and Sound and speak with one of our motorcycle audio system upgrade specialists. We’d be happy to design a solution that sounds exactly the way you want. If you can’t visit our store during regular business hours, give us a call or send our team an e-mail using our contact form.
Leave a Reply