My little 3 week project
exalted512
Posts: 10,735
I've been wanting to build a little speaker pod for my motorcycle for a while. Not really for anything, mostly out of boredom because I'll probably never actually use it...lol. And it was a chance for me to get better acquainted with using 2-part expandable foam for shaping stuff. It will be powered, I'm sure, off of a terrible quality, very small amplifier (read Pyle marine amplifier unless I can find something else) getting its input from an iPod.
Here's a few pics of the build:
Started out with a piece of plywood and several layer of fiberglass for the base. The blue straps you see in the picture is what will secure it to the bike. It will be 100% removable, which was a must.
No middle pictures. Here it is already shaped and resined. The stuff is called two-part foam. You can get it from some of your bigger marine suppliers in town. Mix it 50/50 and stir for about 30-45 seconds, then the magic begins. This is my first time using the stuff and let me tell you...it didn't turn out to great. I kind of guestimated that they were equal, I think that had a hand in it, as well as stirring it too long. The stuff was also kind of old, which didn't help any either. The end result came out bad in a lot of places. Huge pit holes 3/8" in diameter that couldnt be taken down with a rasp, had to be grinded down with an angle grinder...and it had a tough time doing it. Other parts came out perfect, and other parts came out between the two extremes. That's why I test this stuff out on my stuff first before I'm willing to do it in customer's car. I'll still need more practice with it before im confident in using it. After my truck is done, I will be trying my hand at it some more in the fiancee's civic. Anyway, here's the pic after I made it look a lot better;)
Side view. You can tell here the sides came out really well, it was mostly just the top that was bad...unfortunately, the top needed the most sculpting. This added days to the process.
Done! Just kidding...but almost...heres some trial pics on the bike. There was a solid week of sanding/bondo before it got to this stage. The tweeter will go on top of the mid where the hump is. I'm just waiting for the mounting bracket to come in.
Front view since the first side view you cant really see the curves. Poor lighting and a camera phone...
Better look at the curves. I also blacked out the brake light and signal lights. Theyre still really bright...after the 2nd try...first try it was too dark so I redid it. Pretty sure its illegal though...lol.
Since then, I've done some more bondo work on the edges (the main part is done) and some more sanding. I have more sanding to do though. I also had a bad experience with SF-1 or SP-1 (cant remember) primer I used from Sherwin Williams. It went on EXTREMELY rough...something else that added a few days to the process. Im using rustoleum now, 10x better. I have also realized that the other stuff is extremely soft and dents/pits very easily...another set back. Last time I use that stuff. I usually use rustoleum, but sherwin williams is literally across the street. Never make that mistake again.
The end result will be painted black. So far, I'm pleased with results, especially considering all the setbacks I've had. Its far from perfect, the sides are not completely round, but I'm not a painter...if I wanted perfection, I'd take it to one. So far this project has cost me around $100 between the foam, resin, fiberglass, primer, and paint. The only thing else I have to buy is some clear coat and a small amp. The foam itself was $50 and I still have 80+% left, so its cost me less than that considering I still have supplies left over.
More pics to come over the next few weeks. My shop is in the process of moving to a new location and my school is picking up with tests and such, so the process will def. slow down, but I don't have a whole lot left (I hope), so I'm hoping to be done by the weekend after next.
-Cody
Here's a few pics of the build:
Started out with a piece of plywood and several layer of fiberglass for the base. The blue straps you see in the picture is what will secure it to the bike. It will be 100% removable, which was a must.
No middle pictures. Here it is already shaped and resined. The stuff is called two-part foam. You can get it from some of your bigger marine suppliers in town. Mix it 50/50 and stir for about 30-45 seconds, then the magic begins. This is my first time using the stuff and let me tell you...it didn't turn out to great. I kind of guestimated that they were equal, I think that had a hand in it, as well as stirring it too long. The stuff was also kind of old, which didn't help any either. The end result came out bad in a lot of places. Huge pit holes 3/8" in diameter that couldnt be taken down with a rasp, had to be grinded down with an angle grinder...and it had a tough time doing it. Other parts came out perfect, and other parts came out between the two extremes. That's why I test this stuff out on my stuff first before I'm willing to do it in customer's car. I'll still need more practice with it before im confident in using it. After my truck is done, I will be trying my hand at it some more in the fiancee's civic. Anyway, here's the pic after I made it look a lot better;)
Side view. You can tell here the sides came out really well, it was mostly just the top that was bad...unfortunately, the top needed the most sculpting. This added days to the process.
