If you aren't seen you should be heard.... AKA New Horns

[toytender01]

So west is that your walkman on the back break assy. Coulden't you just put it in your pocket????
:smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:

 

[bronzestarvue]

I've used the Fiamm Freeway Blasters on past bikes, one each high and low tone, and those things are pretty loud. On some bikes though, I have to agree that a relay is needed, because they ended up not being as loud as they're supposed to be. I installed one of those one-piece WoLo Bad Boy compact air horns in my 1989 Mitsubishi Montero, mounted it right behind the grill, outside of the engine compartment. Wasn't as simple as unplugging the stock horn and plugging in this Bad Boy horn. It started to melt the wires, so I had to use the relay. After that was wired up, it worked just like it's supposed to, and it's loud as well.

In any event, I'd suggest that if you buy horns that are fluted, try to get them in plastic, and point the flutes down, so they don't collect water.

Dual Fiamm Freeway Blasters on a Honda Shadow Sabre I used to have:

Same horns in a Saturn Sky I used to have:

WoLo Bad Boy compact air horn I put on a Jeep Comanche pickup I used to have:

 

[mcgovern61]

I mounted the Stebil Nautilus horns in my fairing and I'll tell ya....they work great! Example:

I was heading west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 2 summers ago at night time and in a torrential down pour with no where to pull over. I was passing a tractor trailer that was on my right throwing all kinds of spray up and he started coming over into my lane! :shock:

Nailed that horn while pulling on the brakes and I could see him look into his mirror and pulled right back over! Now...that is horn power!! :good:

(Oops.....looks like I told this one already )

 

[Steve81GL1100]

+2 on the Stebel Nautilus. I put one on my Aprilia scooter cuz the horn it came with is the same one they put on kiddy bikes at Walmart... :roll: Now when I hit the horn EVERYBODY looks. I have another one ready to go on theGL1100. Wouldn't think of heading off into rush hour traffic without the loudest horns I can fit on there.
Do wire them up with a relay, though -- not only for the safety issue of not melting/torching the wiring, but also they'll be louder with a full dose of voltage.
Steve

 

[KYWinger]

I mounted a WOLO Bad Boy :good: (using a relay) - LOUD horn... a previous poster had mentioned it not being loud - must something with his particular horn, because this darn thing gets your attention :music: For $40 at Harbor Freight, I believe it's the best bang for the buck.

 

[n2ppn]

All I gotta say is AIR HORNS!!!

Got a pair of 'em on my '81 GL1100 and I have "scared" more than my fair share of NY drivers back into their lanes or gotten their attention...

Still have the stock horns out in front of the fairing, but added a 30 Amp relay to the horn circuit which is directly connected to the battery for maximum voltage, and now controls the compressor for the air horns... for a short "blip" of the horn, the stock ones are fine (like giving your admiration to a pretty girl on the street) but hold down the horn button for more than 1/2 second and the air horns are making your presence known..

I used to have the air horns running through the horn switch, until I noticed the switch was melting from the excessive current draw of the compressor... so the switch now only controls the high power relay which powers both sets of horns... much safer for the horn button....

I don't have the covers on the horns, so every once and a while I pull off the air hose and send a little WD-40 through them to keep the diaphragms clean and free of road grime (after the WD-40 I either use the compressor in my garage, to blow it through, or just lay on the horn button for about 10 seconds or so)

The horns originally came from one of my many boats, and were a little pitted so I had tried to polish them up and wound up removing almost all the chrome from the horn bells, and getting nice polished brass... I may still powder coat them in sliver...

Here is one of them (left side of bike) pictured below:

Sound pressure levels for both the air horns AND the stock horns all going at the same time measured at about 135db at 5 feet!! That's friggin' LOUD!!!



Rich