Harley-Davidson Road Glide Audio Upgrade for Raleigh Client

A client from Raleigh recently contacted Adrenaline Autosound to discuss a 2017 Harley-Davidson Road Glide audio system upgrade. He wasn’t happy with the factory-installed stereo system. He wanted something that would play louder and with improved clarity. After looking over the bike, we devised a plan to give him the performance he wanted while maintaining the overall appearance of his motorcycle.

JL Audio Power Amplifier

One of the most important aspects of upgrading this Harley-Davidson Road Glide audio system was to install an amplifier that can provide the speakers with significantly more power than the factory-installed system offers. We suggested a JL Audio MX500/4 four-channel amplifier to drive the new speakers on this bike. The MX500/4 produces a healthy 125 watts per channel when connected to a 2-ohm load and features a completely weather-resistant chassis design that is perfect for motorcycle applications.

Amplifier Installation

Once the template was made we cut out the amplifier mounting plate from aluminum.

The cutout in the center of the mounting plate allows access to the amplifier controls.

Our slick mounting plate positions the amplifier under the factory radio.

To mount the amp, we made an ABS plastic template that bolts to the steel structure in the fairing. Once we were happy with the design of the template, we copied it to 1/8-inch thick aluminum. We added 8-32 threaded nutserts to facilitate secure amplifier mounting and a solid connection to the fairing frame. After test fitting it on the bike, we sanded the mounting panel and painted it black. An opening in the back of the panel provides access to the amplifier controls to ensure system tuning would be easy.

We mounted the amplifier to the bracket using 8-32 hex-head socket cap bolts and mounted the bracket to the bike using tapered-head Phillips screws. The tapered screws sit flush to ensure that nothing interferes with the fitment of the radio or wiring.

Focal Speaker Upgrade

Because of their high efficiency the Focal speakers were a perfect choice for this bike (also note the amplifier highlighted in the graphic)

The baglids were also upgraded with Focal speakers.

We upgraded the speakers in the front fairing with a set of Focal EC 165 K 6.5-inch coaxial speakers. Next, we replaced the rear saddlebag speakers with Focal 570 AC coaxial units. As with all of our audio system upgrades, we ran new speaker wire from the amp to the speakers. In the case of the saddlebags, we added weather-resistant quick-connects between the bags and the bike so that a technician can remove the bags without negatively affecting the wiring on the bike. Speaking of wiring, all of our new wiring is loomed with Techflex nylon braiding or Tesa automotive-grade high-temp cloth tape and secured in accordance with our standards.

Harley-Davidson Road Glide Audio System

The client was very happy with the upgrade. The sound system plays very loud and clean. It is clearly audible at highway speeds. If you are in the Clayton area, drop by Adrenaline Autosound to find out how we can improve your stereo system. For more information, give us a call or send an e-mail using our contact page.