Mechanicsville Client Goes All-Out with BMW K 1600 B Stereo Upgrades

A client from Mechanicsville recently contacted the Extreme Audio team to discuss upgrading the stereo system on his new BMW K 1600 B touring motorcycle. As with most touring bikes, the big BMW comes with a stereo system, but it’s not very impressive. The client wanted something that would play louder while delivering a richer sound with more detail. After inspecting the bike and talking to the client about his listening preferences, we set to work researching options to deliver a sound system with the performance that he wanted. Armed with a plan and the client’s approval, we put together the amazing motorcycle audio system you see here.

Motorcycle Speakers Improve Clarity

The upward firing rear speakers provide a direct path to the rider’s ears.

The ARC Audio speakers we used in the back use a horn-loaded tweeter.

Fullcomp products are molded specifically for the BMW bikes.

JBL tweeters are added to augment the high frequency output from the rear.

ARC Audio coaxials and JBL tweeters were used for the front stage.

Our speaker upgrades provided the client with a 2 wheel concert.

The first order of business was to upgrade the speakers in the front fairing. We took the bike apart and removed the OE drivers to make way for a set of Fullcomp front speaker enclosures from Russia. These fiberglass enclosures are molded to fit the BMW dash perfectly and have provisions for a set of 6.5-inch speakers. We installed ARC Audio Moto602 coaxial speakers and added a set of JBL Stadium GTO 750T ¾-inch tweeters to help with the top few octaves.

For the rear speakers, we ordered a set of Fullcomp speaker pods for the saddlebags. Once again, these are designed for 6.5-inch woofers and a set of tweeters. We used the ARC Audio Moto602HD high-output speakers for the rears and, once again, added a set of the Stadium GTO tweeters. The Moto602HD speakers are unique. They feature a large-diaphragm horn-loaded compression driver that’s behind the main magnet. The output of the driver feeds through the center of the pole piece. Just as with the more conventional Moto602 speakers, the entire assembly is both water- and UV-resistant to ensure that everything functions properly for years and years.

Motorcycle Subwoofer and Amplifier Upgrade

The Fullcomp enclosure is designed for 1 10″ subwoofer.

The small footprint of the ARC Audio and JL Audio amplifiers allowed them to both fit into one bag.

The amplifiers were mounted on a custom-cut piece of plastic.

The icing on the cake for the speaker upgrade part of this project was the Fullcomp subwoofer enclosure. This fiberglass enclosure fits inside the left saddlebag and has mounting provisions for a single 10-inch subwoofer. The subwoofer fires inward toward the rear wheel to maintain the stock appearance of the bike. We used a JL Audio 10W1-2 driver on this BMW. We like that the enclosure is relatively large in terms of internal air volume and the design and construction is rock solid. Fullcomp components are certainly worth every penny of their cost.

In terms of amplification, we chose the ARC Audio Moto720 to power the front and rear speakers. This amp is rated to produce 150 watts of power per channel and, more importantly, is one of the most efficient designs on the market. The amp is mounted on a custom ABS panel that’s attached to the back of the right-side saddlebag. We suggested the JL Audio MX300/1 powersports monoblock amplifier to drive the subwoofer. This amp can produce 300 watts of power into the 2-ohm load of the chosen subwoofer. It’s also small enough to fit on the same panel in the saddlebag as the ARC amp.

BMW K 1600 B Motorcycle Stereo Upgrade

With all of the equipment wired into the motorcycle, our team used our real-time audio analyzer to set the level controls and crossovers on the amplifiers to deliver smooth and detailed sound. We balanced the system to put the rider in the center of the listening experience. With a couple of days of work, we had this BMW stereo upgrade ready to return to the client. After arriving at the shop, he hopped on the bike for a listen and was absolutely amazed at what we’d created. Not only did the upgrades look great, but the system also played amazingly loud and sounded exactly the way he wanted. He was thrilled!

If you’re considering upgrading the stereo on your motorcycle, drop by Extreme Audio in Mechanicsville or Midlothian. A member of our team would be happy to design a stereo system that will make your next ride sound like a concert on wheels. If you can’t visit one of our stores during regular business hours, give our location nearest to you a call or use our online contact form to send our team an e-mail. We’ll reply as soon as we can!

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