upgrade speakers?

Has anyone upgraded the factory speakers in a 1200RT WC? Does it even make sense to do so?

I guess it's personal choice, but for me it would not make sense as I've never used the current speakers and don't see a time when I ever would. My music/intercom is pumped into my helmet by the Bluetooth system, although I have plans to utilize a Motochello speaker bridge so I can pull the sound directly off the Alpine system and into a pair of high end ear monitors. If it were up to me, I would tell BMW to forget the speakers and instead upgrade the Bluetooth system for a better sound.

I do suspect, though, it you have a desire to use the speakers an upgrade would likely improve the sound pretty dramatically. I would think any good stereo shop could direct you to possible replacements with more fidelity.

+1. Bluetooth earbuds probably give you the biggest bang for your buck. Any way you look at it, if you really want hi-fi, get a lincoln or cadillac. :-)

I use the speaker occasionally but find the factory speakers to be fine. But if there is an upgrade I would love to hear about it.

Aftermarket windshields will make more difference than aftermarket speakers. The room for these speakers isn't all that big and you also have to implement an amplifier to get them to work best anyway.

I would rather have extra storage space where the speakers are...

Don't know.

No.

That is an interesting question. While I agree that the Bluetooth ear buds approach is likely the best solution, that did not answer your question. While I have not done this particular upgrade I offer some advise from a guy who has built home brewed shelf speakers.

Being close to LA I am sure there are several companies closer to you than the source I know of and likely there is one that specializes in automotive speaker upgrades. I would not be surprised if BMW used some parts bin speaker and the part number would be helpful for these guys. If not you'll need the specs...the more the better. Cone size mount hole measurement & configuration, the nominal ohm resistance typically printed on the magnet are an inadequate minimum, not really enough to get a good match to the system. There is a litany of driver measurements to get you to a good match. Things like free resonant frequency, damping properties, max cone excursion, minimum resistance...on and on and on. The worst spec to ignore when installing aftermarket drivers is the minimum resistance. If the new driver resistance falls too low in some part of the frequency range you could smoke your amplifier.

I have used these guys for drivers and they might help but their specialty is home audio www.madisoundspeakerstore.com. In the unlikely case you come up dry on Googling automotive aftermarket automotive speaker specialists in your area maybe Madisound can point you in the right direction.

All that said the other concern that may be the main limiting factor for any upgrade of the waterhead sound system is horsepower! I personally think the OEM waterhead external sound system suffers from a lack of amplifier power more than the quality of the speakers. If you go into the the upgrade hell zone and install a more powerful amplifier as well be careful of impressive wattage claims. Pay close attention to how the wattage was measured. Any amplifier power specification that isn't stated as a sustained full band power (RMS 20-20K hz) is marketing crap. Systems that sound good can have middle of the road speakers but if driven with a quality amplifier that has lots of reserve power and headroom (sustained drive and instantaneous surge capabilities) typically sound fantastic.

If you are going to be the first try a driver upgrade, for sure get the speaker part number and see if a specialty aftermarket automotive speaker house in your area can reference it. If no one can ID the driver and all associated specifications with a known aftermarket solution, then it gets a fair bit riskier ranging from wasted time and money with no real benefit, to a the worst case of a big mismatch that causes the amplifier to fail.

Let us know where this all comes out.

You can thin down the speaker selection considerably. By looking at only waterproof speakers as that is what you must have in this application.

You can thin down the speaker selection considerably. By looking at only waterproof speakers as that is what you must have in this application.

Right. There are a good number of marine grade drivers are out there. Basically the driver has a cone and dust cap (center piece) that is, rigid plastic, metal, or a pulp material impregnated with a water proof resin (stiffer & lighter weight is better...and more costly) Also, the voice coil is also protected with water proof resin.

great thinking---thanks!

thank you, everyone---

I realize that bluetooth is the logical way to go, but I just can't find a decent sound quality (I can't justify spending $250+ on BOSE), so...

On 9/29/2018 at 8:08 PM, Rob Nowell said:

Has anyone upgraded the factory speakers in a 1200RT WC? Does it even make sense to do so?

Great question Rob.  I am looking for information on how to add a second set of speakers to the rear of the bike.  We came to the RTW from a 2009 GL1800 and the sound system on that bike was as good as if not better than car audio.  Sound quality and separation on the GL being better than my buddies high end Mercedes and Lexus and on par with the factory Rockford/Fosgate  system in my car.  My wife misses that GL system and so.....happy wife happy life and hence my quest.  She doesn't like earbuds and is not a fan of in the helmet speakers that might be added to the Arai helmets we use.  I spoke with Motochello and they indicate I can't use their system to power an additional set of speaker, only to switch from factory audio to headset.  Thoughts?

On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 8:08 PM, Rob Nowell said:

Has anyone upgraded the factory speakers in a 1200RT WC? Does it even make sense to do so?

Morning Rob Nowell

Yes, I'm sure someone somewhere has upgraded their speakers. (did it make a difference?-- To some probably, to others it was a waste of money & effort.

