Stereo Speaker Interference - Static

[PrestonS.]

Have you heard of any problems with electrical static feedback through dresser stereo speakers?
I have a 2003 Electra Glide Classic with an HD installed AMP and a 2009 Ultra Classic Sidecar for my daughter.

The stereo works fine when the motor is not running. Once you start the bike the crackling and popping interference starts in the speakers and increases with higher RPMs. The noise is not consistent however, it is loud one day and quieter the next. The crackling also transmits through the speakers when the stereo is OFF.

So far I have disconnected and reconnected the radio and the amp connectors, looked for damaged wiring, and tightened grounds behind the fairing, under the seat and around the amp. I think I found all of the grounds… I also plugged a stock speaker into the system to make sure it is not a bad speaker. Nothing has fixed or reduced the noise so far.

Any Ideas? It is driving me nuts!

[dondad]

Originally Posted by PrestonS.

Have you heard of any problems with electrical static feedback through dresser stereo speakers?
I have a 2003 Electra Glide Classic with an HD installed AMP and a 2009 Ultra Classic Sidecar for my daughter.

The stereo works fine when the motor is not running. Once you start the bike the crackling and popping interference starts in the speakers and increases with higher RPMs. The noise is not consistent however, it is loud one day and quieter the next. The crackling also transmits through the speakers when the stereo is OFF.

So far I have disconnected and reconnected the radio and the amp connectors, looked for damaged wiring, and tightened grounds behind the fairing, under the seat and around the amp. I think I found all of the grounds… I also plugged a stock speaker into the system to make sure it is not a bad speaker. Nothing has fixed or reduced the noise so far.

Any Ideas? It is driving me nuts!

There are two paths for noise to get into your audio system, conducted or radiated. If it is radiated, that means that something is generating electrical noise in the radio frequency band and the radio is picking it up. If this is the case, then the cause is not in the audio system, but rather in either the ignition or charging system. I would look for leaky sparkplug wiring loose grounds in the ignition circuit or a faulty alternator/generator or wiring.

If it is conducted, it could still be a problem in the other parts of the system, but it might be possible to filter it out. This would take someone that knows what to look for to fix. A place that installs automotive stereo equipment would be a good source. The fact that it comes through the speakers even with the radio off is not necessarily surprising. Most automotive type radios do not really go off with the radio switch. They just mute the audio and blank the display. This also would lead me to look more for conducted noise rather than radiated.

For a bit of background, I worked for a bit more than 30 years for a major OEM auto manufacturer designing and building the audio systems.

[benglehart]

I make a bet the speakers in in the side car are 2 ohms and the speakers and the stereo on the bike a 4 ohms. I da a similar problem. HR upgraded the sound systems to HArmen Kardon in 2006. I have an 05 and they installed the new boom bagger speakers in my fairing. nothing but crakling and popping. They're about to put boom baggers in it now.
Make sure the speakers you replace are 4 ohm the same as your bike system.
Bryan