Wilkes-Barre Client Upgrades Harley-Davidson Street Glide Audio

A client from Wilkes-Barre recently dropped into Mobile Edge to talk to Bob about a Harley-Davidson Street Glide audio system upgrade. As with almost every Harley owner, he simply wasn’t happy with the way the Boom! Box audio system sounds. It didn’t play loudly enough and wasn’t very clear. The solution is almost always the same for these clients: better speakers and more power! The client liked the plan, so we set to work.

Harley-Davidson Factory Stereo System

The client trusted our experienced technicians with his beautiful bike.

The factory speakers were not cutting it for the client.

The guys at Harley build a nice bike. With that said, we aren’t totally sure how they managed to miss the mark on making their Boom! Box sound system perform. It has most of the features people want but simply doesn’t sound good.

The first step of the upgrade was to remove the fairing cover and extract the factory speakers from the fairing and their enclosures. We like the way the new Hertz HMX 65 speakers sound, but their design has the tweeter mounted to the grille. In most cases, this makes them incompatible with Harley fairings.

Hertz Harley-Davidson Audio System Upgrade

Mike test-fits the tweeter mounts.

The tweeter bridge was installed and next the fairing is installed.

The completed project looks great and gives the client impressive output.

Our new Street Glide solution is available to any of our Street Glide clients.

Features weren’t the weak point for the factory radio, it was the sound quality.

We have enough clients asking about upgrading their motorcycle audio that we were driven to find a solution to use the Hertz speakers on these bikes. After Mike and Bob discussed the application for a bit, they came up with a plan to mount the tweeter from the HMX 65 speaker grille on a custom-made bridge that attaches to the fairing. They sketched up a drawing and Mike set to work making a prototype.

The results were perfect. The tweeter bridge mounts to the face of the fairing using small stainless screws that thread into brass inserts. We finished the brackets with a heavy-duty textured black paint to make them blend with the fairing finish. The woofers from the speakers drop into the factory speaker enclosures and fit nicely into the fairing for a neat and tidy look.

Harley Davidson Street Glide Audio System Amplifier

The Type 1 PVC adapter plate allows for secure mounting of the amplifier.

Our team chose the Hertz amplifier for its small size and loads of power.

The second step of the project was to create an amplifier installation solution for the Harley. We chose the Hertz HMP 4D powersports amplifier for the task. This compact amplifier produces an impressive 65 watts of power per channel and features an IPX6 environmental rating to ensure it can withstand use on a motorcycle.

Mike started with a piece of Type 1 PVC plastic and cut it to fit the space above the factory radio. He added reliefs for two bolts that protrude up from below and two locations for fasteners to secure the bracket to the fairing. The rear amplifier mounting tabs align perfectly with holes in the fairing, and a set of threaded inserts secures the front edge of the amplifier.

Audio System Integration and Tuning

To ensure high reliability, all of the amplifier wiring was securely fastened.

The Hertz amplifier will accept the audio signal on the speaker outputs of the factory source unit without the need for an adapter. The last and often most important part of any audio system installation is to configure the amplifier to work with the chosen source unit and speakers. We set the crossover and sensitivity controls to ensure the system would play loud without any unwanted distortion. Many shops rush this process, but we know that it is key to the performance and reliability of the entire system.

Once we completed all of the electrical connections and system testing, we loomed the wiring with automotive-grade fleece tape. This tape prevents the wiring from buzzing and rattling as the bike travels down the road. Of course, we added cable ties to help keep everything in place.

Mobile Edge Harley Davidson Audio Upgrade Package

While we invested a little extra time (at no cost to the client) into creating this Harley Davidson Street Glide audio system upgrade package, future clients will reap the rewards. The audio system sounds amazing. It plays loud and is crystal clear, even at high volume levels. If you are in the Lehighton, Pennsylvania, area and are looking for an audio system upgrade for your motorcycle, drop into Mobile Edge and talk to Bob about what we can do to make your cruiser sound amazing. If you have any questions, give us a call or send an e-mail using the big red button below. We look forward to hearing from you!