Upgrading motorcycle dash  speakers is kind of dependent on  what the rider expects to get back in return.  If you want a great listening experience while sitting still washing the bike in your driveway , or while riding around town at 30 mph with no helmet on then wahoo speakers with a kicker amp might make you happy. 

On the other hand  if you usually ride at speed with normal motorcycle wind noise & wind turbulence, with a good tight fitting full face helmet, then you will probably see very little improvement no matter the speakers that you install. Especially with the stock radio's limited power to drive them without some sort of additional amplification & filtering.

If you just want to impress others at the local watering hole then you might get a return on your labor & money invested.

As mentioned above, if you want quality in-helmet sound then put good speakers (or quality ear buds) inside your helmet. I have tried/done this a few times & had mixed results. With good quality in-helmet speakers or ear buds I c-o-u-l-d get a decent listening experience while riding at speed  but it started to bother me as I was always turning the volume down as  I slowed down or  came to a stop.  That turning it down at a stop meant that I had the volume w-a-y too loud while riding so was ruining what little hearing I had left. 

Other benefits to the headset route is the ability to have a conversation with your passenger, take and make phone calls while riding and hear GPS prompts. May sound silly but soft earplugs muffle outside noise while allowing you to hear what's coming through the helmet speakers very well. Once you try them you'll wonder how you functioned without them.

Pat

After 2 RT1200s and a K1600 with various mods to make them better/louder I've decided on my new 1200 to enjoy the digital speedo

Much easier to go with Scala (or any other). They have noise adjusting to overcome most of the speed factor.

I still however was bothered with the speakers in helmet whilst wearing good earplugs. Back to a volume issue.

Changed now to Earmolds https://www.earmold.com.au/in-ear-music-monitors/proflex-dual-driver-from-499.htm (they weren't $499 and unsure what/if os pricing and availability). They are custom made to your ear..blocks out just about all noise and the speaker is right at the ear so now on lowest volume rather than top (and wanting more)

Downside is I can't control tracks etc but easier to live with than not hearing.

Biggest upside is hearing my riding buddy clear as a bell whilst having plugs in. 1300Kms in 39celsius heat and wind without plugs was too much.

General listening the bike is OK. Audio and talking no good.  

I’ve used these for 4 years and they work great.  Almost minimum volume on my Sena, kill road noise even if I have the Sena turned off for a while.

http://www.rka-luggage.com/A49%20SPlug/S_Plug.html

On 1/21/2019 at 5:40 AM, dirtrider said:

 

 

Morning Rob Nowell

 

Yes, I'm sure someone somewhere has upgraded their speakers. (did it make a difference?-- To some probably, to others it was a waste of money & effort.

 

Upgrading motorcycle dash  speakers is kind of dependent on  what the rider expects to get back in return.  If you want a great listening experience while sitting still washing the bike in your driveway , or while riding around town at 30 mph with no helmet on then wahoo speakers with a kicker amp might make you happy. 

 

On the other hand  if you usually ride at speed with normal motorcycle wind noise & wind turbulence, with a good tight fitting full face helmet, then you will probably see very little improvement no matter the speakers that you install. Especially with the stock radio's limited power to drive them without some sort of additional amplification & filtering.

 

If you just want to impress others at the local watering hole then you might get a return on your labor & money invested.

 

As mentioned above, if you want quality in-helmet sound then put good speakers (or quality ear buds) inside your helmet. I have tried/done this a few times & had mixed results. With good quality in-helmet speakers or ear buds I c-o-u-l-d get a decent listening experience while riding at speed  but it started to bother me as I was always turning the volume down as  I slowed down or  came to a stop.  That turning it down at a stop meant that I had the volume w-a-y too loud while riding so was ruining what little hearing I had left. 

 

 

Well, I don't ride to bars, and I don't try to impress others:  I ride a BMW.  I actually bought a J&M Audio speaker system for my helmet, plus a V-Stream windshield.  The speakers sound absolutely incredible (even in Bluetooth!), but I haven't put the new screen on as of yet.

I have 2010 RT  . Speakers are crap , but recently upgraded my phone to Samsung s9+  , played through the stereo , the difference is incredible  .

On 1/30/2019 at 1:33 PM, Ozzyal said:

I have 2010 RT  . Speakers are crap , but recently upgraded my phone to Samsung s9+  , played through the stereo , the difference is incredible  .

 

That is very interesting!  Coincidental, as well:  I am, just this minute, activating my new S9, as well!

OZZYAL,

I know it's been a long time since you posted but I'm wondering.. How did you connect your S9? I just started getting tired of the old ipod connector on my 06 RT and was thinking boy it would be nice to connect my S9 to the bike. 

On 9/30/2018 at 12:46 AM, elkroeger said:

+1. Bluetooth earbuds probably give you the biggest bang for your buck. Any way you look at it, if you really want hi-fi, get a lincoln or cadillac. :-)

If you really want Hi-Fi get a good two channel audio system.