01.
Here's the Twisted Audio...
01.
Here's the Twisted Audio kit for the Softail Heritage (MSRP $599.95) it comes with a one-year warranty. The kit includes the stereo unit, power supply, iPod/MP3/satellite radio cord, and polished stainless steel mounting brackets. it also has a 12-volt-power outlet (arrow).
Our entire industry, from the MoCo to the aftermarket, is built around companies getting their start by tooling away in a small garage somewhere hoping to make a big impression on the public with their products. One of the latest companies to follow this path is Twisted Audio in Elkhart, Indiana.
A mix of family (Del Littrell and his son Andrew/AJ) and friends (Dave Gordon and Ken Haithcox), the Twisted Audio team enjoyed riding their Road Kings and Softails, but what they didn't enjoy was riding in musical silence while others around them on full baggers rocked and rode. Harley used to offer its Road Tech Radio kit for some Softail and Road King models, but discontinued the product.
02.
On the backside you can...
02.
On the backside you can see it mounts with only five bolts (supplied). You can also see the power plug port on the bottom (arrow). Twisted Audio offers the housing with a black leather grained texture like this unit, as well as a smooth finish, which you can get painted to match your bike.
So, with a niche to fill, the Twisted Audio crew began working in Del's garage developing a radio kit that could easily mount to the detachable windshields. After months of research, fabricating, and testing, they finally had a radio unit and mounting kits for various Road King and Softail windshields. The Twisted Audio setup consists of a vacuum molded ABS plastic housing that has a UV stable film on it to help protect it from the sun. Within the housing is a Jensen JDH910 mini weatherproof stereo, a pair of Dual 4-inch, 100-watt matched speakers, and an integrated 100-watt, two-channel stereo amplifier. The radio has an AM/FM tuner, NOAA weather band and weather alert, and is iPod, MP3, and satellite radio compatible.
Installation is extremely quick and can be done easily in your garage or even driveway. It just so happened that Anaheim-Fullerton Harley-Davidson in Fullerton, California, had an '07 Heritage Softail with a detachable windshield, and the owner was looking for some tunes, so we headed over to shoot the install.
03.
For the installation,...
03.
For the installation, Anaheim-Fullerton H-D service tech Matt Cortez started by removing the two lower side bolts from the windshield.
04.
Next, using the supplied...
04.
Next, using the supplied bolts, he secured the mounting brackets to the top back side of the radio housing.
05.
Matt then slid a screwdriver...
05.
Matt then slid a screwdriver into the left side windshield mount hole to hold up the left side of the stereo while he loosely bolted up the right side followed by the middle and the left side.
06.
Finally, Matt secured...
06.
Finally, Matt secured the bottom of the Twisted Audio brackets to the windshield and tightened all the bolts.
07.
Next, he slid the power...
07.
Next, he slid the power cord up through the hole in the top triple tree and Plugged it into the radio.
08.
...Plugged it into the...
08.
...Plugged it into the radio.
09.
The other end of the...
09.
The other end of the power cord was routed under the gas tank and along the backbone. This can be a little tricky, but if you unbolt the back of the tank and loosen the front you can slide a chase wire through to help pull the cord back toward the battery. There are only two leads at the battery end, the positive (shown here) and the negative. The negative has a molded in-line fuse.
10.
Matt then switched on...
10.
Matt then switched on the ignition, hit the power button, and the radio came to life. As you can see, the stereo has a good size display and the controls are backlit, making them easy to see day or night. The stereo has six preset buttons and can hold up to 30 preset stations (12 AM, 18 FM). Behind this rubber cover (arrow) is the auxiliary port for an iPod, MP3, or satellite radio.
11.
Right off the bat we...
11.
Right off the bat we noticed the sound was crisp and clear with no distortion even when we cranked up the volume. Trying a few different styles of music, we heard that the speakers did a decent job of handling the highs and lows. On surface streets the owner said he could easily hear the stereo loud and clear, but he had to turn it up quite a bit once he got on the freeway. Twisted Audio did inform us that it is working on getting its own proprietary 120-watt speakers, which should help the overall sound.