Is my Horn ok?

[ibrockoli]

I just bought a 1982 GS400e and the horn resembles a Goose being choked. I beleive its loud enough id just like to know if this is normal for an older bike like this?

[Steve]

Unfortunately, yes, it's normal for an older bike.


Even worse, though, it's normal for a NEW bike, too.

.

[GabrielGoes]

lol *meep meep* i got a stebel air horn its much better

[chuckycheese]

Yep

Unfortunately, yes, it's normal for an older bike.


Even worse, though, it's normal for a NEW bike, too.

.

Yeah, I agree with Steve (as usual). There's just something about bike horns that never seems up to par. I first noticed it on my new '67 Honda S90 (in '67).

When I had my 750, I changed it from a ground-completing circuit to a positive connection (reversed the wires) and wired it directly to the battery (hot all the time), and it was awesome.

On the 1100, it seems to work quite well with no modifications.

[themess]

Quoting a message from years ago (sorry I didn't record the name of the poster):

Many times, a bike horn will have two connectors: one is connected to the battery (most likely through the ignition key), the other goes to the switch (button) which will ground it, causing it to sound.

Most of the car horns that I have seen (well, the American cars, anyway) have a single connector. They receive switched power from the button, and ground through their mounting bolt.

It is easy to convert to a car horn, but first you need to determine whether your bike uses a switched hot or switched ground wire. Disconnect the wires from the stock horns. Turn the key on, use a test light or a meter to see if one wire is hot all the time by connecting one side of your test light to the negative side of the battery, the other to the wire. Check both wires. If nothing happens, change your test light to the positive side of the battery and check again to see if either wire is grounded. You will find that one wire will either be hot or ground all the time, the other wire does the other function WHEN THE HORN BUTTON IS PRESSED.

Use a relay that is found in the light section of your favorite auto parts store, most likely labeled for fog or driving lights. If it is a square Bosch-type relay, there will be four connectors on the bottom.
One will be labeled 30. Connect that to the battery, through a fuse.
Another will be labeled 87. Connect that to the horn terminal. If the horn as two terminals, connect it to one of them.
Another will be labeled 85. Connect that to the wire coming from your horn button.
The last one is labeled 86. If your horn is switched ground, connect 86 to a wire that is hot only when the key is on. If your horn switches power, connect 86 to a ground.
If your new horns have two terminals, connect the remaining terminal to a good ground.

It's really much easier to do this than to read it, and you will be simply amazed at the difference in your sound.

Also, someone once wrote that you can carefully disassemble stock GShorns, clean the contacts, reassemble, adjust, and return to stock performance.

[tkent02]

I just bought a 1982 GS400e and the horn resembles a Goose being choked. I beleive its loud enough id just like to know if this is normal for an older bike like this?

Depends on the bike, some are pretty loud.

[Steve]

I have only seen two bikes that came from the factory with decent horns.
The first was the '83 through '88 Kawasaki Voyager 1300. Air horns from the factory.
Mounted in a box in front of the exhaust pipes, under the radiator, one horn facing each side. AWESOME sound.

The second was/is the current GoldWing, starting with the '01 GL1800. Dual horns that sound like a Buick.

.

[koolaid_kid]

My horns were pretty wimpy, so I wired up a relay and connected it to the horns. Did not really help that much. Installed a pair of Fiamms (sp?) and they sound great.