Radio sound is poor....

[5Pack]

2001 FLHTCI with stock radio and speakers.....
When the bike is parked in the driveway, the stereo sounds great. While operating the bike, the stereo sounds not so great (even in town at slower speeds). It's going to be hard to describe the sound in writing; but anyone else that has had this problem may know what I'm talking about, So here goes....
The "full stereo" sound goes in and out. When I raise the volume so that i can hear the radio, it sounds like someone turning their stock car radio up too loud and the music distorts.
I have taken the fairing apart to check for loose wiring (a LOT more wires than I expected!) at the speakers, and found no loose connections. The speakers appeared to be OK also. I've had the bike for about 4 months, and I remember how the stereo sounded when I purchased it.
Also: Just wondering... does the stereo have speed-sensitive volume? I see from the diagram that wires go from the radio to the speedometer.

ANY ideas would be appreciated.

 

[TQuentin1]

2001 FLHTCI with stock radio and speakers.....
When the bike is parked in the driveway, the stereo sounds great. While operating the bike, the stereo sounds not so great (even in town at slower speeds). It's going to be hard to describe the sound in writing; but anyone else that has had this problem may know what I'm talking about, So here goes....
The "full stereo" sound goes in and out. When I raise the volume so that i can hear the radio, it sounds like someone turning their stock car radio up too loud and the music distorts.
I have taken the fairing apart to check for loose wiring (a LOT more wires than I expected!) at the speakers, and found no loose connections. The speakers appeared to be OK also. I've had the bike for about 4 months, and I remember how the stereo sounded when I purchased it.
Also: Just wondering... does the stereo have speed-sensitive volume? I see from the diagram that wires go from the radio to the speedometer.

ANY ideas would be appreciated.

I have an '03 UC and the sound on my system was crappy when I bought the bike. Your speaker cones may be worn out and even torn at the bracket. You can get the replacement speakers from HD, a third party like J&H or J&P Cycles which will all be well over $100. Or you can do like I did and go to Walmart and buy the 25W Pioneer 2-way speakers (see below). The Crutchfield site has a pretty good description of the speakers. I would suggest replacing all of them (do you have rear speakers?).

Walmart.com: Pioneer 5.25" 2-way Speakers, TS-G1342R: Auto Electronics

Pioneer TS-G1342R 5-1/4" 2-way car speakers at Crutchfield.com


My radio definitely has the option to turn on sound adjust to compensate for bike/road noise as you speed up. On my bike, this is adjustable from zero to four "clicks" of adjustment. Check out your operator's manual. If you don't have it, let me know and I will scan in mine and send it to you as a pm.

TQ

 

[5Pack]

To TQ,
thanks for the reply. I'll take a closer look at my speakers. I don't have the Ultra, just the front two speakers on the Classic. My Op Manual does'nt address the stereo AT ALL. (No Kidding!) It tells that further info on the stereo can be obtained by purchasing the H-D Manual for the radio (Also, no kidding!) I bought a Clymer Manual for the bike and it has a wiring diagram and it shows a connection from radio to speedo. if the feature is in fact on my bike, i don't know how to adjust it.
I'm not sure if new speakers are the problem, as it does sound good as long as the bike is sitting still.
I know it's not "wind noise" as it sounds poor even at 40 mph.
The sound "cuts" in and out like switching from "mono" to "stereo" or plain "stereo" to "expanded stereo", but it's not the station as the MP3 player does the same thing.
Thanks again,
5Pack

 

[TQuentin1]

OK. You may have a bad wire coming out of your handlebar switches or at the speaker. With the main switch on ACCESS and the radio on and working, try wobblin the wire bundles on each side of the handlebars to see if you can recreate the problem. If that does not show anything, pop the front fairing off and do the same thing to the two wires going to each speaker. If nothing, try unplugging and replugging the main wire bundle plugs to the radio itself.

Has any of this recreated the problem? If not, I suggest that you try replacing the speakers with the Pioneers I mentioned previously. These are better speakers than the originals, and will cost about half the cost of the OEM replacements from HD or third-parties.

If that does not help, I suggest yanking the radio out and sending it to Radio Sound along with $135. They will fix WHATEVER they find wrong with the radio and send it back to you. Here is their website:

RadioSound - Customer Service

I will send you the info from my Owner's Manual by pm.

TQ

 

[drogueless1]

You should be very careful when installing aftermarket speakers. You need to match the stereos amplifier output with the speakers (unless you are installing an extra inline amp). 1998-2003 HD stereo and speakers are 8ohm. Car speakers are almost ALWAYS 4ohm. You can and will fry or seriously damage your factory stereo/electronics if you do not use the correct ohm speakers.:s

 

[TQuentin1]

You should be very careful when installing aftermarket speakers. You need to match the stereos amplifier output with the speakers (unless you are installing an extra inline amp). 1998-2003 HD stereo and speakers are 8ohm. Car speakers are almost ALWAYS 4ohm. You can and will fry or seriously damage your factory stereo/electronics if you do not use the correct ohm speakers.:s

So 5Pack, Drogueless1 has suggested being careful replacing the 8 ohm speakers in your current setup with 4 ohm speakers. Always good to do some research before doing something like this. You might contact Radio Sound and talk to the Techs there for their opinion. Additionally, here is some other input:

2002 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic, Speakers, Front and Rear - Crutchfield Community

Here are the 8 ohm J&Ms from J&P Cycles:

Click here: J

TQ

 

[5Pack]

TQ,
I adjusted the AVC as per the instructions you sent me, and I rode the bike on the Interstate back from work. What a difference! Hopefully it's not a fluke.
Thanks again for all your help!

5Pack

 

[TQuentin1]

TQ,
I adjusted the AVC as per the instructions you sent me, and I rode the bike on the Interstate back from work. What a difference! Hopefully it's not a fluke.
Thanks again for all your help!

5Pack

Glad it helped. I just noticed there is a guy selling a pair of J&M speakers on Buy, Sell or Trade. See here:

JM speaker for Road glide - Harley Davidson Community

You would have to talk to him and see what the impedance is on them if you are thinking about changing and don't want to take a chance on the 4 ohm Pioneers.

TQ