Done! Just kidding...but almost...heres some trial pics on the bike. There was a solid week of sanding/bondo before it got to this stage. The tweeter will go on top of the mid where the hump is. I'm just waiting for the mounting bracket to come in.
Front view since the first side view you cant really see the curves. Poor lighting and a camera phone...
Better look at the curves. I also blacked out the brake light and signal lights. Theyre still really bright...after the 2nd try...first try it was too dark so I redid it. Pretty sure its illegal though...lol.
Since then, I've done some more bondo work on the edges (the main part is done) and some more sanding. I have more sanding to do though. I also had a bad experience with SF-1 or SP-1 (cant remember) primer I used from Sherwin Williams. It went on EXTREMELY rough...something else that added a few days to the process. Im using rustoleum now, 10x better. I have also realized that the other stuff is extremely soft and dents/pits very easily...another set back. Last time I use that stuff. I usually use rustoleum, but sherwin williams is literally across the street. Never make that mistake again.
The end result will be painted black. So far, I'm pleased with results, especially considering all the setbacks I've had. Its far from perfect, the sides are not completely round, but I'm not a painter...if I wanted perfection, I'd take it to one. So far this project has cost me around $100 between the foam, resin, fiberglass, primer, and paint. The only thing else I have to buy is some clear coat and a small amp. The foam itself was $50 and I still have 80+% left, so its cost me less than that considering I still have supplies left over.
More pics to come over the next few weeks. My shop is in the process of moving to a new location and my school is picking up with tests and such, so the process will def. slow down, but I don't have a whole lot left (I hope), so I'm hoping to be done by the weekend after next.
-Cody
Music is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
Post edited by exalted512 on
Comments
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that's hilarious. What are you going to do for the rest of the frequency range? I dig it though. Too bad it's very easy for someone to steal!Never kick a fresh **** on a hot day.
Home Setup: Sony VPL-VW85 Projo, 92" Stewart Firehawk, Pioneer Elite SC-65, PS3, RTi12 fronts, CSi5, FXi6 rears, RTi6 surround backs, RTi4 height, MFW-15 Subwoofer.
Car Setup: OEM Radio, RF 360.2v2, Polk SR6500 quad amped off 4 Xtant 1.1 100w mono amps, Xtant 6.1 to run an eD 13av.2, all Stinger wiring and Raammat deadener. -
Well, the little hump on the top is for a tweeter, so ill have 80+Hz covered.
Hopefully its not too easy to steal. I have a bracket under my seat thats bolted to the seat that locks the seat to the bike itself, I will be utilizing those bolts to secure the back in, then I will have clamps on the front straps. So you would have to get the seat off to get it out, but you have to have the key to get the seat up.
Unfortunately, I think it will make it a lot easier for someone to just pull on the edges of this thing to rip the seat up. One of the reasons why I wanted to make it removable, so I can take it off when the bike will be alone for a while. Also, this is unique to this bike and wont fit anything else, that and the fact that I doubt theres much of a market for half of a 3 year old component set.
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Dude...srsly?Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Cooool!!!
In this setup the amp may be the weakest link. I feed my bike amp direct from an iPod and it works great. -Eric
-Polk Audio -
Cooool!!! In this setup the amp may be the weakest link. I feed my bike amp direct from an iPod and it works great.
Here you go... http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-958
It's not very big but on a bike space is at a premium:eek:Thanks, Jeff... -
why not get a little xtant 1.1 amp? 100w x 1 and a very small footprint. Only needs a max of 10a to power it too...Never kick a fresh **** on a hot day.
Home Setup: Sony VPL-VW85 Projo, 92" Stewart Firehawk, Pioneer Elite SC-65, PS3, RTi12 fronts, CSi5, FXi6 rears, RTi6 surround backs, RTi4 height, MFW-15 Subwoofer.
