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[Jerry/MD]

Well, since I can't ride today figured it was time to update my fellow 'Roadies' on the amp upgrade I made. I have to say one of the reasons I've delayed posting this topic is I've been spending lots of time in the saddle enjoying my upgraded stereo.  

I installed the Arc Audio 125X4 amp in my 2011 CVO Road Glide Ultra. Now, I gotta admit these folks warn you up-front this will not fit in the fairing. They don't differentiate between the Batwing or Sharknose....they just state for 'bag installations only'. Well being a hard head and getting some advance advice I purchased it anyway. One of the members here who told me it would fit...who I cannot thank enough...was TIF2 (Rich). I must have called and messaged him a half dozen times before he convinced me. Well, it does fit...as the picture shows. I will say I had to reposition it three times before I got it right. Now, I suspect the tolerance for the right position to be somewhere around +/- 3/4". Bottom line...it's a challenge. I did find a posting from gordy here on the forum who made a nice mounting bracket. Gordy...if you're out there...thanks for the bracket inspiration.   My mounting scheme was a combination of bracket to support the front and industrial strength Velcro. The best way to describe the final position is the Arc Audio emblem lines-up with the front of the glove box...and the positive (+) wiring terminal is hidden. Yes...you better connect the positive wire to the amp before installing. Please...don't ask me how I know.  

[Jerry/MD]

Now, to wire this up I bought the RFK10 10 AWG Amp Power Kit from Rockford Fosgate. Once again, Rich suggested a minimum 10 AWG wire. This kit includes a nice flexible power wire (with fuse holder) and ground wire. Price is around $30.00 and well worth it. Now, I mounted my ground wire to the fairing stud as shown in the first photo. One nice advantage for the Road Glide is the frame mounted fairing. So, it's much easier to find a frame ground then our Batwing friends. Now, Arc Audio specifically states to keep the ground short...DO NOT CONNECT DIRECTLY TO THE BATTERY. This wiring method works great and the amp is dead quiet with no ignition noise.

[Jerry/MD]

Now, one of the decisions I made was to keep the stock amp and wiring in place. So, once again TIF2 had a great suggestion. Use some stiff solid wire (I used 14 AWG), thread it through the existing tubing, solder any new wires to it and pull through. So, I did exactly that. Rich suggested lubricating the harness so I used some left-over slick-fluid from Motorcycle Armor and spayed it into the open ends of the harness. I suspect some dishwashing soap like Dawn with some water would work as well. Soldering the new wires to the 'fish-wire' made this soooooo much easier.

I ran new speaker wires through each tube to the rear speaker pods...and left the existing wires in place. Since I decided to keep the existing 'under the tour-pak' amp in place I disconnected the power to this device. Fortunately our friends at H-D made this easy (yeah, what a shocker). There is a two position connector in front of the battery which got dis-connected and taped.

[Jerry/MD]

Since I decidied to keep all the existing wires in place I removed the output terminals from the left side radio connector. Fotunately removing the terminals is fairly easy...but you need some small jewelers screwdrivers to dis-assemble the connector and remove the existing sockets. Luckily the Ampseal connectors H-D uses do not require a special removal tool for the terminals. I tried to get a nice pic of the connector body but my camera wouldn't cooperate. This pic shows the four removed terminals. BTW the manufacturers part number for the sockets is 770854-1 (another TIF2 supplied item). I found them through Allied Electronics and they are WAY CHEAPER than H-D.

[Jerry/MD]

Probably my biggest struggle was getting the cover on what I like to call the 'wiring raceway' as shown in the pic. Bottom line, keep the wires low...use a plastic ruler to find any high spots...and minimize how many cable ties you cut. Once again...don't ask how I know. All I can say was my BSR made frequent visits to the garage to request I keep the flow of 4 letter words to a minimum. 

[Jerry/MD]

Final pic. This one hopefully illustrates the final and best position for the amp. Basically it gets wdged between the glove box and the inner fairing. I believe this will aid the industrial strength Velcro and keep the amp secure. So far...so good.

It seems we all endure a certain amount of pain to make mods to these bikes. No doubt, H-D doesn't make it easy and it seems most of these audio upgrades are 'custom' approaches. Was it worth it? Absolutely! Ths quality of sound from this amp is AMAZING! I listen to all kinds of music...from Black Sabbath to Alan Jackson...and everything in between. One of my favorite albums is Chicago Transit Authority...yep Chicago's first recording (circa 1968). This amp really shines when listening to the horns on those tracks. Nice and clean with plenty of punch. So, I would highly recommend this to any of my fellow Road Glide owners....are you listening Rio?

I would like to thank the following CVO Harley members for their help:

Gordy, for his 'bracket inspiration'

Harleypingman, for his wiring diagrams

And last, but certainly not least TIF2. I made a number of phone calls to Rich and his help and advice made all the difference in the world. I owe you big time buddy.

