horns

[catbed]

my horns are not that loud. when my grandfather still rode this motorcycle(16 years ago), my dad said the horns were louder. there is tape around the contact on the horns. should i solder these?

[Steve]

I would not solder to the horn terminals. Some day you just might want to remove the wires.

Make sure you have good contact to the horn. Test the horn with separate wires straight to the battery. You can usually tune the horn with an adjustment screw on the back side. Just turn it slowly, listening for the loudest, most obnoxious sound. If the horn just won't work well, go to Auto Zone and get another one. Look for horns with two terminals to match the one you have now, but if you can only find single-terminal horns, that's not a problem. It is easy to install a relay to send power to the horn, just don't install the single-terminal horn without the relay.


.

[catbed]

ill take a look at the connectors and look for that screw.

thanks!

[tkent02]

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2137/

[bakalorz]

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2137/

FWIW, the Stebel Nautilus and the Wolo Bad-Boy are the exact same horn, but rebadged for another manufacturer. Harbor freight often puts it on sale for $35, and occasionally $30.

I liked it enough on the bike to do the cage too.\\/

[twr1776]

I had the same problem and found on an old post (cant remember whose) and it said to pull the horn, take off the outside disc, clean the face with electrical contact cleaner and then adjust the screw. I did not have to buy a new horn.

[catbed]

is there a polarity to the horns? i took them off without noting them. if anyone has stock horns for an 850 (bwringer maybe, hopefully) the right angle heat shrink goes to which contact on the left horn.

[Steve]

No polarity that I know of.


.

[Pete Logan]

I would not solder to the horn terminals. Some day you just might want to remove the wires.

Yeah but a soldering iron takes off solder just as good as it puts it on.

Other than that :-D

[Dave8338]

Bolt these in and call it a day...

[tkent02]

FWIW, the Stebel Nautilus and the Wolo Bad-Boy are the exact same horn, but rebadged for another manufacturer. Harbor freight often puts it on sale for $35, and occasionally $30.

I liked it enough on the bike to do the cage too.\\/

I wondered if that one was the same, or a crappo imitation. Thanks!

Off to Harbor Fright.

[bwringer]

is there a polarity to the horns? i took them off without noting them. if anyone has stock horns for an 850 (bwringer maybe, hopefully) the right angle heat shrink goes to which contact on the left horn.

No polarity -- just plug 'em in any old which way.


If you don't mind dealing with fiddly greasy tiny ancient springs that like to leap out at you and get lost forever, you could also try disassembling the switch pod with the horn button and cleaning the contacts in there. Or you could wire the horn(s) through a relay.

I replaced both my "sick cat" horns with one horn I got for $11 at Cycle Recycle II, and have enjoyed much more robust honkage ever since. I don't honk enough to spend much time fiddling with them.

The way I see it, if you're honking all that much, you're doing something wrong... :-D

[catbed]

im not honking much. not doing much riding actually.

[bwringer]

Ooh, here you go... Dixie horns!

http://www.carcoverkingdom.com/dukes-of-hazzard.php

Yeeeeeeeeeeeehhhawwwwwwwwwww!

[bakalorz]

I replaced both my "sick cat" horns with one horn I got for $11 at Cycle Recycle II, and have enjoyed much more robust honkage ever since. I don't honk enough to spend much time fiddling with them.

The way I see it, if you're honking all that much, you're doing something wrong... :-D

Hmmm... same guy that said the following in another thread...

Pretty standard, really. But here's my confession: sometimes, when it's just too, too predictable and there's no one behind me, I succumb to temptation.

As the blank-eyed minivan pilot heaves the wheel to the left and stomps the throttle, I've already slowed enough to give myself plenty of room for the show. When she starts to move, I lock up the rear brake in a lurid, smoking, screeching, fishtailing slide while doing the actual work of slowing safely with the front brake. :twisted:

I count it as a direct hit if they drop their cell phone and/or latte. Often, they slam on the brakes, freeze and come to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection, knuckles white on the wheel and eyes the size of dinner plates. Sometimes they manage to scoot out of the way.

I've locked the rear (unintentionally) a few times ... and once it almost spit me off in a highside for it ... Now I use the rear brake gingerly, and the horn to wake up the minivan pilots.

Gotta admit your way has MUCH more style though .... \\/