Installation

Download This page as a PDF

 Attention! This article is for '13 and down rear mounted woofer kits only. This article does not apply to center mounted woofer kits. Center mounted woofer kits fit all Harley bags '98 & up. Installation instructions for center mounted woofer kits (Aggressor Pro 100, JL10TW3, and Diamond DS102) can be found here.

Tips for installation:

  • Read this entire instruction set before you begin your installation.
  • Make sure you have all required tools before you begin.
  • Make sure that you have all of the parts that belong to your Aggressor Sub Woofer Kit.

Parts List:

  • Aggressor Plate (the black Pac-Man looking part)  
  • Router Jig (square MDF plate with diamond cutout)
  • Hole Alignment Plate (1/4" MDF plate with five holes in it)
  • Steel Grill
  • 3M Double Sided Acrylic Tape for Grill
  • 3/16" x 1/2" Foam Gasket
  • Subwoofer (if purchased with kit)

 Tools & Materials required:

  • Power drill
  • #2 Philips screw driver and or Philips bit for your power drill
  • Right angle drill or an offset adapter
  • Jig Saw & appropriate blade (needs to be long enough)
  • Drill bits
  • Hand router & flush cut router bit
  • EdgeLock Masking Tape (wide roll)

Installation steps

  • Find a suitable work surface and cover it with a towel or some other kind of soft covering to protect your bags painted finish from becoming marred.
  • Remove all of the hardware from your bag including the lid, lid hardware, and rubber grommets that fit around the quarter turn fasteners.
  • Tape off the entire side of the bag that faces the wheel of the bike as well as the opposing side that faces away from the bike. The tape will form a protective barrier and keep your paint in pristine shape while you work on the bag. Use 3M "EdgeLock" masking tape. You can find this tape at most paint stores. EdgeLock tape is made for delicate surfaces and will not damage your paint. Regular masking tape may work fine for you, but you run the risk of the paint coming off with the tape when removed in the event that the bag was not properly prepped before it was painted. Just get the good stuff and don't risk it! Note: Several of the pictures in this instruction set show a bag with no protective masking tape. This is to make the installation photos appear less cluttered. Always mask your bag off before working on it.
    
  • Place the 1/4" thick MDF template inside the bag and position it towards the rear of the bag. The notched side of the template should be towards the bottom of the bag.

   

  • Align the template inside the bag so that the top contour matches up with the top edge of the bag and the template sits as flat as possible in the bag. Use the predrilled holes in the template and mark with a pencil. 
    Drill holes through the bag at these five points. You will need a close quarters drill or an angle adapter on a regular drill & hex shaft drill bits. You can buy a quality Milwaukee brand angle adapter at Home Depot and most hardware stores for about $20 bucks. 

   

  •   Once these five holes have been drilled, flip the bag over and bolt the 3/4" template in place. The template is marked at the top corner. Correct positioning is evident, only three of the five holes are used to hold the template in place. The three holes will only line up if you have the template positioned correctly. Note: The pictures above show our old square template. The current version is positioned at an angle with the letter at the top. There is still only one way to line up the three holes.
  • Drill a starting hole in the bag and cut out the hole for the grill. Leave 1/8"-1/4" of material around the edge. Don't try to cut directly up to the template. Note: Fiberglass bags require a jig saw blade that is hardened steel. A smooth cut Hardwood blade works well for this. A metal cutting blade would be ideal, however, metal cutting blades are generally too short in length for the job. A Bosch T101BF hardwood blade works well.
  • Use a trim router to remove the rest of the remaining material. This will leave you with a nice clean edge. Use a flush trim router bit with a 1/2"  cutter and a 1/2" bearing that is mounted on the shaft side of the bit. This bearing arrangement is referred to as "top bearing". If you are using a small hand held router it will probably be limited to a 1/4" shaft, so you should purchase a 1/4" shaft bit. Small trim routers are available at Harbor Freight Tools as well as other discount retailers for as little as $30. Alternatively, you could take your bag to a reputable car audio shop and have them route the bag for you. Any decent car audio shop should have the required tooling for this kind of job.
       
  • Clean and thoroughly de-grease the inside of your bag where the grill will mount.
  • Apply the double sided 3M Adhesive onto the grill. The grill will be mounted from the inside of the bag. Tip: Use a corner of a razor blade to pick the red film off of the double sided tape.
  • Note the orientation of the grill. The corner with a notch in it needs to be placed at the corner closest to the bottom/center of the bag.
  • Carefully align and press the grill in place. Get it right the first time! You might not be able to get it off once it has made contact. Apply as much pressure as you can with your hands all around the mounting surface of the grill. The adhesive tape will continue to form a bond over the next 24 hours however, you can continue the rest of the installation immediately.
  •  Apply the suplied foam gasket around the grill opening on the Aggressor plate making sure that it will form a complete seal once the plate is installed in the bag. 
  • Apply foam gasket around the outer edge of the plate where it will make contact with the inside of your bag including a couple of strips on the half moon portion. This gasket will keep your bag from vibrating against the Aggressor plate and making unwanted noise.
     
  • Position the subwoofer on the Aggressor plate and hand screw all eight stainless fasteners in place to attach the subwoofer. Be careful! Do not over tighten the screws. When done properly the subwoofer can be securely mounted with plenty of clamping force to hold it in place for years to come.  
  • Next remove the subwoofer that you just mounted from the plate.
  • You can now permanently mount the Aggressor plate in the bag. 
  • Re-install all of your bags original hardware and mount the bag on the bike. Tip: To make life easier on yourself wet the rubber bushings for the quarter turn fasteners with some Windex before re-installing them. Use thread locker (blue) on factory hardware.
  • Run your speaker wire and or amplifier connections from the bag to the bike.
  • Remove the wire ring from your factory Harley quarter turn fasteners before you put the bag back on the bike. If left in place they can rattle and cause unwanted noise. Tip: If your quarter turn fasteners are not super tight you can add washers to them for a better fit. Or better yet, replace the quarter turn fasteners with bolt on fasteners. The less your bags vibrate, the better your subwoofers will sound.
  • Mount your bag back on the bike.
  • Lastly, mount the subwoofer in the bag. The subwoofer is the last thing that you mount in the bag because the woofer itself will cover the rear quarter turn fastener once in place.

Crank it up and enjoy!

Have questions? Is there anything that we should add to this instruction set that we missed?

Drop us an email or use the contact form on our website.

AmericanHardBag@gmail.com