[TIF2]

Thanks for the write-up and pics Jerry!
I'm sure that amp made all the difference with how your system sounds!

Good job on the install and way to "stick with it"!

Miles of safe ear-candy to ya brother ...

[Harleypingman]

Jerry,

Major PROPS to you for a terrific DIY project!!!  With many folks unwilling to do anything that isn't "plug and play," it's great to read and thread where the member has undertaken a "custom" installation; and, with pictures to go with it.

Tech question 1:  How did you wire the speakers?  Specifically, did you use the front and rear speaker outputs from the HK for the inputs to the 125.4; i.e. did you access the rear speaker outputs of the HK which are not used in the OEM wiring of the OEM amp?

Tech question 2:  Does the fader control work since you no longer use the OEM amp?

Tech question 3:  What crimp tool did you use for the sockets?

Thanks, again, for a great write-up; enjoy the tunes.

Carl

[OBB]

 Great write up  

[Jerry/MD]

Jerry,

Major PROPS to you for a terrific DIY project!!!  With many folks unwilling to do anything that isn't "plug and play," it's great to read and thread where the member has undertaken a "custom" installation; and, with pictures to go with it.

Tech question 1:  How did you wire the speakers?  Specifically, did you use the front and rear speaker outputs from the HK for the inputs to the 125.4; i.e. did you access the rear speaker outputs of the HK which are not used in the OEM wiring of the OEM amp?

Tech question 2:  Does the fader control work since you no longer use the OEM amp?

Tech question 3:  What crimp tool did you use for the sockets?

Thanks, again, for a great write-up; enjoy the tunes.

Carl

Carl,
I'll answer your questions one at a time.

Tech Question 1: Yes I used the front and rear speaker outputs from the HK unit and wired them directly to the amp. The connector on the right side (35 pin I believe) has blanks in the rear speaker outputs (normally not used) which remove very easily. Fortunately the Arc Audio amp inputs are designed to accept the high level outputs from the base HK unit.

Tech Question 2: Ahhhh this is the beauty of this setup. Since I used both the front and rear speaker outputs from the HK unit the FADER still works.   Gotta admit I wanted to keep that function which drove me to this setup.

Tech Question 3: Ya know, I knew somebody was gonna ask that question. I will have to research this one. I looked over the Amp crimp tool I have and found no part number. Plus, it is fairly old. Paladin makes a nice line of reasonably priced ($70 to $80) crimp tools which work well. Its just tough to find a cross reference from the manufacturer. Bottom line, I will research and report back.

[TANKS 250]

I'm considering doing this upgrade also....

...few questions

1. Do you think an amp that was slightly larger would fit?..

The Arc Audio is 1.7" x 5.15" x 11.6".....which number could possibly be slightly larger?


2. The Arc Audio amp has (2) 40amp fuses...at "wide open" do you notice lights dimming?

3. Which speakers did you go with?...and where did you mount them?

4. If you could change anything, or have done something different...what would it be?


.

[Jerry/MD]

Hey TANKS 250,
I will answer your questions one at a time.

1) No, I don't believe a larger amp will fit under the Road Glide fairing. I had to adjust the mounting on this one a few times to get it right. IMHO the size of this one is at the limit.

2) No, I see no dimming of the lights or other electrical issues. I suspect the distortion in the speakers would kick-in before you reach the power limts of the amp.

3) I went with J&M Rokkers in the front and back. They were mounted in the standard locations in the fairing and rear speaker pods.

4) I would probably have gone with different speakers. I somehow damaged the Rokkers in my rear speaker pods. J&M replaced them without question but I would love to know what happened. I'm almost 54 years old and somehow I blew a pair of speakers? I don't know whether to be proud or be concerned. All I know is the J&M's didn't take kindly to some classic Black Sabbath!  

I am VERY happy with this ARC Audio amp. I've had plenty of time in the saddle to evaluate and enjoy the sound from my upgraded stereo. It was well worth the time and effort.

[TANKS 250]

Was there a reason that you went with the ARC audio amp instead of a Rockford fosgate amp?

ARC Amp 125.4........75watt x 4 ....$345.00
RF Amp PBR300.4.....75watt x 4.....$170.00

[Jerry/MD]

Was there a reason that you went with the ARC audio amp instead of a Rockford fosgate amp?

ARC Amp 125.4........75watt x 4 ....$345.00
RF Amp PBR300.4.....75watt x 4.....$170.00

I had already installed J&M speakers which are 2 ohm. The Rockford Fosgate amps are designed to drive 4 ohms. In the end it was the less expensive route for me...and I was happy with the J&M's.

Not sure where you saw the PBR300X4 for $170.00. That's a great price. Their website states $249.00.

[Hawg]

Great Play by Play 
Are you happy with the J&M's?
if your up to it a video would be nice.