Vaquero/Voyager Stereo Amp and Speaker Upgrade and Impressions of the Results

[Fried Chicken Blowout]

After getting my 2011 Vaquero a few weeks ago, I felt the factory stereo setup was pretty good. But after a few weeks it left me wanting more… More clarity, overall sound range and volume when riding in a 3/4 helmet. So I ended up purchasing an amp as well as new speakers. During high school and through college I worked as a car alarm and stereo install guy and I had kept most of my tools over the last 20 years as well as keeping a stock of other items I would use so the project was pretty simple, but it took more time than expected.

You'll see the amp and the speakers I used in the photos below. I decided to stick with the 5.25" size speakers (some people are experimenting with 6.5” speakers that requires significant modifications) and used Polk Audio (DB521) as well as a Clarion amp (XC1410). Both are marine grade items so getting wet is not an issue. Install of the speakers is pretty straight forward as they drop right into the existing speaker enclosures and done (more on tuning the enclosure later). They fit fine but you’ll need to change the connectors on the wires to tighten them up some so they don’t fall off while cruising down the road.

Link to the Clarion XC1410
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Link to the Polk Audio DB521
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


IMG_2243 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2244 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2245 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2247 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2248 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2251 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2252 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


IMG_2254 by Jason Holland, on Flickr<script async src="//widgets.flickr.com/embedr/embedr.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


The amp is a different story as the fairing has to come off. This is my second time taking it off and it's much quicker the second time around. The first time was for the aux light install. You also have to run power back to the batter and ground back to just behind the tank area on the frame where the chassis ground its. This takes jacking up the back of the tank and sticking your arm up to get the wires and pulling them through the wire supports along the frame. This in itself is not difficult, just complicates the process. You also need to install a waterproof fuse holder of at least 20 amp at the battery and at least 12 gauge wire for the power/ground install. The wire I used was a paired power and ground together. This can be hard to find so to keep it simple you can also use speaker 12 gauge speaker wires that come paired which should be available at Home Depot, Lowe’s and others. There is a fuse holder inline at the amp, but for proper safety, you need one at the battery incase the wire shorts somewhere along the frame over time. If there’s no fuse at the battery, then you have a direct connection between the positive terminal and ground which may cause a fire or damage the battery. I chose to use the following fuse holder: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1