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Upgrade Amp, Speakers, or Neither?

Dr. Dolittle

Dr. Dolittle

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I'm currently riding with the stock radio but Hogtunes 140W amp, Hogtunes speakers, and Hogtunes tweeter pod. I also have some acoustic pads directly behind the speakers mounted on the outer fairing. This setup is vastly superior to the stock speakers with no amp, but I still get distortion and overall lack of clarity when using the volume levels necessary to enjoy music at highway speeds.

I've spent some time on various websites, like J&M and Biketronics, But I'm still not sure what I need to do. What do you motorcycle audiophiles think? Is my limiting factor currently my amp or speakers? Would the acoustic lining for the entire outer fairing that J&M sells for around $50 be a worthwhile expenditure? Should I try J&M's Rokker speakers at $370 with my current amp or will I need a lot more power to realize the potential of these speakers?

I'm realistic and I do realize that a motorcycle sound system is never going to approach that BOSE symphony hall quality you can get in a home system. I just want to be able to clearly hear my music, lyrics and bass and everything, when I crank it up.
 
I can't help you, Doc but I will be watching this thread, I plan on upgrading my stock speakers/radio soon.
 
Dr. Dolittle said:
I'm currently riding with the stock radio but Hogtunes 140W amp, Hogtunes speakers, and Hogtunes tweeter pod. I also have some acoustic pads directly behind the speakers mounted on the outer fairing. This setup is vastly superior to the stock speakers with no amp, but I still get distortion and overall lack of clarity when using the volume levels necessary to enjoy music at highway speeds.

I've spent some time on various websites, like J&M and Biketronics, But I'm still not sure what I need to do. What do you motorcycle audiophiles think? Is my limiting factor currently my amp or speakers? Would the acoustic lining for the entire outer fairing that J&M sells for around $50 be a worthwhile expenditure? Should I try J&M's Rokker speakers at $370 with my current amp or will I need a lot more power to realize the potential of these speakers?

I'm realistic and I do realize that a motorcycle sound system is never going to approach that BOSE symphony hall quality you can get in a home system. I just want to be able to clearly hear my music, lyrics and bass and everything, when I crank it up.
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I also put some acoustic stuff behind my speakers, and thought it helped. Pez, from Hogtunes said the benefit of that acoustic stuff was lost above 10 mph. I'm not an audiophile of any sort, I have the same setup as you, based on your recommendations a year or so ago. I do notice better sound quality at higher speeds with my larger windshields.
 
STEVE07 said:
I modified a pair to fit my inner fairing on the bike.
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Interesting. So, you modified the speakers, not the bike? Did you have to fabricate something, remove something, add something? In other words, just how involved was it?
 
Dr. Dolittle said:
Interesting. So, you modified the speakers, not the bike? Did you have to fabricate something, remove something, add something? In other words, just how involved was it?
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About 1 1/2 hrs. work. I fabricated a couple of brackets at my shop so that I could leave the original speaker grills in place. the rest was simple. Maybe 15 minutes to trim the back of the fairing then install the speakers.
 
STEVE07 said:
About 1 1/2 hrs. work. I fabricated a couple of brackets at my shop so that I could leave the original speaker grills in place. the rest was simple. Maybe 15 minutes to trim the back of the fairing then install the speakers.
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Thanks. So they're not a direct bolt on like something you'd order from Hogtunes or J&M? I just emailed them with some fitment questions but you've probably covered it as good as they will. I don't have access to any fabrication so I'd probably shy away from these speakers, as good as they are.
 
I installed J & M Rokker series 7 1/4 fairing speakers and their 500W amp and to be honest not happy for how much I spent! I was expecting so much more!!! Don't get me started on their customer service! Full volume still distorts. I still have the stock stereo but went from 95 decibels stock to only 100 decibels with the upgrades.
 
StreetGlide13 said:
I installed J & M Rokker series 7 1/4 fairing speakers and their 500W amp and to be honest not happy for how much I spent! I was expecting so much more!!! Don't get me started on their customer service! Full volume still distorts. I still have the stock stereo but went from 95 decibels stock to only 100 decibels with the upgrades.
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I am curious. How did you determine the decibel levels?
 
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