FJR's and motorcycle speakers!

[bobg3723]

After listening to a friend's HD fairing stereo system, it got me thinking about how an FJR might accomplish the same for listening at freeway legal speeds. For those of you who have something similar rigged for stereo on their FJR, please tell about your experiences.

 

[rickcorwn]

I don't have speakers, I haven't seen an FJR with speakers yet so I'm not sure you'll get much response here. I've got my GPS/XM radio and CB routed through a J+M CB2003 and into my helmet. Here's an experience I had with a friends Harley fairing mount stereo system. We're in Northern Nevada traveling along at FJR nominal speeds, lets just call it a brisk pace. I see my friends falling back behind me I stop to see if there's a problem with their bikes or maybe gear. Once they catch up I ask what's up? "We can't hear our music above 65mph" my response is :blink: I explain that the turn off we're looking for is about 40 miles ahead and I'll meet you boys there. I get back on the Feej and resume FJR nominal speed while I enjoy my music. In helmet speakers or ear buds are far superior to any speaker system.

You could come on down to CFO this June in La Crosse and see some of the systems other FJR owners have setup on their bikes. Hope to see you there!

 

[MartyA]

I live a quiet little town a couple of doors around the corner from one of those "famous HD touring roads" and my experience with HD fairing speakers is my neighbors and I can hear them coming 2 miles away, and the guy on the HD may be the only one who can't. As they get closer the the sound gets louder and it is distorted and most times I have no idea what song is playing as they go past the house. As they pass the exhaust noise then competes for the distorted music. Obnoxious. Almost all the ones I have seen up close are cracked, due to rough roads and having to be played at full volume.

I have a Starcom1 and helmet speakers. Sally can give me my instructions and I can hear the MP3, GPS, Radar detector, and the GMRS radio. AND with ear plugs the helmet speakers block out those annoying fairing speakers on other bikes. :angry2:

But they might work out for you....

 

[bobg3723]

Rick and Marty, thanks for the reality check. Valid points. On the other hand, some have blogged upgrading their HD amp and speakers, reporting noticeable improvement. I'm still on the fence. I guess I have to hear music piped into my helmet for comparison.

What I was considering for my own set up using a marine amp (at least 50W RMS X 2 @ 12.5 volt nominal supply) and 6.5" wakeboard speakers (sensitivity 89 db @ 1 watt per meter) in a bullet enclusure just off the fairing below the handlebars. Let's see that would come out to at least 104 db and still below amp clipping, if I fingered it correctly.

I'd like to think of my AE as an open top sports car, albeit on two wheels.

Yeah, Rick, I'll be at the CFO. See you there.

--Bob

 

[TomInPA]

I have the cruiser for that. No need for this mess on the FJR. Worst idea ever.

 

[smellthat?]

The HD speaker blaring is really annoying to everyone else. I use a BlueAnt setup and it is plenty loud at all speeds.

 

[bobg3723]

I have the cruiser for that. No need for this mess on the FJR. Worst idea ever.

Chrome magnet. :lol:

 

[mfletch69]

The HD speaker blaring is really annoying to everyone else. I use a BlueAnt setup and it is plenty loud at all speeds.

In my experience...just about everything about the HD motorcycle experience is annoying to everyone who isn't on the HD.

 

[bobg3723]

Yeah, probably inconsiderate of anyone thumping their monster amped up vehicles in neighborhoods at inappropriate hours. IMO, one should only crank it up on the interstate or country roads. If you going below those speeds down residential streets, there's no reason to be inconsiderate and simply down the volume. We do have noise laws to uphold.

 

[Burnspot]

Unless you're selling ice cream off the back of an FJR and need to play creepy music for the kids, I'd just stick to in-helmet stuff.

I've yet to hear an open air motorcycle speaker system that sounded decent at speed...seems like every HD I see with one has it blaring to the point of distortion in an attempt to overcome the noise from the pipes....every once in awhile you'll hear some Hank Williams break through the static. If I were wanting to listen to music, that would bug me...but if it floats their boat to have distorted music, more power to them...whatever adds icing to their motorcycling cake.

If you really want an interesting musical experience, get stuck in traffic between a radio-playing HD and a gangsta with a booming stereo...

