HD batwing stereo

[Monkeyman]

So I noticed the stereo won't fit in the batwing.

http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq269/Primatepapa/2012-03-08_22-58-59_421.jpg

Do I need to buy this? All I'd need is the plate. How does the plate attach to the bike? http://www.biketronics.com/products/BT-1000MK-Radio-Mounting-Kit-1996%252dPresent.html

Another 50 bucks and a week or so down the drain. >:

[Loafer]

Do you have a Radio Shack near you?
Some car part stores have those adapters available.
Call them, or stop by.

[dmyers]

if you just need a plate. Tell me the dimensions and I will make you one
the problem is How are you going to mount the stereo.
The plate will have to be mounted to the faring or you will have to mount the hole thing behind the faring some how. you could go by a car stereo shop and they should have the spacer plate. Take the faring with you and I bet they can set you strait.

[Monkeyman]

Do you have a Radio Shack near you?
Some car part stores have those adapters available.
Call them, or stop by.

It's not a generic GM to DIN or Chrysler to DIN sort of setup. It sort of looks like the HD stereo doesn't mount in the hole as much as it mounts to something else and the face just sits in the hole.

if you just need a plate. Tell me the dimensions and I will make you one
the problem is How are you going to mount the stereo.
The plate will have to be mounted to the faring or you will have to mount the hole thing behind the faring some how. you could go by a car stereo shop and they should have the spacer plate. Take the faring with you and I bet they can set you strait.

I can make something crappy looking (that no one will see) to hold the back of the stereo from bouncing around. The stereo sleeve is supposed to fit into a DIN size hole then the sleeve tabs keep it in place. In theory, that should hold the stereo in place (although I wouldn't trust it completely). This hole is too big for that sleeve and there's no lip to lock it to anyway. The HD aftermarket kit basically just uses spacers to remount the aftermarket stereo to the original (internal) brackets. Joes brackets may or may not work with those. So many have bolted on an HD fairing to a Nomad (with an aftermarket stereo) that they've had to have figured out a way to do it. If not, I'll fab something up. It'll work eventually, riding season or not.

[dmyers]

There must have been a mount behind the faring for the stereo.
There should be some mounting tabs on the back somewhere, Or the faring is not supposed to support the stereo. the shape of the opening tells me everything has to mount behind the faring somehow

[Loafer]

I thought you just needed to cover the larger hole.

[cactusjack]

You just figured out that the opening is larger than a standard stereo? There is an entire bracket assembly that mounts behind the inner fairing that an HD radio mounts into. The BT kit you posted the link to is used with that bracket. I take it your fairing came empty, without the internal brackets, so you are going to need to be creative.

You are either going to have to engineer your own internal brackets or make a plate large enough to fill the opening with the single DIN rectangle cut into it and attach it to the inner with bolts through the fairing inner panel. If done right, it shouldn't look too bad.

[Monkeyman]

You just figured out that the opening is larger than a standard stereo? There is an entire bracket assembly that mounts behind the inner fairing that an HD radio mounts into. The BT kit you posted the link to is used with that bracket. I take it your fairing came empty, without the internal brackets, so you are going to need to be creative.

You are either going to have to engineer your own internal brackets or make a plate large enough to fill the opening with the single DIN rectangle cut into it and attach it to the inner with bolts through the fairing inner panel. If done right, it shouldn't look too bad.

I've looked at them, I've ridden them, I almost bought one but I never measured the stereo in one. It just LOOKED like it was a DIN sized stereo. I briefly looked at the Biketronics kits before but never paid that much attention to them as I didn't have a need for them. The first time I saw a bare inner fairing up close and personal was yesterday. To be honest, I've never seen a stereo that wasn't attached by the front somehow.

Once I have Joes brackets mounted on both the fairing and the bike, I'll see what I have to work with. I'm guessing I'll have to cut a piece to fit either inside or outside (or both) and bolt them together. Never friggin' guessed it would be this difficult to mount this fairing. Nobody has ever mentioned this before. sigh

[rewindgy]

The cover that Hoppe uses would mount from the outside and it comes with the DIN metal sleeve which your Radio would slide into. All you would need to do is drill mounting holes in the fairing for the front of cover and then a small braket on the backside to keep the sleeve from wiggling around! I put one on my Premuix fairing as the cover it came with hit the risers - and this one is very well built! I'm sure that they buy it from someone else but up here in Kanuck land I couldn't find any! I think it was $35 and took about 5 minutes to install!

