Best Motorcycle Speakers

There’s no feeling like riding your motorcycle down an open road with your favorite songs blaring in the background. Using headphones while riding, however, can be dangerous for both you and others on the road. Motorcycle speakers are designed to blast music from your handlebars, side mount, and more to give you the perfect backing track for your next adventure.

Our review team has rounded up our top picks for the best motorcycle speakers on the market. For your convenience, we’ve ranked our choices based on each set of speakers’ quality, dependability, and more.

1. Best Handlebar-Mounted: Kuryakyn Sound Bar
2. Best Fairing-Mounted: Rockford Fosgate Power Harley Davidson
3. Best Helmet-Mounted: Cardo PackTalk
4. Best Amplifier: GoHawk TJ4-Q
5. Best Bluetooth: Boss Audio Systems MCBK420B

Before adding a new set of speakers to your bike, learn more about the different features and functions of motorcycle speakers.

Types of Motorcycle Speakers

• Handlebar-mounted motorcycle speakers are self-explanatory. They are mounted to the handlebars of a motorcycle. These speakers are easy to install and can be adjusted to face toward or away from the driver.
• Fairing-mounted speakers are mounted to the fairing wings of a motorcycle, which can be attached to the handlebars or near the driver’s feet and legs. These usually come with housing inserts for secure installation and produce better bass response than handlebar or helmet speakers.
• Helmet-mounted speakers are fitted to a motorcycle helmet. Speakers sit near the driver’s ears and an external control mount allows users to access their sound system. They use Bluetooth connectivity to stream music and can also stream calls, navigation instructions, and more.

How Do I Choose The Right Motorcycle Speakers? 

• Type of speaker: Consider your comfort level with operating the different types of motorcycle speakers while riding. Handlebar and fairing speakers are louder, while helmet speakers offer hands-free use and can be used to make phone calls.
• Audio input: Speakers do not come with an FM or AM radio source, so a separate device must be bought separately that can stream music. Most motorcycle speaker systems have an AUX input or Bluetooth connectivity, while others can be used with flash drives and SD cards.
• Wattage: Wattage, or RMS power, is the maximum volume a speaker can produce when pushing peak power. The higher the wattage, the louder the volume. Riders living in residential areas may want a speaker set with a lower wattage, while those taking long road trips could benefit from higher wattage.
• Weather-resistance: Weatherproof speakers are designed to withstand rain, snow, and sleet. It’s important to check whether or not a set of speakers is water-resistant before purchasing, or else one bad storm can permanently ruin your audio experience.

The Kuryakyn Sound Bar has universal articulating mounting clamps that fit almost any set of handlebars between 7/8 and 1.5 inches in diameter. Its Bluetooth^® receiver allows users to wirelessly connect smart devices but can also be used with its 3.5-millimeter audio output jack.

This motorcycle handlebar speaker is made with weather-resistant plastic to prevent rusting and water damage. Because of its built-in heat sink and self-protection circuit, the Kuryakyn is protected against overheating as well as short-circuiting.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $450
• Peak power: 300.0 watts
• Two 2.0- by 3.0-in. speakers with dual voice coil
• Four 1.0-in. silk dome tweeters
• Two 35.0-mm outlets
• Integrated 4.1 Bluetooth receiver
• Rechargeable battery

What Customers Are Saying

RevZilla Rating Score: 4.4 out of 5 based on over 40 reviews

Customers claim the sound quality from this speaker doesn’t distort when pushed. They also like that the Kuryakyn is loud enough to hear when traveling at high speeds. Some negative reviewers claim this speaker has spotty Bluetooth connectivity.

With their weather and vibration-resistant design, the Rockford Fosgate Harley Davidson Full-Range Speakers are built to last. These speakers are built using a front isolation spider to prevent water from penetrating the cone and tweeter.

Their 4.0-ohm power produces high midrange output so your speakers get maximum frequency response. Each speaker is molded with a reinforced polypropylene cone to ensure consistent output in both low and mid ranges.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $400
• Peak power: 300.0 watts
• Two 6.5-in. full-range coaxial speakers
• Two 25.0-in. dome tweeters
• Includes Road, Glide, Street Glide, and Tour-Pak grilles

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.6 out of 5 based on over 200 reviews

Many positive reviews say this set of speakers takes little effort to install. There are also some that commend the speaker’s crisp sound quality. A few negative reviews claim these speakers have very little bass response.

Both of the Cardo Packtalk’s 40.0-mm high-definition speaker pods are designed by JBL. Each speaker has an enhanced music processor with three different audio profiles, so any genre of music can be streamed with similar quality.

For an optimal hands-free experience, the PackTalk can be activated using Cardo’s Natural Voice operation system. This allows riders to give voice commands directly to their smart device to change songs, get navigation directions, and more.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $350
• Battery life: 13 hours talking, 10 days standby
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Two 40.0-mm JBL speakers
• Waterproof build
• Natural Voice operation
• Pairs with Cardo Connect app 

What Customers Are Saying

RevZilla Rating Score: 4.5 out of 5 based on around 30 reviews

Some reviews claim the audio quality of these speakers is overstated, citing poor volume control and bass. Others say these speakers don’t stream FM or AM radio without signal interference. A positive review notes how well the group talk settings work with other PackTalk devices.

Best Amplifier

4/5

Check Price

The GoHawk TJ4-Q speaker and amplifier system runs on 1,000.0 watts of power. Its large X-mounting clamp supports handlebars between 1.0- and 1.5-in. diameters. Each speaker has a glossy black housing unit that’s built with ABS material and aluminum for extra strength.

This speaker kit is Bluetooth-compatible and supports USB and SD cards. Riders can stream FM radio through these speakers, as well. Unlike other motorcycle speaker sets, the GoHawk has an LCD display for crystal-clear visual notifications.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $170
• Peak power: 1,000.0 watts
• Four 4.0-in. speakers
• One amplifier
• 3.5-mm AUX jack
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Large X-mounting clamp

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4 out of 5 based on over 700 reviews

Some negative reviews claim that even though these speakers are made for handlebar mounts, they fall over if pushed at high speeds. Despite this, positive reviews say this motorcycle audio system can push loud volumes with ease and the wiring was straightforward to set up. 

The two 3.0-in. matte black speakers that come with the Boss Audio Systems MCBK420B kit are full-range and can be fixed to handlebars with a radius between 0.75 and 1.25 in. Each speaker is also weatherproofed to handle even the most extreme riding conditions.

Along with these speakers is a Class D amp to provide exceptional power performance. These speakers have wired remote volume control so you can adjust your volume from a safe spot on your bike while riding. For that, we named it our Best-Designed motorcycle Bluetooth speaker.

Key Features

• Cost: Around $110
• Peak power: 600.0 watts
• Two 3.0-in. speakers
• 3.5-mm AUX jack
• Bluetooth receiver
• Fits motorcycles, touring bikes, ATVs, and scooters

What Customers Are Saying

Amazon Review Score: 4.4 out of 5 based on over 3,100 reviews

Most customers say this speaker set has great sound quality considering the size of the speakers. A flaw that customers were quick to point out is that these speakers drain motorcycle batteries relatively quickly.

Upgrading your bike’s speakers is one way to help create a truly custom motorcycle, or noticeably improve your riding experience. Of course, you should make the best purchase that works for your riding style, but any speakers exposed to the elements should utilize a durable design.

*Data accurate at time of publication.