OK, so the '17 has the Boom, and while not great it is at least adequate. The '12 UL, on the other hand, needs help. I'm going with the RF head unit, maybe the RF amp too. My question is speakers. What can I put in the fairing and tourpack without major surgery? Pretty sure I can adapt 6-1/2" speakers in the front (What adapters are best?) but the tourpack is the big question. Has anybody found something that works? Thanks for any input.

 

Can I ask why the RF head unit and the amp too for that matter.

 

I like that the RF head unit is plug and play compatible with OEM handlebar controls, marine rated, and has rear USB. I will likely leave an iPod connected to it all the time via extension cable and kept in tourpack. And I've read good things about the amp. No deep insight or anything like that.

 

I used these adapters (Metra 82-9601) on my 2012 Street Glide and they did the trick.

 

Your question got me wondering..I'm now leaning toward the Sony DSX-M80 plug and play bundle from Fathead cycles...looks promising and gets rave reviews.

 

Definitely a move in the right direction.

 

Tortoise the one question I would pose is do you want something truly waterproof like the Rockford or are you willing to work with a splash cover of some kind on a regular single din unit?

 

I think waterproof. I do not let rain, even heavy rain, stop me from riding. The sony is marine rated...isn't that what that means?

 

"Marine" rated only means that they spray some protective coating on the circuit boards to prevent corrosion from salt air. Let them get a good spray of water and they are toast. That's why I thought I'd post about it. Lots of folks here use the regular "marine" and even non marine rated decks all the time, but they have to be careful with them.

I'm like you, I get rained on all the time and I don't want to have to worry about covering things up to keep them from getting fried. Shoot, when the rain gets harder I just turn the volume up and shine on. I have not personally run the Rockford deck but it is rated to be waterproof (IPX6). I have looked at the specs and it seems to be decent based on the numbers, but I don't know if there is a better alternative out there. Aquatics AV makes some similar units but they do not post the detailed specs like Rockford does. If you listen to FM radio if I remember correctly the Rockford has a pretty sensitive tuner, almost as good as the Sony units, which is dang good.

I guess the thing to do may be to decide what your most important requirements are and list them, then the folks here can then make some good recommendations. Like a lot of things the audio on these sleds is a game of compromises.

 

So here's the question..with the splash cover, how "waterproof" is it? I don't see me ever having to open it (at least not normally), but I don't want to have to worry about it either. I will definitely want to use the rear USB with a 6' extension to leave an iPod plugged in all the time. This was one of the things I liked about the HD iPod interface I had on the '09 UC I used to have. That whole saddlebag thing was pretty sweet. At any rate, the last thing I want is to fry stuff because I could not protect it . I know the RF head unit is pricey, but are there any other knocks on it? I'm not married to the RF amp, but local guy will give me 10% if I buy HU and amp together. All that aside, I'm still looking for speaker recommendations. Lots of them I see people are using seem to be sold out. I have a feeling the tour pack speakers are going to be the real PITA.
Thanks for all the help. I have done many car stereos in my day, but the bike stuff kind of makes my head spin. That's why I always ended up with the Boom stuff.