Some were curious about the shelf I mentioned I was going to make for inside the fairing to mount an amp on, so here are a few pics. This is only possible with 2-piece fairings, so if you have a 1-piece you're S.O.L. lol The shelf is sitting a little crooked in the first pic, but once I can get back in the garage to put the bike on the lift and level I'll get that fixed (not that it's a huge issue).








Materials:

1 - 14" x 18" x 0.40" thick plastic cutting board ($15.00)
1 - 1/8" thick 1.5" x 1.5" x 3' Aluminum Angle ($6.00)
4 - 1/4" x 1" stainless machine screws ($1.00)
4 - 1/4" x 1.5" stainless machine screws ($1.20)
8 - 1/4" stainless nylock nuts ($2.80)
16 - 1/4" stainless washers (personal stash)

The reason I went with the plastic cutting board was because I wanted something that would be weather resistant and could be easily shaped. It can be cut with any wood blade or a cut-off wheel, and the cut edges are easily cleaned up with a file or sander.

Before getting started, measure the gap between the top of your headlight and the bottom of it's opening in the fairing and add 1/4 to 1/2" to that measurement. You'll need this when it comes time to drill the front mounting holes in the fairing brackets to ensure the front of your shelf will sit high enough.


Cutting the Shelf:

After pulling the outer fairing off the bike, measure the width of the mounting brackets (inside to inside). Next measure from the inside of the inner fairing (about 2" below the bottom of the stereo) to the front of your headlight trim ring. Subtract 1/2" from this measurement.

Transfer those two measurements to your cutting board and cut it down so you're left with a square.

Next measure the width of the inside of your outer fairing above the headlight opening (above the lip) at it's narrowest point. Center this measurement on one end of your cutting board/shelf.

Now place the shelf into the inner fairing and position the rear so it will sit at the height you want it. Using a Sharpie, mark a line across the inside of each fairing mounting bracket arm for reference. If you can find a point of reference to measure from, do so to ensure your lines are at the same height.


Making the Mounting Brackets:

Start off by cutting two 5 or 6" lengths of the aluminum angle iron. Next, hold the brackets up against the fairing mounting bracket and mark where you want to drill your holes (on the angle).

Drill these two holes in each of the brackets, and another two holes on the other face of the angle that are off-set from the other two holes (so your nuts/bolts won't hit one another).


Mounting the Brackets:

Using the reference mark we made earlier on the fairing mounting brackets and the known thickness of the cutting board, mark and drill the REAR holes to attach our new angle brackets. This will allow you to still pivot the front end of the board as needed.

Mount the brackets to the fairing mounts and snug them up enough that they'll stay in place but can still be moved by hand. Set your shelf in place on the brackets and using a straight edge mark a line with your Sharpie from where the fairing mounting brackets end to the marks made on the front edge of our shelf earlier.

Cut along these lines to end up with a trapezoid shaped shelf.

Place the shelf on the angle brackets again, and this time mark the angle brackets along the edge of the shelf. Pull the angle brackets and cut along these lines to remove the excess material from the brackets as it will most likely prevent you from getting the outer fairing back on.

Next mark the holes to be drilled in the shelf to mount them to the angle brackets. Bolt the angle brackets back onto the fairing mounts using the rear bolts, bolt the shelf to the angle brackets, and then adjust the height of the front of the shelf so that the gap between it and the headlight matches the measurement we took earlier.

With the shelf height set, mark where to drill the front hole for each angle bracket.

Once those last two holes are drilled it's just a matter of bolting it all together.

any problems with charging system and running a amp?

I won't be running one right off the bat, but built the shelf as I also need it for the control unit of my stereo. Having done some research on the subject though, the answer to your question is "that depends." lol

First you need to understand amps. Most people look at the amps fuse and think that's about how much power it constantly draws (i.e. a 20A fuse in the amp), but that isn't the case. The only time an amp would draw that much power is when fully cranked up AND hitting a big bass note or the like. In truth, 99.9% of the time a quality amp draws less than half that. The spikes that draw more power due to the music itself last mere milliseconds, so unless you're listening to one of those annoying bass drop CD's an amp shouldn't be a huge burden on your electrical system.

That said, some amps are more energy efficient than others. More efficient = less draw on the electrical system. Cheaper amps are usually Class A/B and are the least efficient. Then there's Class D amplifiers that are more efficient but with a slight sacrifice in musical clarity (most people can't even tell the difference in sound). The amp I'm looking at is a Class G/H made by Arc Audio which is about twice as efficient as a Class D amplifier. It's not cheap ($350 or so), but its small and super efficient.

A Class D up to 50 watts or a Class G/H up to 100 watts shouldn't be a problem for our bikes unless you're running other electrical accessories (driving lights, heated grips, etc.). According to the engineers at Arc Audio, their KS Mini 125.2 amp that I will eventually be getting only draws about 5-6 amps under most listening conditions, and a max of 15 amps during the momentary spikes.

A lot of guys go for the cheap amps that claim to offer unrealistic amounts of wattage from a unit the size of a pocket notepad. Having worked/competed in car audio for a number of years, I can tell you such amps are garbage. First, their wattage claims are Peak Watts and not RMS which is what really matters. Second, they're Class A/B amps which means they're terribly inefficient. Third, they put out more distortion than anything, and distortion is what kills speakers.

If you want a cheap amp, look at the Alpine KTP-445. This is an add-on external amp made to be plug and play with their head units, but it will work with any brand head unit if you cut off the factory connector and match up the wires. It offers 45watts x 4 RMS and only runs about $100.

The only other amp I've found that is small enough to fit in a fairing and is of good quality is the Arc Audio KS-Mini 125.2 I mentioned earlier. I've seen/heard this amp in a number of Harley installs and it flat out rips! It's pricey at $350, but for that you get better efficiency and 70watts x 2 channels....perfect for a good set of 6x9's or 6.5's, or a quality set of 5.25" components.