H Instruments has been a mainstay in the FatBook for years. It’s one of the most popular sources of motorcycle audio accessories in the catalog and little wonder why. MH Instruments and its Rumble Road™ speaker systems–and all the accessories to go with them–are a perfect match for a Harley-Davidson. Little wonder about that, either. A small company, just a couple guys, MH Instruments was born out of necessity by bikers wanting good sounds on their bikes and wanting those sounds to come from amplified speakers that looked as good as they sounded. They wanted speakers that looked like they belonged on a bike. Back in 1995 Mauro Dresti, a biker to the core, got tired of not having his music with him on his daily commutes to work riding the Southern California freeways. He did something about it. He teamed up with Haig Balian, and MH (Mauro/Haig) Instruments began. It’s only gotten better since.
     Designing a proper motorcycle audio system wasn’t hard work for these guys, at least not for Mauro. With an extensive engineering background (even developing instrumentation for nuclear power plants and oil wells) designing, engineering and building a motorcycle sound system was almost a cakewalk, comparatively speaking. And those first amplified speakers MHI came up with worked great, sounded fantastic and, just as important on a Harley, they looked the part.
     The key to the popularity of the MH Instruments audio systems is three-fold. First, they sound good. Incorporating high-end speakers (first Blaupunkt, currently RCA) with all the filtering devices needed on a motorcycle they’re crisp, clear and loud. Secondly, the Rumble Road speakers don’t detract from the look of the bike. In fact, housed in 4-inch spotlight shells offered in a couple of finish choices, they even add a little class. And thirdly, MH Instruments builds the amplifiers right into those speaker housings. There’s no need for an extra external amplifier here, something that usually has to be mounted somewhere else on the bike and then wired into the system. The amp and speaker is in the same good-looking housing, and it’s totally weather- and water resistant.
     The Rumble Road speaker systems are aimed directly at the big cruiser bikes. They’re designed right here in the United States and built right here in the U.S.A., too. Nothing’s sourced offshore. And installation is simple. You just mount the speakers, and MHI has all the clamps and hardware you’ll need to hook them up to some switched-and-fused power and then plug in your MP3 player. MH Instruments has everything needed for that hook up, too, including a handlebar-mounted CrankCase™, a combination power source and volume control. Made of machined aluminum that’s chrome plated, the CrankCase Volume Control accepts the input from an MP3 player (which can then be tucked away into a shirt- or jacket pocket) and provides a gloved-hand friendly volume control right there on the handlebar. Sold separately, the CrankCase makes the whole installation neat, clean, easy and definitely custom looking.
     Right along with those Original Rumble Road Premiums, the speakers with the built-in amplifiers, MHI also has the Rumble Road Limiteds, the same speakers in the same water-resistant shells but minus the amplifiers. It’s perfect for people who might already have an external amp and want to use it, or want to use one of the MH Instruments external mini-amps that are also available. Those Rumble Road Limiteds can hook up to an existing factory audio system, too, and they’re a great choice to mount on the back of a bike to give the passenger a personal set of speakers. Starting from scratch, though, there are pros and cons as to which way to go–Premiums or Limiteds–with that external mini-amp. The Limited Series route, even with that external amplifier, can be less expensive at first but then there’s the whole question of where the amplifier will be mounted and how it will be protected against the weather. None of that is a concern with the Rumble Road Premiums. The amplifier is built-in. It’s enclosed in the same housing with the speaker, neatly consolidated and totally weather-resistant. Either way, though, Premium or Limited, these speakers look right at home on the front of most any Harley-Davidson. They look like they actually belong on the bike. MH Instruments offers a one-year warranty on everything, too, no questions asked. Once in a while, they say, someone might hook something up wrong and fry the innards of a speaker or amp and MHI just replaces it, no problem. It’s not an issue.
     All of this adds up to one of the best sounding, best looking and loudest motorcycle speaker systems on the market. MHI’s high-output, high-fidelity Rumble Road speakers produce crisp, powerful sound at highway speeds and do it while looking great. Everything’s easily installed right up on the handlebars, on a spotlight mounting bar, the forks or even crash bars, and MHI has all the accessory hardware to do it. Mount ‘em up where you want, wire ‘em up to a switched-and-fused 12-volt source, plug in your favorite portable stereo using the supplied cabling and enjoy. Easy as that.
     All of this, along with replacement speakers and acoustic baffles to upgrade a factory system, those mini-amps, audio controllers, filters and noise suppressors, accessory wiring kits, clamps and mounts is in the FatBook. Check it out. Great sounds and great looks–in a weather-resistant package–is tough to beat. MH Instruments has it. Call your Drag rep for more information.



The Rumble Road speaker systems from MH Instruments are a perfect match for a Harley-Davidson. These speakers were specially designed to look and sound just right on a bike. Available in chrome or black.


MHI’s CrankCase is a handy combination power source and volume control, mounted right on the handlebar for easy access.