[kzanard]

I plan on replacing head unit with Soundstream unit and also the speakers with Infinity Kappa Perfect 600X. Figured I would start with the speakers since I watched a couple of quick videos on speaker removal and they showed simply just removing the grills and unscrewing the speaker. I did that. However, the speaker is not able to fit through the fairing opening (it hits a tab that is sticking off the fairing). Am I missing something?? or do I have to take off the front of the fairing and also the speaker enclosures and remove them that way?

I am guessing the videos I watched were on the standard speakers and not the Boom! Speakers…

 

[Peter1003]

You will need to take the outer fairing off. Then you can remove the pods and the speakers.

 

[jstucker1976]

When removing the pods, make note of the pods screw location because there is some adjustment to the pods and that’s where your windshield mounts to.

 

[skratch]

you do not need to remove the outer fairing or pods. i fought with this for the longest time with my stage 1 speakers the first time i tried to remove them. the trick is to 'flex' the inner fairing just a tiny titch. not enough to cause anything to break, but it gives you just enough clearance to get the speaker out. it's been a little while since i removed them, but i am remembering that you're gonna want to push the speaker 180° opposite that tab downward, and pull the speaker out by the tab first.

 

[Ohiobellboy]

They'll wiggle out. Just takes patience. No need to remove anything other than the grills. I've done mine a handful of times.

 

[Peter1003]

You have to take the fairing off to replace the head unit anyway. Why not just do it the easy way? Also, you say you have Boom currently, are you also running off the Boom amp?
Are you planning to keep the Boom amp with the new head unit and new speakers?

 

[kzanard]

You have to take the fairing off to replace the head unit anyway. Why not just do it the easy way? Also, you say you have Boom currently, are you also running off the Boom amp?
Are you planning to keep the Boom amp with the new head unit and new speakers?

I was hoping to just change the speakers first, just to see if there was any improvement in sound. The new head unit (Precision Power SoundStream HDHU.14) has built in amp, so I will likely not reuse the Boom! amp.

 

[kzanard]

And since I have the Boom!™ Box 6.5GT, I do not think it has a separate amp? It looks like it has an internal amp 25W/channe for the front speakers. So I am hoping the Soundstream HDHU.14 is a simple plug & play switch.

 

[Peter1003]

And since I have the Boom!™ Box 6.5GT, I do not think it has a separate amp? It looks like it has an internal amp 25W/channe for the front speakers. So I am hoping the Soundstream HDHU.14 is a simple plug & play switch.

You should really consider opening up the fairing and se what you have. I’m your first post you said you have the Boom speakers and not factory.
knowing what you have first is critical if you are only trying to piece together a better system than you already have. For example, if you do in fact have boom stage 1, then replacing the speaker only will not do you any good and you are wasting money. If you only have the factory stock speakers and a head unit that only supplies 25w per channel, that’s not even enough to make a difference.
not trying to talk you out of anything, but help you so you don’t waste money and get let down.

 

[skratch]

it's very easy to pop off the speaker grill to see if you have the stock 5.25'' speakers, or the boom stage 1 6.5'' speakers. but with either, i don't think you're going to notice that much of an improvement by just changing the speakers. the stock speakers are 2 ohm. i don't think there are that many 2 ohm replacement speakers out there, i know there are some polks that are 2.7 ohm, but pushing 25 watts into 4 ohm speakers? not gonna be great.

 

[Blueangel73]

Kicker makes a 2ohm speaker that would most likely work with the stock head unit and Boom amp.

6.5" 2Ω PS Coaxial | KICKER ®

KICKER produces high-performance car audio, vehicle specific solutions, marine audio, home and personal audio, and power sports products since 1973.

www.kicker.com

 

[kzanard]

Thanks all for the input. From my research it seems the Boom 6.5 head unit I have only has internal amp. So, the soundstream HU "should be" plug & play. I also got the grills off and confirmed I do have 6.5" Boom stage 1 speakers. I was finally able to wrestle them out of the top of the fairing speaker hole! Hope to complete the install later this week.

 

[Peter1003]

I am not sure if this is what you have, but a boom stage 1 kit was 6.5” speakers and an amp.
Make sure what you have before you start changing or adding stuff.
I’ll bow out of this conversation now as I don’t think you want to hear anymore .

 

[kzanard]

I am not sure if this is what you have, but a boom stage 1 kit was 6.5” speakers and an amp.
Make sure what you have before you start changing or adding stuff.
I’ll bow out of this conversation now as I don’t think you want to hear anymore .

All good info and suggestions. I appreciate it!

 

[kzanard]

OK, just wanted to post a little info and hopefully help someone else that was in the same boat as me. My bike is a stock 2018 Road Glide Special with the 6.5" Boom! head unit and 6.5" Boom! speakers from the factory.

STOCK HEAD UNIT:

NO EXTERNAL AMP:

STOCK 6.5" COAX BOOM! SPEAKERS:

One issue I had when removing the Boom! Speakers was a troublesome tab at the top of the opening. I was able to angle the speaker and bend the tab out slightly to get the speaker out.

 

[kzanard]

FAIRING REPLACEMENT SPEAKERS: I replaced stock speakers with the Infinity Kappa Perfect 600x 6.5" Component Speakers. I found decent reviews but not much in the way of installation instructions. They come with the tweeter mounted to the woofer. However, the tweeter is removeable should you want to mount it separately. The speakers come with new grills for both a Road Glide and a Street Glide. However, I reused my stock ones as I thought they match the gloss inner fairing better:

CROSSOVER: It comes with a "Y"-wired crossover for single pair (+/-) lead in and then splits up leads for the tweeter and subwoofer:

The protective clear covers on the ends of the crossover were a little too snug to fit over the HD stock connectors. I cut them to split them open, but you may be also able to heat them up and stretch them:

Other than that, it was a simple bolt-in install. I noticed an improvement in sound clarity even with the stock HD head unit, but not much of a change in volume. I am hoping my replacement headunit adds a little volume as it has a slightly bigger internal amp than the stock HD Boom! unit. However, my main motivation for changing the headunit was to get Apple Carplay and better navigation. New Head unit will go in next week.

 

[dustoff]

you do not need to remove the outer fairing or pods. i fought with this for the longest time with my stage 1 speakers the first time i tried to remove them. the trick is to 'flex' the inner fairing just a tiny titch. not enough to cause anything to break, but it gives you just enough clearance to get the speaker out. it's been a little while since i removed them, but i am remembering that you're gonna want to push the speaker 180° opposite that tab downward, and pull the speaker out by the tab first.

Exactly what Skratch said on the tab it works.