After seeing a few friends of mine rocking out on their scooters with stereos, I finally took the task on of developing a new stereo configuration for the Elite.
The scooter already had a stereo installed from the previous owner but there were a few things about that stereo setup which made me rarely use the system. My main gripes were:
- The speakers were installed internally behind the dash vent screens so it was hard to get good sound out of them
- There was no easy way to control the volume (I got a little tired of rolling up to stop signs with the music BLASTING from having to turn it up so loud when riding, especially since right at that time some moody sad acoustic song would come on)
So with those things in mind I set out to install a new stereo system. Here’s what I did and how I did it.
My requirements were simple:
- Do it cheap
- Get the best sound as possible
- Keep it esthetically pleasing
- Install an knob style easy-to-use volume control
- Install a kill-switch for easy on-off operation
First on my list was to plan it out. You can buy motorcycle stereo kits these days that have remote volume controls on them, but I wanted one that was easier to operate, faster, and could be done while wearing thick gloves. The volume controls that come with these kits didn’t meet these requirements so I started doing some research. I really wanted to install a knob style volume control similar to a car stereo volume control for it’s speed and convenience.
My first though was to wire in a 10k dual-ganged potentiometer into the mix somewhere. My concerns with doing this were how well it would hold up over time. The soldered connections would be vulnerable to shaking, weather, and time. So I scrapped that idea and continued on.
Then, lo and behold, I found the perfect solution. The PAC LC-1 line controller. This little device is basically a potentiometer wired into RCA cables, but prefabricated in a little housing. These are normally used in car stereos to control the subwoofer. Perfect!
So with my plan now in place I ordered the parts. I already had a 50W amp installed in the travel compartment which was working fine so no need to order a new one. If you do need to order a complete kit, Shark makes some good ones and they sell kits like this, but don’t get suckered into buying the 250W package. The speakers are only 50W speakers so the 100W kit is all you need (50W x 50W = 100W). Since I had the amp I ordered 2 new Shark 50W speakers and the LC-1.
For the input cable I decided to scrap the headphone-out 3.5mm-to-RCA connector which the previous owner was using and instead use the line-out connector on the iPod. The line-out connector is considered a better source to use for preamp sound since it is constant and not sent through the iPod’s internal preamp volume controls. So, I ordered a new line-out-to-RCA cable adapter.
For the kill switch I bought a simple switch from Radio Shack and wired it into the power supply of the amp. I then mounted it up by the starter switch.
Installing the kill switch
Once I had all the parts installation began. The 1989 Elite 250 model came equipped with a parking brake which I never used. However, this little space in the fairing would fit the LC-1 volume control perfectly so I removed the parking brake. After fashioning a little housing I mounted the LC-1 into the fairing. Fit perfectly!
Installing the LC-1 into the 1989 Honda Elite 250
Next steps were to run the wires and dress them. After I had that completed it was time to test the system. I hooked it all up and voila! It worked perfectly as I had envisioned! The LC-1 easily controlled the volume and the speakers sounded great. With the test complete it was time to reassemble the fairing pieces and mount the speakers.
Dressing the cables
Testing the new setup
After some minor adjustments for sound and some adjustments to brace the speakers a little more, I had the system dialed. It has greatly improved the joy of riding. I can control the volume quickly as needed, turn the amp on and off with ease, and the sound is great. I’m starting to run out of things to do to make this scooter even better than before. I think at this point I am getting close to near perfection!
Stereo completed!
Ahhh young Jedi knight, I see you have learned well