wanting to upgrade the horn

[alonzo]

hi yall, I am tired of traffic not seeing me even after they pull infront of me I want to get their attention and the meep meep roadrunner horn that comes stock simply wont work.

. does anyone on here know of a good 100+ db horn that can replace the stock unit?

[red2003]

Any 12 volt automotive horn will work. Go to a junk yard and find something off an old Caddy. That'll get thier attention!

[srreynolds2003]

I tried a car horn from Oreilly's and it would not work...I plugged it up and it just clicked when I pressed the button and it did not blow...so I took it back....

[IronFist]

???
Maybe it's defective??
A guy on my steet got a horn from England. He swears they make the loudest bike horns. It was very expensive, and not for me. I might take the horn off my wife's car and wire it up just to try. My horn is dangerouly weak. What's the draw on a caddie horn? Would it drain a bike battery as soon as I used it?

[alonzo]

ya old caddy horn would be nice. however I too have tried a regular auto horn. "130 db" from autozone. I even installed a relay switch with the approprate fuse and ran straight from the battery with no luck :( "that was my old rd400 RIP"

[IronFist]

Man I don't do electricity well, is it an amperage thing? 12v but needs higher amps?

[alonzo]

I called my yamaha dealer, they can get me a 113 db horn for 25 dollars. Aftre the last blind driver pulled in front of me and I meep meeped my horn he didn't even see my bird I gave him:( for the 25 dollars I think it is worth it for just one bird to be seen.

iron fist I do not understand amperage much either. I did the auto horn which was a big learning expirence for me, I learned I was a poor electrician :(

[IronFist]

I own a stock cb350. I might keep the stock horn, and add another loud one like yours or a car and mount it hidden so it doesn't show. 8)

[katoranger]

The higher db horn most likely requires more watts. Lets say 50watts. so on a 12v system the would be 50/12=4.17 amps.

The car horn was probably pulling to much power for the stock wiring on the bike and just would not sound.

I don't know why the direct to battery with a relay didn't work.

Allen

[IronFist]

Like I said before, my battery charges very well, it's a hot system. I'm gonna check out a few horns and see what I get away with. It's not like I'll ride around with my horn on all the time, it's a high draw 50 watts, but for short periods of time. My vest keeps me warm with 30watts, but like my head light its on all the time when it's cold. It's going to be Hot in Toronto on Friday, finally I won't wear a vest and I can take the liner out of my jacket. :D

[ImEazy]

I have a car horn on my GY as well as my MZ. About $13 bucks at autozone
and plug and play. They work really well. Threw the stockers in the trash.
Here's a pic. Sorry I don't have any video.

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9104/hornwj2.th.jpg (http://img179.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hornwj2.jpg)

[IronFist]

ImEazy
Is it good and loud?

[ImEazy]

ImEazy
Is it good and loud?

Yep, they sound just like a car. :D

I would also have to agree about the Cadi horns. My mom has a 94
Coupe deville and everytime she pics up my kids it scares the crap
out of me while I'm in the house. I found one on ebay once but didn't
have the funds to purchase.

[maf119l]

My dad used a speaker from a car alarm.No problem being heard now.Not as loud as a police or fire siren,but close.

[IronFist]

Ya I can go with an air or compression horn but I'd settle for sounding like a decent sized car. I have a parts source close to me. I'll try there, they're starting to get to know me pretty good. I bet they'd let me try it in the parking lot for free. :D

[katoranger]

I found a ford escort horn today while cleaning out some stuff.

I set it by my bike to try out.

Allen

[srreynolds2003]

I have a car horn on my GY as well as my MZ. About $13 bucks at autozone
and plug and play. They work really well. Threw the stockers in the trash.
Here's a pic. Sorry I don't have any video.

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9104/hornwj2.th.jpg (http://img179.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hornwj2.jpg)


That looks like the one I got fro oreilly's....do you remember the name fo the one you got from Autozone? Was it a Low Note or a High note...I bought the Low Note, and maybe it does not have enough power to drive the low tone...I am not sure why mine didn't work...maybe I will try it with one from Autozone...

[ImEazy]

Ya I can go with an air or compression horn but I'd settle for sounding like a decent sized car. I have a parts source close to me. I'll try there, they're starting to get to know me pretty good. I bet they'd let me try it in the parking lot for free. :D

That's what the store I went to did. I wasn't on the bike, but he did hook it
to a battery so i could see how loud it was. Pretty cool of the dude.

[ImEazy]

That looks like the one I got fro oreilly's....do you remember the name fo the one you got from Autozone? Was it a Low Note or a High note...I bought the Low Note, and maybe it does not have enough power to drive the low tone...I am not sure why mine didn't work...maybe I will try it with one from Autozone...

Not sure why I kept the package but here is a pic...
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4080/horndk3.th.jpg (http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=horndk3.jpg)

I was going to take a short vid, but my battery is too low.
I put it on the tender so maybe tomorrow.

