Here's a list of tools needed to work in/around your fairing:
If you're using one of our factory approved wiring kits, then that's all you need. If you'd rather go it alone, we recommend the following:
No, they don't. Company put a lot of engineering into amplifier designs to make them reproduce your favorite tunes without causing problems or interference with your equipment. Keep in mind that when installing a hidden antenna inside the fairing, it's a good practice to keep it 8"-12" away from any power supply source (radio, amplifier, etc.).
These are the names given to the 2 touring fairing designs by none other than Harley-Davidson themselves. It's a simple matter of what they look like:
Sharknose Fairing - Looks like the nose of a shark, the fairing used on Road Glides.
Batwing Fairing - Looks like a bat with wings, the fairing used on Electra Glides and Street Glides.
Company use this terminology around here because it's usually the only physical difference to deal with when installing an audio system in your fairing, regardless of your specific bike model.
The best, cleanest thing to do is also the most work; remove the factory amplifier and it's entire harness from front to rear. If you'd rather not go that far though (and wouldn't blame you), then at the very least you need to disconnect the entire harness from the bike completely.
Keep in mind that the stock amplifier harness uses T style connections to effectively "interrupt" the regular radio harness connections. When disconnecting the amplifier harness, you need to put any of the left over radio harness connections back together.
Rear Pods Inside each pod you'll see 2 sets of wires coming in, one set from the regular radio harness, and one set from the amplifier harness. Disconnect the amplifier harness connectors, and re-connect the 2 left-over radio connectors back together. This reconnects the speaker pod wires to the rear outputs of the radio.
Under the Tour Pak Here you need to disconnect the amplifier and harness connectors completely.
Under the Seat Here you need to disconnect the power and ground connections to the amplifier harness.
Under the Fairing Disconnect all of the connectors on the amplifier harness, and again re-connect the left-over connectors that were on either side of a T style connection. Be sure to disconnect the extra speaker wires piggy-backed on the front speakers too.
When you're all done, the amplifier harness will just be dead weight, which is why most people remove it and the amplifier completely. If you have the Tour Pak, seat, and front fairing apart, it shouldn't be too difficult to get out of there at this point. But leaving it on the bike won't hurt anything either, just be sure to secure all loose connectors when you're done to keep them from making noises and causing problems in the future.
It's not a matter of what sounds best, it's about matching your speakers to the device that's driving them. Every amplifier circuit, even the ones inside radios, is designed for a specific impedance (measured in ohms) at the speaker outputs. And to get the best performance from that amplifier circuit, the speakers it's driving should match the amps design. So 2 ohm speakers don't necessarily sound better than 8 ohm speakers, it's just that they both exist for different amplifier designs.
When connecting speakers directly to a radio, it's the radio's built-in amplifier that should be matched. When connecting speakers to an external or stand-alone amplifier, it's the amplifier that matters, not the radio.
While both are considered 2-way speaker systems, the difference is in how the tweeter and woofer are integrated.
Coaxial or coax: Typically the tweeter is mounted on a post that runs through the center of the woofer cone and attaches to the magnet behind. The woofer cone is essentially shaped like a doughnut.
Component: Typically the tweeter and woofer are completely separated speakers, allowing the woofer cone to remaining whole. In the case of Hawg Wired component speakers, the tweeter and woofer are separate speakers (solid woofer cones), with the tweeter bridge mounted across the woofer.
Deciding between our Direct Connect Series and our Competition or Reference Series amplifiers is more than just a question of money; It's really about what kind of system you're looking for long term. Here's the breakdown:
Measuring a stock system the way rate amplifiers, there's a huge difference in power. Even with the DCS amp and SX speakers you'll gain a whole lot of power and volume, plenty to hear at highway speeds on a stock or mild bike. For FLHX's or modified bikes (short windshields, loud pipes, etc.), recommend the CS/RS systems for the best possible results.
In a nutshell, if you're just looking for a quick, simple installation that does the job of putting the music in your ears on the open road and does the job well, the DCS setup is perfect for most stock bikes. But if you're looking for the maximum power possible with the ability to tune and custom configure your system, try different speaker options, add more amplifiers and speakers someday, or your bike is good and loud, then the CS/RS systems are the way to go. Both are considered plug and play as neither one requires modifying any of your stock wiring, but the DCS setup is the easiest install available.
Either way, you'll get your money's worth where it counts; in your ears on the open road.