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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | I've gotten a few inquires here about how I added my amp/speakers/etc to my VV8. So here is a post on just that!
I got this idea from a guy named Mississippi on Victory Forums (www.victoryforums.com)
If you do a search there for posts with his name I am sure you will find all the info and he has some nice pics to boot. I have posted pics from Mississpi's set up in my gallery.
I bought a kit from motorcycletunes.com It included the MT-500 500 Watt Amplifier with USB Charger (I did not realize at the time that the Vision had a charger outlet in the glovebox!) and upgraded Polk DB521 Speakers. Cost was about $150.00 at the time. But I noticed that the amp alone is now $35! You can buy these separately on the same site or get the amp here and speakers here ever. Mississippi used a smaller sized 600 watt amp without the power supply (which I rarely use) for less money.
Being lazy I had the dealer wrench install it for me. I watched so he could ask me questions as we figured out where to put things. My labor cost was about $250. Total Cost not including iPod was about $400. Considerably less than adding a factory set up.
The amp mounts nicely (almost as if it was made for the space) in the bottom portion of the center console (area nearest the seat). Just take off the console (a pain) and turn it over. The amp fits nicely and it was zip tried it into the bottoms potion of the console piece .
Install the speakers in the obvious place. Most visions have pots that the speakers fit into. That's a dealer item and over 50 bucks. It is not needed according to the research I did. And my set up sounds great without them. But add them if you wish. You might get more volume from the speakers (which is not needed except perhaps with my bluetooth setup)
From the amp, we ran the USB charger to the glove box. An included Audio Adapter Cable that goes from the source inputs on the amp to a standard 3.5mm(?) jack that fits iPods, iPhone, and other MP3 players. This was run over to the left handlebar, where we screwed a small black piece of black angled metal to the underside of the control box by the grip. This makes it easy to use and looks good. This piece of angled metal has velcro on it as does my MP3 and iPod. The music player is placed on this spot and plugged in.
Additionally the kit included a noise filter to take out any possible engine noise that the amp might otherwise pick up. Be sure to install that!! We used and accessory power source that was not being used and was easy to splice into.
Finally. Mississippi uses the iPod nano. I had a silver iPod shuffle and a small black Sandisk Sansa MP3 player. I have used both. They look great and work fine. An issue with the iPod nano is the touch screen. I have heard if you wear gloves apparently the touchscreen does not work.
I have also used my iPhone with a bluetooth Jabra Clipper (About $45 on Amazon) The iPhone goes in the glovebox connected to a cigarette lighter charger (the stock one in the glovebox) So the phone keeps it's charge! The Jabra Clipper goes on the left handgrip control box setup and gives you the ability to change tracks and control volume. You could also answer calls but I do not do that!!
Some issues to consider........
The iPod shuffle it only holds 2 GB which is not enough songs for me. It runs for over 15 hours playing music which is more than will ever need and it is easy to detach and it re-charges in less than 2 hours. It sounds good, but my iPhone sounds better (with the iPhone I get the best results with the phones ipod equalizer off.)
The Sandisk player is good and has an equalizer allowing for better sounds, but it does not sync with iTunes making it a pain to add songs to. It does have an FM player if you like having the radio.
Finally the iPhone-Jabra Clipper. The best parts are
1.that my iPhone stays charged and safe in my glove box
2.that I have access to ALL my songs, playlists etc.
3. That I can use my iPhone GPS and it works great (I use Motion X GPS Drive with voice commands. I bought Rachael's voice for $1 as she seems to be most understandable at 80 mph!)
DOWNSIDE is that the volume thru the bluetooth is a bit low even on max. Bummer! Here's is where those speaker pots might help.
Link to Gallery Pics
http://www.vision-riders.com/bb/photos/photo-thumbnails.asp?albumid...
Now go ride and enjoy those tunes!!
Edited by MaddMAx2u 2011-07-26 11:47 AM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | More Info - How long does the charged device last
iPod Shuffle - Apple claims 15 hours of music listening. It has never run out on me, max ride 9 hours.
Jabra - claim 6 hours. Has run out in a little over 5 hours in actual use. I just charge it in the glovebox!
Sansa - lasts about 4 hours in actual MP3 use
I use the iPod Shuffle and the Jabra, keeping both with me. That way I will never run out of tunes on a days ride. I keep one charging in the glovebox as I use the other!!
Edited by MaddMAx2u 2011-07-27 12:14 PM
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Add an iPod & Amp to Vision 8 Ball