[srreynolds2003]

That looks like the one I got fro oreilly's....do you remember the name fo the one you got from Autozone? Was it a Low Note or a High note...I bought the Low Note, and maybe it does not have enough power to drive the low tone...I am not sure why mine didn't work...maybe I will try it with one from Autozone...

Not sure why I kept the package but here is a pic...
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4080/horndk3.th.jpg (http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=horndk3.jpg)

I was going to take a short vid, but my battery is too low.
I put it on the tender so maybe tomorrow.

Awesome I will get the same one you have and try again...

[ImEazy]

I found a ford escort horn today while cleaning out some stuff.

I set it by my bike to try out.

Allen

Cool. Hopefully it's not a meep meeper as well. :lol:

[katoranger]

I will try it out with a battery to see if it even works. Lots of horns in junkyards.

Allen

[fatboy250]

hi yall, I am tired of traffic not seeing me even after they pull infront of me

The way I see it the horn is kind of a mute point if they've already pulled out...except to say "Here I am you idiot!!" You may consider being more visible. I know not everyone is willing to do this, but I haven't had anyone pull out in front of me since I put this on. This is the same as what is put on stop signs, yield signs, etc. It shows up great at night.

http://www.chinariders.net/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4589

Jason

[IronFist]

That's not stock on a 36 year old bike. 8O
Great idea, but it might not be necessary to go that far. I don't ride with camoflage colors, I'm bright shiny and red. I intend to put hi-reflect tape on my luggage but not on my bike. Others put some tape on the front and back of their boots.

A loud horn is just to wake a cager up. Even when they don't signal, they don't drive straight just before changing lanes. They wobble just before changing lanes. A loud horn can turn off a cager's autopilot.

[fatboy250]

That's not stock on a 36 year old bike.

???I'm 35 if that's what you mean?

Agreed on waking cagers up though.

Jason

[theENIGMATIC]

Check out this little beauty......


http://cgi.ebay.ca/Classic-Bicycle-Clown-Horn-Beep-Beep_W0QQitemZ120268468213QQihZ002QQcategoryZ7295Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

8)

[katoranger]

My stock horn says 105db 1.5amp 12volt.

I have a bright yellow jacket and helmet.

Allen

[theENIGMATIC]

Yeah I think using proper hand signals can really show other riders you mean business......if anything they think WTF is wrong with that dude we better let him be...horns are probably best to warn lazy drivers who dont watch and wont help much in an emergency situation, horns also work well to get attention from hot babes! :D

[IronFist]

Kato next time you're at the junkers and you find a loud horn that works, talk the guy down to $2 and send it to me. I'll send ya some american money. :D

[Komoto250cc]

Alright. I have a Komoto/Hi-bird 250cc bike and the horn doesn't work. I took the horn off and backed the adjustment screw way out. Doesn't work. I disconnected the horn, set one of the horns electical thingys on the negative pole on the battery and then used my wire tester connected the positive pole to the horn's other electrical thingy. The bulb illuminates in my wire tester, but no sound from the horn. I messed around with the adjustment screw too. After trying this and no sound, does it mean my horn is defective?

[IronFist]

I think so. If you wired it direct to the battery and it didn't sound.

On any 12v system,All ya need is power and ground....

[Komoto250cc]

Alright, so I will need a new horn. Here's a another question. I have a wire tester and I tested both wires going to the horn. One illuminates the tester and the other doesn't. Does this mean one wire is bad?

I tried a car horn from Oreilly's and it would not work...I plugged it up and it just clicked when I pressed the button and it did not blow...so I took it back....

Not sure if ya know,But, A car horn grounds thru its mount.

Wich means if you take it out of it's package and add power it won't work!

It has to have a good ground, Take a test light and put the sharp end into the 12v(+) wire connect the other side to the frame were the horn mounts then turn the key on and push the horn button if the light comes on,so should your new horn.

P.S. If you have a weak ground, The horn will sometimes click,instead of blowing...

I will have to check my Roketa,But I think it has two wires connected to it wich would indicate it get's its ground thru a wire and not straight of the chasis. If this is the case on your bike, You may need to buy a import horn from Autozone, It should have 2 terminal, 1 for ground and 1 for power.....

Just throwing some stuff out there, DannyB.

Alright, so I will need a new horn. Here's a another question. I have a wire tester and I tested both wires going to the horn. One illuminates the tester and the other doesn't. Does this mean one wire is bad?

Just saw this one! But,I think I answered it in the above.....

To test those wires, connect the test light between the two wires, Turn key on then push horn button, If the light comes on, One is power and one is ground. If the light comes on,that would be like the horn blowing.

Make sure your new horn has a terminal for power and ground, I think the autozone import horns are set up that away!

[Komoto250cc]

Okay. I will try the suggestion relating to the test light. I can't believe I don't know how to use a test light! I am no mechanic :lol:

[Komoto250cc]

Okay. I connected the two wires through the light/wire tester and no illumination. Do I have a faulty wire?