Car Setup: OEM Radio, RF 360.2v2, Polk SR6500 quad amped off 4 Xtant 1.1 100w mono amps, Xtant 6.1 to run an eD 13av.2, all Stinger wiring and Raammat deadener. -
It's only 9 watts at 4 ohms and not marine capableJeff Beaird wrote: »Here you go... http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-958
It's not very big but on a bike space is at a premium:eek:
-Eric
-Polk Audio -
Oh yeah, to the OP- watch your battery drain if you're playing the thing full blast at idle speed. It drained my battery once doing so playing it for 2 hours at idle speed at a bike show. The cooling fans also take up a good chunk of power. My solutions- I replaced ALL the incandescant bulbs on my bike with LED's and I estimate it saved 40-50 watts. I also got an Odyssey high performance battery. I got rid of the noisy aftermarket exhaust so I don't have to play it as loud (and improves signal to noise ratio). So far so good!-Eric
-Polk Audio -
Actually that looks pretty cool! Dont see stuff like that often.
Did you ever get that tweeter pod I sent ya? Sent it out middle of last week I think.polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
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Thanks for the tips, I'll look into the xtant amp.
Haven't got the tweeter mount yet, hopefully I'll get it in the upcoming days.
We moved into the next store today. Man I'm glad I have school tomorrow because there is a lot of product to be put up. Its going to be a busy week.
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Who sells xtant online? Cant find any dealers.
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
exalted512 wrote: »Thanks for the tips, I'll look into the xtant amp.
What bothers me is that amp is not marine designed. Even if you only ride in the dry all it takes is one rain storm or a little overspray from washing and poof!-Eric
-Polk Audio -
Mount the amp inside the enclosure.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Mount the amp inside the enclosure.
exactly, an amp that size would fit into the enclosure itself, all I'd have to worry about is having power, remote, ground, and rcas running to the enclosure rather than 1 set of speaker wires.
If not, then I still dont have to worry too much as I never ride in the rain unless the forecast is wrong...and then, i can take the fuse out of the amp and make sure its dry and clean before i turn it on again...I'm sure I can figure something out...just space is at a premium. The amp might have to actually go in the seat and I'll just have to cut out some padding...dunno yet...I dont think about these things ahead of time
I really dont want to spend $100+ on an amp anyway. Its speakers on a motorcycle...not exactly a SQ competition;)
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Thats a pretty neat project for sure. And I must admit, your craftsmanship and fiberglassing skills are awesome.
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exalted512 wrote: »exactly, an amp that size would fit into the enclosure itself, all I'd have to worry about is having power, remote, ground, and rcas running to the enclosure rather than 1 set of speaker wires.
-Cody
I've done it before. I used plates and mounting posts to terminate the wires at the enclosure and then they continued on the other side. It let me still seal the box but get all the stuff in that I needed. Just make sure your ground wire has it's own plate.Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Yea, I was thinking that or just get some kind of harness that has a couple of 10 awg wires and then 5 16-22 awg wires, that way i can just unplug it and be done.
I'll have to see, unless I can get that xtant amp for cheap, I'm getting the pyle of ****.
Mac-
Got the tweeter holder thingy in today, thanks a lot!
We're still moving **** into the new place and situating everything, that and until Tuesday afternoon I'm going to be super busy with school, so this project is on the back burner ATM.
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Tweeter pod wont work, I forgot they had the swivel housing that makes the thing like an inch bigger than the tweeter itself.
I'll just have to cut it out for the tweeter and mount it from the back, no big deal.
Hopefully next week I'll be able to mess with it again.
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Well, its almost done. Its actually ready for paint right now.
But with my luck, something always goes wrong. No, nothing went wrong with the speaker pod. My motorcycle broke. Took apart one of the sides of the motor and metal shavings everywhere...I'm going to see if I can fix it, but in the meantime, I'm probably going to get a new bike...
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it -
Maybe for the next project, glass some component pods off of the tank, down low so you will hear the sound better, rather than have it behind you, and you can have stereo sound.
Of course you will have to mount them low enough to not interfere with steering.
Then add a sub to the rear like this setup.
Either run a small 4ch or a 2ch in mixed mono.
Just a suggestion, but thats pretty cool little setup you built.
Sorry to hear your bike has issues though..... -
how the hell do u do this for a living when u cant go 20 minutes without a problem of some kind hahaha. im sorry2013 Toyota Prius
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eloplayspolo wrote: »how the hell do u do this for a living when u cant go 20 minutes without a problem of some kind hahaha. im sorry
Well I'm pretty sure doing car audio for a living and having metal shavings in the motor on my bike have nothing in common!;)
-CodyMusic is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
