Stereo speakers on your S

[plongo]

I occasionally like listening to tunes while riding, but I couldn't get used to headphones or earbuds in my helmet. So....

If anyone is interested in the particulars, let me know.

[Luca]

Plongo, you are my new hero, I think you are the king of tuning here!!!!
How could you find the space for those things under the cover? I had troubles to insert a 12V plug!!!

[RoLoo]

Originally posted by Luca
...had troubles to insert a 12V plug...

…for a cigarette lighter ???

[foobeemer]

I'm impressed. How do they sound? Decent freq response?

[acook]

Where is the radio? how is it on engine and elec. static noise?

[shaffer]

What's driving the speakers? What size are they? Are they marine models? At what speed does wind noise make them useless? Pretty nifty mod.

-Chris

[Luca]

Originally posted by RoLoo
�for a cigarette lighter ???

Uhm...no... but it would match quite well the stereo!

[bradzdotcom]

in the second foto:
what is the do-hickey running under the clutch lever?
and what's that square black thing-a-ma-bob tucked under the right fairing?
(watch, this guy won't come back for a month....).

[dannyleo]

I'd like to see the pics and description of your installation posted so we can all see them. They look great. I'm also interested in how the sound is, especially at what speed it becomes useless.

The square thing under the right fairing looks like one of those bycycle speedometers. Put a magnetic pickup on the fork and a stick-on on the wheel, presto! Your speed, avg speed, top speed, etc. Right?

You're probably right, he'll never show back up on the forum.

[Rapid Dog]

??????....wha' th'??????...and what are them funny handlebars??!!!

[Dale Flowers]

Relax everyone, I'm sure he'll be back. It's been less than a day. He may be out in the work parking lot with the tunes on and a party forming around him.
Impressive job, but where is the sub-woofer and amps?

[John Lyon]

Originally posted by bradzdotcom
in the second foto:
what is the do-hickey running under the clutch lever?
and what's that square black thing-a-ma-bob tucked under the right fairing?
(watch, this guy won't come back for a month....).

Brad! You have those things too. Its the fuel-richener-at-idle cable and a fuse box.

Note to diary: 9/23/05 - Today I told Brad something about motorcycles that he didn't already know. I sure hope I'm right.

[Steve Carlton]

Duly noted and witnessed. (You better be right...)

[ExarKunONe]

Thanks for watching Pimp My S!

[BMWSaint]

Cosmic timing - was just in a marine store looking at speakers and stereos for the same reason. I find myself getting closer to satellite radio so finding a source for small weatherproof mylar speakers and amp would be great.

[plongo]

Wow--I just logged in for the first time after posting this. I didn't expect much interest, since this kind of stuff is more in line with touring bikes, not sport bikes. (Actually, I was thinking of renaming my S an "SLT.")

I promise to post installation instructions (including more info on the amp, which is actually the most interesting component--no, it's not a Rumble Road RAW40--too much heat). Right now I'm heading out for a ride, but here are some quick answers:


Q: How could you find the space for those things under the cover?

A: I replaced the stock turn signal sockets with Runnin' Light sockets and then moved those sockets forward.


Q: I'm impressed. How do they sound? Decent freq response?

A: Very decent. There's even a surprising amount of bass response, considering the lack of a resonance chamber for the speakers.


Q: Where is the radio? how is it on engine and elec. static noise?

A: I just clip my Walkman to the side of my tankbag, then plug the amp's input (a mini-stereo plug) into the Walkman's headphone jack. No static noise at all, at least not with tapes. I imagine that satellite radio would behave as it does with headphones on a bike. The amp barely picks up any engine noise at all.

Q: What's driving the speakers?

A: Two Ramsey Electronics UAM2 digital amplifiers (built from kits) in a small aluminum project box that I place inside my tank bag. They put out about 15-20 watts each with virtually no heat and relatively little power draw. (For Joe and our other electronics whizzes: each amp utilizes a Texas Instruments TPA3001D1 Class-D audio amplifier chip.)

Q: What size are they?

A: The speakers are four-inch. Specifically, they are Blaupunkt ODx402 speakers with low-mass Neodymium magnets and water resistant cones.


Q: Are they marine models?

A: No.


Q: At what speed does wind noise make them useless?

A: At about 85 MPH, wind noise begins to obscure the music to the extent that I sometimes have a hard time knowing what I'm listening to. But I can still hear it. I'm not sure how they would behave with a stock windshield, though.


Q: what is the do-hickey running under the clutch lever?

A: It's the throttle cable.


Q: and what's that square black thing-a-ma-bob tucked under the right fairing?

A: I believe you're talking about the power plug for a Passport 8500 radar detector.


Q: ??????....wha' th'??????...and what are them funny handlebars??!!!

A: I got 'em from some guy in California who kidnapped a machinist and keeps him locked up in a closet pumping out handlebar risers.

[Steve Carlton]

Blaupunkt speakers have good bass...

[plongo]

Originally posted by plongo
Q: what is the do-hickey running under the clutch lever?

A: It's the throttle cable.

Oops! Brain fart...

It's not the throttle cable. John Lyon was correct--it's the fast-idle cable. (I guess I was in too much of a hurry to get out for that ride....)