Most of the aftermarket speakers we've seen for cruisers are cumbersome, ill-fitting units producing tinny wails of sound, so the Rumble Road Premium Speaker System interested us instantly. After all, this is a pair of powerful, hi-fidelity Blaupunkt speakers complete with integrated amplifiers and 23 watts of power mounted in attractive chrome-plated spotlight cases. Placement depends on personal preference, but we mounted them on the inner handlebar of our Suzuki Volusia, and then our Kawasaki 1500 Classic. The Rumble Road system fit so seamlessly with the cruisers' styling that it looked like a custom accessory-passersby would inquire about "the extra gauges" or the "shiny breasts" on our bike.
Everything you need is included, and the Rumble Road works with any portable stereo equipped with a headphone jack-we used a basic Panasonic CD player. The four-inch dynamic speakers have "P" clamps that tighten down to fit the handlebar; you'll want to carefully route the Y adapters and cables to avoid hot engine parts. And when we pushed "play" on our stereo, the resulting sound was clear and punchy, without being harsh. The amplifiers added richness too, for a truer tone without overpowering bass. At speed, the speakers retained their clarity, though we'd have to adjust the volume. Since we swapped the unit between bikes, we simply strapped the stereo onto the handlebar mount-but we'd recommend a more secure mounting post for longer rides.
The chrome shells of the speakers mean they're heavy, and this could bring up handling issues on some smaller bikes. For the bikes we tested, this unit worked flawlessly and provided a great theme song to our humdrum commute, but we'd strongly recommend you try them on your own machine before you buy.
-A.C.