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Factory stereos for motorcycles or ATVs can be really expensive and sometimes they are not available at all.  Car stereos not only are susceptible to water intrusion from rain and mud, but also present some installation challenges on a vehicle that doesn’t offer a lot of space.  Luckily, marine stereos are designed to stand up to the weather and offer you some unique designs for simplicity of installation that may surprise you.  Thus they might be a great choice for your motorcycle or ATV.

Frequently we are approached by potential customers who say something like, “I have thus and such make and model motorcycle.  What stereo do you have that is made for it?”  The stereos we are talking about are actually built for boats and watercraft, not motorcycles or ATVs.  but with a little bit of ingenuity and thinking outside of the box, you can create a system that will favorably compare to anything manufacturer made for your vehicle and it will likely be more durable and be less expensive.

Some motorcycles or ATVs may perhaps be big enough to accomodate a standard size marine stereo in a fairing or a dash, but many are not.  In this article, we will be focusing on those that are too small for a conventional installation. 

If size is a worry, I highly advocate going without a CD player at all and concentrating on digital music, like an iPod or MP3 player instead.  CD player mechanisms not only take up extra room, but in an off-road vehicle, the amount of CD skipping may make it completely useless.  Some vehicle owners consider mounting the CD player vertically on edge to conserve space, but that is not recommended.  It would work as long as your vehicle is stationary, but as soon as you start moving, the CD will likely bounce out of position.  The anti-shock mechanisms designed into mobile stereos require the CD to be horizontal.  Most manufacturers recommend no more than a 30 degree angle install. Fortunately, there is a good assortment of marine stereos without CD players to choose from.

If you plan on installing in a fairing or dash you may have just a shallow mounting depth available.  Some marine stereos without CD players will have a normal size cutout, but only need a shallow mounting depth that can serve in those situations because eliminating the CD player reduces the required depth.

So called “black box” systems are new to the marine stereo market over the last few years and they offer a lot of installation opportunities that were previously not available.  a black box system includes a small box that houses the amplifier, radio and other essential electronics, but with no controls.  a thin, compact waterproof controller is connected by a wire.  The box can be installed out of the way since there are no controls, and the controller is small enough to be installed in a lot of locations.

On a motorcycle, for instance, you could put the box in a saddlebag or other small storage space and then mount the controller on your fairing.   It creates a lot of possibilities.  Since there is no CD player, the box can be installed at any angle you desire including on its side.  The majority will recharge your iPod or MP3 player while connected and offer complete control directly from the waterproof controller.

If you don’t have a fairing on your motorcycle, you may want to mount the controller directly on the handlebars.  This is possible using P clamps.  P clamps get their name from being shaped like a P.  you can pick some up inexpensively in the electrical conduit area of your nearby hardware or home improvement retailer.  P clamps are designed to secure electrical conduit pipes in position against walls, ceilings, etc.  They wrap around the pipe and provide a tab with a hole in it.  Tightening a nut and bolt through the hole in the tab contracts the clamp around the pipe.  The interior of the P clamp is lined with rubber to keep the clamp from twisting around the pipe.  The rest of the clamp is made of galvanized steel which should hold up just fine in the weather.  you would use the clamp on your handlebars just like it was a piece of conduit pipe.  The bolts on your controller can be threaded through the tabs on the clamps and nuts will secure everything in place.

Another alternative is to forego a head unit entirely and just use a small amplifier with your iPod or MP3 player.  The amp could be installed in any number of places and positions which offers you lots of versatility.  you will need to have some type of adapter cable to go from the headphone jack on your player to the RCA input jacks on the amp, but these are simple to find at any store that sells electronics.  The downsides are that the iPod or MP3 player will not recharge and you will not have remote control of it.

Tagged with: marine stereo marine stereos

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