For well over one hundred years, motorcycles have been one of the most popular forms of transportation all over the world. Due to their compact size, relative simplicity, ability to cover a vast array of terrains, and excellent fuel mileage, motorcycles are now more popular than ever. One of the best things about motorcycles is how easy it is to customize your bike to suit your needs and personality. While many bikes are capable performers and visually good looking from the factory, the ability to build your bike just the way you want it allows a motorcycle to become a self expression of its rider’s personality.
The Popularity of Motorcycle Audio
Another form of self expression is music, so it’s no surprise that many motorcycle riders like to listen to the music of their choice while on the road. In fact, a consumer survey conducted by EPG shows that two out of every three riders surveyed likes to listen to music or podcasts while riding their motorcycle. Those interviewed included riders of cruisers, touring bikes, sport touring, and adventure bikes representing brands as diverse as Harley-Davidson, Honda, BMW, and Yamaha, which shows just how popular motorcycle audio is becoming. Audio companies are noticing this trend as well and are starting to cater more and more to the motorcycle market.
While a lot of bikes might be equipped with just a standard radio with a basic speaker, many riders have been upgrading their sound systems. This not only improves the sound quality of your audio system, but also allows a bike owner to further customize their bike so that it reflects their personal style and tastes. One of the most popular upgrades for a motorcycle's sound system is the installation of a subwoofer to improve the experience of listening to music while riding.
Benefits of Adding a Subwoofer for a Motorcycle
Just because a speaker is loud does not mean that it is producing the highest quality sound, so just having one big speaker might give you the volume you are looking for, but it might be lacking in sound quality. To solve this problem, many choose to install specialized speakers that focus on optimal sound quality, such as a tweeter for the high notes and a subwoofer which is quickly becoming a must have for any serious audio system. A subwoofer is a speaker which is designed to focus on bass notes and lower notes compared to other speakers. It comes in various sizes and is often larger than other speakers, but smaller examples can be made to fit in space sensitive environments. This makes them a popular addition for automobile, boat, motorcycle, and home stereo systems, and there are many benefits of adding a subwoofer to a motorcycle's audio system.
The most obvious benefit of adding a subwoofer to your motorcycle's audio system is that the addition of a subwoofer enriches the sound of your motorcycle audio. It will provide more depth to your audio system’s overall sound while reducing distortion from your other speakers. Anyone who is serious about sound quality knows that you need a good mixture of highs and lows, as one without the other will never sound right.
The addition of a subwoofer will also allow all of your speakers to increase performance in their optimal frequencies. By adding a subwoofer to the mix, you are allowing the smaller speakers the opportunity to focus on the higher notes that they were designed to handle in the first place. This takes the strain off these other speakers and allows them to operate at peak performance, while reducing the chance of blowing a speaker that was not designed to handle extreme amounts of bass.
Installation of a subwoofer is a must for any motorcycle rider who enjoys music with a good bass line or songs that are bass heavy, but wants to enjoy all of the aspects of their music of choice. So you now know that the addition of a subwoofer will make an excellent addition to your motorcycle's audio system, but what is the best motorcycle subwoofer for you and your ride? That will all depend on your personal tastes and what goals you’re trying to accomplish, but listed below are the most popular choices currently on the market.
Best Motorcycle Subwoofers for Your Ride
DB Drive Subwoofers
DB Drive, which is owned by parent company IASCA Worldwide, has been in the audio manufacturing business since 1999 and produces a wide range of products. They make speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers, processors, and just about everything you need to put together a high quality audio system. They produce multiple models of subwoofer, but the most popular choice for a sub in their lineup for motorcycles is the DB Drive EWXB10 subwoofer.
The EWXB10 is a 10” subwoofer, which is usually sold in pairs and is an excellent addition to a motorcycle’s audio system. D2 and D4 ohm versions are available, and its specifications include a Power AES (Audio Engineering Society) Handling of 1,000 watts, Dynamic Wattage of 2,500 Watts, and a free air resonant frequency of 38.955 Hz. These subwoofers feature a 3” high temperature voice coil, a 145oz ceramic ferrite magnet, and a 1.5” high roll foam surround with an overall diameter of 9.41” / 230mm and a depth of 5.47” / 108.5mm.
The EWX B10 will not fit in most stock bags due to its depth, but was designed to fit in deep comp bags and will require a larger installation ring than most rings on the market. So installation will require some upgrading or modifications, but the good news is that these subwoofers and the parts needed to install and use them can be found at Garage Bagger Stereo, along with any other parts required to upgrade your motorcycle's stereo system.
DC Audio Subwoofers
DC Audio produces competition level audio stereo equipment that is assembled in the US. While they make a wide range of audio equipment, their M3 Level 2 Subwoofer seems to be the most popular choice when it comes to what they have available for motorcycle subwoofers.
Normally sold as a single unit, the M3 Level 2 is a 10” subwoofer (also available in 12” form) with a power handle of 600 watts RMS and 1200 watts Peak with D2 and D4 ohm versions available. Its key features include a highly rigid non-pressed paper cone assembly, a multilayered polymer wide roll foam surround, a polypropylene dust cover with the DC logo, a cast aluminum black frame, a fully CNC machined motor assembly, and a 2.5” Hi-temp copper voice coil wound on a black anodized voice coil former. It also features a mounting gasket, motor boot, and magnet cover all made from high quality rubber.
The dimensions for the M3 Level 2 10” subwoofer are a depth of 5.5” and an outside diameter of 11”. This is another motorcycle audio system part that can be found at Garage Bagger Stereo, along with all of the parts and accessories needed to make this popular choice work on your motorcycle.
Ground Zero Subwoofers
Subwoofers produced by Ground Zero round out our list of the best motorcycle subwoofers for your ride. Ground Zero Audio has been in business since 1995 and produces a wide range of audio products with a following across the globe. Their best option for a motorcycle subwoofer is their GZHW-10SPL-D2 subwoofer which is usually sold as a single unit. Like the other subwoofers on our list, this one is also classified as a 10”, but this is the narrowest subwoofer on our list with a shallow mounting depth of just over 4”, which allows it to fit inside some factory saddle bags.
The GZHW-10SPL-D2 subwoofer’s specifications include 600 watts RMS and 1000 watts SPL, a 2x2 ohm configuration, a ferrite magnet, a durable U-shaped rubber surround, a massive aluminum cast basket, a paper sandwich cone, a four layer copper voice coil, and a chrome plated push terminal. This subwoofer tends to be a favorite for custom installs due to its narrow depth, and can be found at Garage Bagger Stereo along with any other parts needed for your motorcycle’s sound system.
So what is the best motorcycle subwoofer for your ride? The answer is that there is no correct answer! All of the subwoofers listed above are high quality parts and will be a definite upgrade to any ride. It all comes down to a rider’s personal style, preferences, and what goals they are trying to accomplish.
Garage Bagger Stereo
Besides being high quality products from reputable manufactures, the subwoofers listed above have another thing in common; they can all be found and purchased at Garage Bagger Stereo. They are your one-stop shop for all your motorcycle audio and sound system needs. They carry products from, and have a working relationship with, all the top brands in the audio business. The folks at Garage Bagger Stereo are just a phone call or email away and will be happy to answer any questions that you might have about the parts needed for your motorcycle's audio system. They can help you accomplish your goals by assisting you in finding the perfect part to suit your particular needs. So check out https://garagebaggerstereo.com, order your choice of subwoofer and any other parts you need for your bike's sound system, install them or have your favorite local shop install them for you, turn up the volume, and hit the road!