I have a 2013 998cc RTLtd.
i want to pimp the audio to do the following
improve the sounds system - Speakers, boom tube.
sirius radio
cb radio
telephone / blue tooth through the speakers and helmet speakers.
what do I need to get installed to do all this, and what's the cost ?
i would also like to install an additional 12v plug in in the front trunk space to plug all my gadgets in, It already has sat nav, so no need for that.
J&M makes a nice set of replaement speakers for both ends of the bike... they run about $100 per pair... but I've seen them as low as $85.
The rest of your project;
But it sounds as if it's going to be fun!
J&M makes a nice set of replaement speakers for both ends of the bike... they run about $100 per pair... but I've seen them as low as $85.
The rest of your project;
But it sounds as if it's going to be fun!
How ow much better is the sound from the upgrades compared to the original units ?
This sounds interesting. I was wandering if anyone has put a J&M cb on the RT?
I am thinking of putting one with rider and passenger intercom on our 2014 RTS.
Any thoughts or idea's about this set up?
Toby
I am in the process of this as you speak. You need an amp and higher wattage speakers to start. The Sirus radio is plug and play, just lots of green backs. The cb and GPS take some installing but easy to do, I installed both of mine, again lots of green backs. Adding just the J&L speakers does very little as they are rated at, if I recall, 65 watts RMS but the radio is not even close to driving that much speaker. I did this on my 11 and while there was a minor improvement, it was not worth the $200.
If speakers are not driven to near their rated RMS they will not sound any better than the stocks and like no change in volume to speak of. I have the Polk 4" and 5.25" speakers 45 (max 134) watt speakers arriving on Monday and I just bought a little Clarion amp Model XC1410. It is a simple stripped down amp that puts out 50RMS, so it is perfectly matched to the speakers. It runs under $100 on Amazon so with speakers $189 delivered to the door.
This amp is not water proof but it is easy to do so with a little detailing. I Plan to install either under the left saddle bag (it is only 7" long) or in my 14 inside the space behind and blow the right access panel. It is also no sophisticated, just a basic amp but with the limited space I have and not wanting to give up storage space it packs plenty of punch to light up the speakers while leaving the radio to take care of the base ect. I may be a few weeks before I can install but I will give a report and pics when done.
Another reason I went with this set up is that high wattage speakers are not available for 4" speakers, 50-60 watts is about the max. Even 5 1/4's are not much better, especially when you are speaking marine rated. They make some speakers with built in amps but again, size is the issue.
Amps get hot, especially the class A/B which the common set up so its not an option to hide away in the bottom of a bag, frunk or trunk even if you put in a cooling fan. A decent amp will have at bare minimum a high temp shut down so unless properly cooled you will be grooving to your tunes and then it shuts down, lol.
Lastly, up to 2013 the charging system cannot hand huge amps with out draining the battery. The 14's put out a lot more and can hand an amp with ease as long as you do not over do it. This one only draws about 20 amps (fused to 25) so it can work with any year bike.
Now mind you, Bass will not be any better, maybe louder but no thumper with this set up. Bass is a totally different topic and the speakers really wont do much unless a bass/woofer is installed and that takes more room which unless one is a serious sound addict most will not want to deal with.
Well that's about all I know so far, I have done this on cars, trucks and one bike before so I have some experience. I always do my own research and installs but due to the open air, bikes are the most difficult due space limitations, cooling and the fact that listening to music over engine, wind and traffic noise will never be perfect. I do have a high quality set of head phones in my helmet (J&M) but some times I like to crank it up and let the world know I am still here! lol.
Audio trickery
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman
2020 RTL