 

[SacramentoMike]

And don't forget the stupid joke helmets all the Harley guys wear. You couldn't hear as well as they do with a full-face.

On a related note, my fantasy gadget is a transmitter I could carry in my car that I could aim at offenders and fry all the circuitry in their damn blasting stereo systems--particularly if it's polluting the environment with hip-hop. Sigh. Wouldn't that be nice?

 

[Burnspot]

And don't forget the stupid joke helmets all the Harley guys wear. You couldn't hear as well as they do with a full-face.

On a related note, my fantasy gadget is a transmitter I could carry in my car that I could aim at offenders and fry all the circuitry in their damn blasting stereo systems--particularly if it's polluting the environment with hip-hop. Sigh. Wouldn't that be nice?

I'd have to take that system and perma-mount it in my yard, pointing across the street...we have some neighbors (or their friends) who fail to see why blasting the stereo at 2:30am is a bad thing.

 

[wfooshee]

As for sound quality, no motorcycle-mounted speaker is going to have enough enclosure volume to give frequency response even as good as you can get from an old Ma Bell telephone. And the wind noise as your speed increases means you probably want earplugs anyway, further reducing the ability to hear anything a speaker might make.

Besides, have you ever noticed how FUGLY the bodywork is that you have to have in order to hold any speakers??!?!?!? Not on my bike, that's for sure!

 

[bobg3723]

Whenever I hear amps clipping past the bleeding edge, a couple of things come to mind. First, the rider's ear's have injuriously tuned out the distortion, much like people's ears tune out a extraneous noise in a room full of people talking. Their hearing acuity becomes dulled, probably irreversibly. What sound's like a raspy public address speaker to the rest of us would sadly seem "normal" to the rider. Add to that those throaty after-market pipes that are the most sought after don't help the situation, either. Second, many people's sensitivity to upper midrange to high frequency content has diminished due to abuse, so the amp is cranked well into clipping in order to compensate. So up goes the treble control exposing bad recordings and strident colorations in the electronics. A vicious motor cycle

Still, people are always going to be exposed to "BIG" sounds whether they encounter it from Lexus IS 250 "Droptop" with it's premium sound system to a wake board boat pumping out jigawatts down by the lake, or whatever. Or OzzFest Day in Somerset. Add to this every bike equipped with a mediocre sound system which seem prevalent these days.

I myself wouldn't want to hear distorted music, unless it add "flavor" to the accordion solo's in my Polka collection.

So anyway, mobile tunes out loud are already an accepted part of the American Culture, (for better or worse). A decent motorcycle sound external speaker system really ain't all that bad when done right.

OK, I'll get off my boombox now (pun intended).

 

[wheatonFJR]

They seemed pretty cool on the old Vetter fairings in the 70s...but they are now as outdated as 8-tracks and 8-track players.

 

[wfooshee]

As for amps clipping past the bleeding edge, the FJR does not have enough spare amperage to drive enough amps for any decent sound at the volume you'd need for the highway, even if you could find a way to mount good speakers.

Bad idea, abandon it immediately.

 

[smellthat?]

As for amps clipping past the bleeding edge, the FJR does not have enough spare amperage to drive enough amps for any decent sound at the volume you'd need for the highway, even if you could find a way to mount good speakers.

Bad idea, abandon it immediately.

+1 If you still don't believe see spider threads.

 

[bobg3723]

As for sound quality, no motorcycle-mounted speaker is going to have enough enclosure volume to give frequency response even as good as you can get from an old Ma Bell telephone. And the wind noise as your speed increases means you probably want earplugs anyway, further reducing the ability to hear anything a speaker might make.

If I can play the octave range from Cross Eyed Mary by Jethro Tull to my satisfaction, well then my system would suit me. A little mid-bass EQ boost can help trick the ear into believing there's a deeper bass than there really is.

Besides, have you ever noticed how FUGLY the bodywork is that you have to have in order to hold any speakers??!?!?!? Not on my bike, that's for sure!

Yeah, I'm afraid I ruined my AE's good looks with the fairing and sidebag guards getting put on her, too.

 

[bobg3723]

They seemed pretty cool on the old Vetter fairings in the 70s...but they are now as outdated as 8-tracks and 8-track players.

Damn! My entire collection IS all on 8-track!!!!! :cray: I'm so ashamed.