[blowndodge]

Reminds me of the movie "The Grapes of Wrath"... :lmao:

[zoom45]

That's why I made a plate that bolted to the inner fairing braces on mine. It fits up against the radio opening and has a hole cut in it that the radio sleeve slides in to. My braces hold the radio not the fairing.
Zoom45

[Dave]

Reminds me of the movie "The Grapes of Wrath"... :lmao:


I don't get it? Do you mean the truck they drove in that movie?

[blowndodge]

Oh Dave......... Living in that dumpster really has taken a tole on you good buddy!

Yes..

[blowndodge]

I've looked at them, I've ridden them, I almost bought one but I never measured the stereo in one. It just LOOKED like it was a DIN sized stereo. I briefly looked at the Biketronics kits before but never paid that much attention to them as I didn't have a need for them. The first time I saw a bare inner fairing up close and personal was yesterday. To be honest, I've never seen a stereo that wasn't attached by the front somehow.

Once I have Joes brackets mounted on both the fairing and the bike, I'll see what I have to work with. I'm guessing I'll have to cut a piece to fit either inside or outside (or both) and bolt them together. Never friggin' guessed it would be this difficult to mount this fairing. Nobody has ever mentioned this before. sigh

Remember, cut to fit! :cheers:

[Monkeyman]

The cover that Hoppe uses would mount from the outside and it comes with the DIN metal sleeve which your Radio would slide into. All you would need to do is drill mounting holes in the fairing...

I'm trying to avoid that although I'll do it if I have to. I have a waterproof cover but I bought a marine radio so I wouldn't have to use it.

That's why I made a plate that bolted to the inner fairing braces on mine. It fits up against the radio opening and has a hole cut in it that the radio sleeve slides in to. My braces hold the radio not the fairing.
Zoom45

I'm hoping to get the inner bolted up to the bike tonight or tomorrow. I'll see what I can make to hold the stereo like yours. Do you have any close ups of the bracket? How about a pic from the front of the fairing (facing you)?

[strobe]

Not a cheap solution, but this what I used to mount mine. Rickyboy has the fairing now, but total cost was $140, then made some brackets to hold this to the fairing mounting brackets. I bought "DC235 DIN Radio Cradle" and "DB235 DIN Bezel".

http://www.eglidegoodies.com/id179.html

[Monkeyman]

As much as I'd hate to sink even more money in this, that might be the way to go. Probably better than having the radio fall out. How close are the edges of the mount to the fairing brackets? Bolts and spacers or square tubing?

[ringadingh]

That looks like something I should be able to make here when I get to that point.

[Caddyman]

All this is not filling me with confidence when it comes to fitting my stereo as I will need to do something similar with brackets etc!

[Monkeyman]

I don't know if this will work but here's my current thinking. I'll get a block of wood cut to fit between the brackets. If I cut a piece of maybe 16 ga steel, I should be able to hammer it around the block of wood. (Using the wood to shape it only.) One "tab" on each side to bolt to the brackets and one "tab" in the back for the radio securement bolt (don't know what it's called but it screws into the rear of the stereo to hold it in place). Hopefully, I can get steel that is both thin enough to bend with a hammer yet thick enough for the right strength. It basically just needs to keep the rear of the stereo from bouncing around. I've run 4 black button head bolts through the front of the stereo (they really don't look bad) and am in the process of making a plate to hold the stereo mounting sleeve in. By itself, the combination of that plate and the mounting sleeve SHOULD hold it but I'm not taking any chances. I forget who came up with this idea but he posted pics in another thread (which I can't seem to find).

[ringadingh]

All this is not filling me with confidence when it comes to fitting my stereo as I will need to do something similar with brackets etc!
It doesn't seem that hard to accomplish, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Nubbs]

Ive seen people use a piece of strap steel (the kind with holes in it) just bolt to the plastic and secure to back of stereo. Don't know how this works out for long term durability but it would definitel.y be easier

[blackdogbrian]

monkey did you sort it out yet?
I used a piece of scrap aluminum.... if you don't have it sorted let me know, and I'll flip you some photos of what I did
(standard sony stereo).

not too pretty but it works well
(flip me an email so I can email the picts direct)