I have a 04 Road Glide, I recently layed her down and the fairing will be removed and repaired. I am seriously considering upgradeing the stereo system but with limited funds (I have to pay the deductible first) I won't be able to do much. The bike is at the local HD Dealership and they are doing the work, so any work will be at a premium.
I'm ignorant on what, how and why you need certain watts, amperage and all the stuff I'm supposed to know as a Free, Tax Paying 50 year old man.
Here are the levels (price points) I'm interested in hearing from you about:
1). Upgrading the speakers only.
2). Upgrading the speakers and adding an amp.
3). New head unit, amp and speakers (probably to cost prohibitive).
I have a conection to a local Jensen Audio distributor here in my town so that could be helpful in saving some cabbage.
I'm not interested in adding speakers in the saddlebags, just something louder to get me down the highway. Thanks!
RR, if price point is your most heavily weighted evaluation criteria (like mine was) here's some options
1) *Upgrading speakers only*-Pretty much anything is better than stock. A bunch of guys on this forum are going with the JBL GTO638. It's a 3-way, 2-ohm speaker and costs less than 100 bucks for a pair.. There's a thread dedicated to this topic and the guys have nothing but rave reviews, even without running an amp.
@Swomack is a good member to talk to about them.
2) *Upgrading the speakers and adding an amp*-This will be your bang for the buck upgrade. Sky and price-point is the limit here. Everyone will give you their .02 on this one, and for good reason. Seeing as how price point is big for you, check out SoundStream amplifiers. You can get a 2 channel amp (or even a 4 channel amp) for ~100 bucks on ebay all day. If you're only doing two speakers, check out the PN2.350D or ST4.1000D. They will push plenty of power. More power will require better speakers capable of handling that power. I have the ST4.1000D running 4 Digital Design 6.5 CXS speakers. Crystal Clear audio at 60+ mph. The DD speakers are fantastic and can be bought for 100 bucks a pair from Syracuse Customs in NY (I'm sure he will be more than happy to ship to you). All in all, you can get by with spending ~200 bucks (you'll need the PAC line out converter to hook the amp to the stock head unit, and costs 10 bucks on amazon) and will be playing tunes much louder and clearer than stock.
3) *New head unit, amp and speakers*-You're right, this will get pricey but will complete the system and will help push it to the next level. Not only will you need to buy a new head unit, but depending on what head unit you buy, you'll need an install kit and handlebar control adapter. Once again, it's all about .02. Some guys are running HUs that cost less than 100 bucks, others are running some that cost well over 200. It just depends on what you want the head unit to do and how much you want to put into your system.
All in all, pick the minds of people on this forum. I had one member, Jpeesy, who kept in constant contact with me, answering probably close to 50 emails with loads of questions. People here won't lead you astray! Just be sure to do your research, and if at all possible, listen in person to different set ups!
