My Review: Boom! Audio Cruiser Windshield Mounted Amp and Speaker Kit

Looking for a sound system was quite an involved process. The worst judge of sound is the human ear which became painfully evident as soon as I began to look for advice. Hopefully all the time I spent trolling forums, searching YouTube and discovering poorly labeled websites will save you some headache.

First and foremost, this review assumes you run a windshield on your bike or a fairing. If you do not have a windshield, stop now. I do not have enough information on handlebar speakers and I only intend to focus on windshield speakers.

The clean look of the installed speaker. 

The Harley Boom! system is quite expensive. Compared to the EBay specials, this particular setup is costly. You can find the system online for the standard price of $399.95. This is the lowest I ever saw it and it can only be found at official websites or dealerships. Try as I did, I was unable to find it any lower or on any other auction sites. Understand when you go into this purchase there is no real way to save money. If you can live without it or are short on money, just don't buy it.

Who is this system for?
It is important to note that this setup does not have any source. That is, there is no radio built in. All this system provides is a direct connection to the speaker via an AUX cord or what most people know as a headphone jack (3.5mm). Every phone and MP3 player, along with most tablets are equip with this universal port and all of them will plug right in.

This system is for those who want complete control over their music and have a variety of input methods. It is perfect if you prefer to use your smartphone or mp3 player to pump music into the system. And why not? With a capable device there is practically a limitless amount of music to listen to. Services like Pandora, Spotify and IHeartRadio are all viable options. Personally, I prefer to use those services mixed with a personal MP3 collection.

The panel on the right side next to the throttle add control and safety.

This system is NOT for those who just want a simple "turn it on and jam out to the radio" system. Because it lacks an always on source, some older people may not like it as much.

For the tech savvy this product will work fine.

How hard is it to install?

That depends on the bike and the wiring method. I can only discuss what I did with mine and by no means should it be a guarantee that it will work. The speaker itself mounts easily and quickly with provided hardware to the windshield. The amp unit mounts on the front tubes of the chassis with relative ease. The challenge is in the wiring. I used a fish tape to send the wires under the seat and gas tank to the front. I then purchased an adapter from Harley that would allow the system to use the AUX power under the seat. After, it was a simple matter of crimping the switch and hot wires into the adapter and done. The official instructions want you to tap into a relay on the electrical system which was not needed since we went to an aux input instead.

As with anything, if you at all doubt your ability to competently carry out this installation, pay the extra and have the dealer do it, or consult a mechanically savvy friend. It will save you time and headaches.

Overall this was around 6/10 with 10 being the most difficult and 1 being the easiest.

How does it sound?

The big question with lots of small answers. For my tests I used two sources; my cell phone and a new generation IPod Nano. I also ran the speaker in heavy traffic (25-40 MPH), on country roads (45-55 MPH) and on the highway (60-75 MPH). The results? Well it just depends.

When cruising around the city(25-40 MPH), the system had more than enough power to sound clear and crisp. The sound quality, no matter what song, was fantastic. I found a range of sounds from rock to rap sounded great on this system. The source made no difference either. Spotify and IHeartRadio sounded great. The only problem was with the encoding of some of my personal MP3s. Lower quality MP3s became distorted more quickly.

You can use an adjustable bracket to mount a pouch above the speaker. 

On country roads (45-55 MPH) I found that I needed to constantly adjust the volume. It would never become unhearable but it would frequently fade in and out because of the large gains in speed. This is to be expected and is not the speaker's fault. Essentially, I got the same results in this speed range. The speaker was loud enough to be heard but the clarity no matter which source began to become less clear. At this range the speaker was having a more difficult time producing bass notes that sounded clear. Indeed, at this speed do not expect rap or hip-hop to sound too good. Not horrible, but not fantastic bass. Rock and other genres that rely less on bass still sounded great.

The big question I had is the one I'm sure many of you have. After waiting around a month to test it out I finally hit the freeway in the almost-freezing temperatures this evening. I am happy to report that at highway speeds (60-75 MPH) the speaker holds up! Now, did it sound fantastic? No. Of course not. The speakers are simply not that powerful. It sounded acceptable as though you were listening to an MP3 clip on the internet in 1998. It was distorted but the music was still solid. Hip-hop and rap are going to turn a bit messy while other genres will be ok. It's all about that bass.

Really I was just glad that it was still loud enough to be heard when I hit 75 MPH. Impressive.

Other thoughts?

The system really shines for being somewhat affordable and easy to install. But the real added bonus to going this route is the hand controls. On the throttle side you must mount a control panel that includes power and a volume up and down button. This control option was what actually sold me fully on the system. Being able to control the sound without moving your hand off the grip was a great safety bonus for me. I was thrilled. I find it very handy so far and think it adds value to the price. To me it more than makes up for the lack of radio.

I run mufflers on my bike. They aren't as quiet as stock but they aren't as loud as drag pipes. I would say they are an acceptable amount of loudness for a residential area. I was able to hear the speaker clearly over the sound of the mufflers but I cannot guarantee that drag pipes will allow for the same quality.

It's ride tiiiiiiimmmeeee!

Should I buy it?

As usual, it depends. I would absolutely buy it again. I was looking for a sound system under $600 that would sound good on roads and ok on the highway. There are a ton of options out there but this one in particular struck a solid balance in terms of sound quality, control, appearance and ease of installation. It is this balance that Harley has achieved with their Boom! sound system that sold me on this package. If I find some negatives or something goes awry with the system I will be sure to update this review and let you know. Otherwise, I would say give it a try!

You can find the speaker at The Official Harley Davidson Store.