I have always wanted to play tunes while riding down the road on my Vulcan 750.  I've never liked wearing headphones and the thought of putting a tank bag on my fresh paint made me quiver...  About three years ago, a fellow VROCer got into an accident and got his VN750 totaled.  He sold me his M&H Instruments Rumble Road Speaker System for a fraction of what they cost new.  

The wiring harness was a little beat up and I couldn't figure out a way to make these fit on the handlebars because of all the stuff already on them, so they sat in the garage for a while in a box.  In Spring 2004, I figured out a way to mount them using a set of old turn signal relocation brackets.  I created a mounting bracket for a MD player which eventually was replaced by my Sirius radio.  
Here is how I did it...

I removed the top fork bolt and attached the relocation bracket to the front of the fork clamp.

The left speaker in place.

The left speaker as seen from the riders perspective

Right speaker in place.

Close-up of the right speaker mount as seen by the rider.

Both speakers mounted as seen from the rider.

Both speakers in place.  These are amplified powered speakers, so I tapped into the power line in the headlight nacelle. I ended up also putting a noise filter and a ground loop isolator in there too. This was a tight fit and I ended up putting the noise filter and the ground loop isolator under the headlight nacelle along with the connectors for the speakers.

I wasn't satisfied with the Sony MD player as it would cut out when the front end vibrated, so I purchased a Sirius Satellite system to run.  I used the Xact XCT7CK which fits all my needs nicely.

The Xact XCT7CK is in the Siruis Starmate family.  This unit is easy to use and comes in my favorite color: BLACK & CHROME!!!  The unit is powered by 12VDC which is perfect for my needs.  I purchased a plug from Radio Shack and ran it to power.

I needed a place to mount the antenna.  I cut a piece of 22 gauge steel and formed it to meet my needs.  Once ready, I painted it with dull black rustoleum to finish the job.   The antenna holds great and doesn't drop a signal at all. 

Instead of attempting to hide 21 feet of coax cable for the antenna, I sent it down to a company in Texas called Dallas Motorcycle Accessories so that they could cut the cable down to 24".  It came back and works like a charm in spite of what the tech idiots at Sirius claim.  They told me that the cable could not be cut down or the radio would not work.  Proved them wrong...

While the XCT7 receiver has a variable headphone output, the volume level left a little to be desired at 60mph.  So I headed to Radio Shack and picked up a $20 headphone amp which fits the bill nicely.

To mount the unit to the bike, I modified the mounting kit that came with it.

I removed the mount plate from the car kit and attached it to a motorcycle arm mount that I had laying around.  This attaches to a Memphis Shades windshield mounting arm that came out of my parts (junk) box in the garage.

Mounting arm buried in all the wires.

Where you can find these products

• MH Instruments ~ The manufacturer of the Rumble Road Premium Speaker System for Motorcycles.

• Dallas Motorcycle Accessories ~ This is where I got my antenna cut down to a useable length.  They also carry the MH Road Rumblers Speaker system as well as various mounting methods for motorcycles.  Nice people...

• Sirius Satellite Radio ~ I use the Xact XCT7CK system.  I feel that this is the best unit for motorcycle purposes bar none.  This radio is available at Wal-Mart for a very reasonable price.

• Xact Communications ~ Manufacturer of my radio.

• Radio Shack ~ As much as I don't like to advertise for this company, I would not have been able to build my system without the parts they sell.  

A final note on my satellite radio purchase

While my purchase of the Sirius radio was geared toward my motorcycle riding needs, this unit doesn't just live on my motorcycle.  I have manufactured a mounting bracket for my car and have hardwired another antenna into the vehicle.  I listen to the unit whenever I am in the car, on the motorcycle and when working in the garage will bring it in and fire it up on my XACT XS075 boombox.  The variety available is incredible and the sound quality is great.  I'm never bored with my new toy.  As far as the Sirius vs. XM debate, I prefer to stay out of it.  What made my choice was the equipment and which unit would work better for my needs.  In my case the Xact XCT7 fit the bill.