Okay. I will try the suggestion relating to the test light. I can't believe I don't know how to use a test light! I am no mechanic :lol:

One more thing, To determine wich wire is power,Connect clamp on the light to negatve side of battery(-) Place pointy end into horn wire terminal,key-on push button. The wire that makes the light come on is power, the other is negative.

[Komoto250cc]

If you were wondering, I also turned on the key and pressed the horn button.

[Komoto250cc]

I checked to see which wire was + by placing the light clamp on negative pole on the battery. Neither wire illuminated the light tester after turning key and pressing button. However, I placed the light clamp on the positive pole and did the same thing. One wire illuminated the light tester. So, this must be the ground wire right?

Okay. I connected the two wires through the light/wire tester and no illumination. Do I have a faulty wire?

Was the key on? and did ya push the button? Just asking.....

If ya did everything right,and ya had a good connection with the test light,Than, I would say you have a problem!!!

Could be a wire, Could be a bad horn swith. I don't think your bike has a horn relay.

Could be a bad connection some where up in the harness,Between those two wires and the battery.

You need to check and see if you are loosing power and ground.or,Just one or the other. Do this by reading the above post.

Sorry, It's alot easier to doing it than typing it...

[IronFist]

Komoto250cc
Ya I think so, work back from that spot and see if a connection is unplugged. Use dielectric grease on your connections as you check for faults.

[Komoto250cc]

A few weeks ago, I took apart the housing around the horn button. Nothing looked out of order. The spring was in place, there was connection when I pressed the button, the wire was soddered to peice under the spring. <shrugs> It must be the power wire. Now the question is, where is it bad?

I checked to see which wire was + by placing the light clamp on negative pole on the battery. Neither wire illuminated the light tester after turning key and pressing button. However, I placed the light clamp on the positive pole and did the same thing. One wire illuminated the light tester. So, this must be the ground wire right?

Yes! Soo, your loosing power. This could be a wire or the switch or a connection. I would say, Trace that wire back till it comes to a connection or the switch. Think of that positive wire as a water hose, The water is getting stopped somewhere between the wire and the battery.Trace it back little by little till ya find some water!

The switch can be checked,But,Ya need volt meter!

[Komoto250cc]

Ironfist,

I would hate to tear apart the wire wrap next to the frame and under the gas tank. If I have to, I guess I have too! Is there a good tape to bundle all the wire back together?

You can use plain old black electrical tape, Or even better,They sell wire loom at most auto parts stores, It comes in different sizes....

[Komoto250cc]

Srreynolds2003,

How did you mount car horn to the bike?

ImEazy wrote:
I have a car horn on my GY as well as my MZ. About $13 bucks at autozone
and plug and play. They work really well. Threw the stockers in the trash.
Here's a pic. Sorry I don't have any video.

[IronFist]

Actually I want to get some shrink wrap for my wires. Wrap the wires and use a hair dryer.

Ripping the electric back bone out of your bike is not your first choice.

Go over all "connections" first. Pull the wife's car horn and try it. If you have another bike horn try it. The wires that have been shrinkwrapped from the factory should be good. It's not the most likely place for the fault. The most likely spot is where the horn wires are soldered to the horn. I don't really like electricity either, it's what I spend the most time trying to learn.

[Komoto250cc]

Alright!!!! I fixed the electrical problem and mounted my horn. The problem was a bad connection in one of the plastic wire plugs behind the headlight. The male and female ends were not connecting, so, first, I drove all around town trying to find new male and female ends with no luck. Then I simply snipped the wires about one inch back from the plug and just directly connected them with a regular connector with shrinking plastic (requires heat). Now the horn works fine! Man, I had to do a lot of trial and error. First, my friend and I thought it was the horn button, so we re-soddered the wires to the metal horn peices. One thing I noticed was that if the metal horn peices are put in just right one of the peices will contact an adjacent peice next to it. That could have been shorting it out. I also checked the wires that run along the main frame. I took off all the wrap and the wire was fine, the splices were fine. I also tested the wire from the handle bar to the plug behind the headlight. It wasn't a problem.
Anyway, I put in the horn blaster suggested in an earlier post. I will post photos.

[Komoto250cc]

Here are some photos of my horn mount.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/MilesCyaaa/SE9VHjLo7LI/AAAAAAAAAJM/htiqnvFdigg/s144/DSCF1428.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/MilesCyaaa/Komoto250cc/photo#5210476882082458802)



[img]http://lh6.ggpht.com/MilesCyaaa/SE9VV_1DlKI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/4dtfvoHFUvo/s144/DSCF1433.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/MilesCyaaa/Komoto250cc/photo#5210477130290533538)

http://lh5.ggpht.com/MilesCyaaa/SE9VaewkUGI/AAAAAAAAAKE/spT8Hj2dwLQ/s144/DSCF1435.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/MilesCyaaa/Komoto250cc/photo#5210477207312683106)

http://lh4.ggpht.com/MilesCyaaa/SE9VdF0g2QI/AAAAAAAAAKM/3DSheXfvYoo/s144/DSCF1436.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/MilesCyaaa/Komoto250cc/photo#5210477252157954306)

Here's a photo of the internals on the horn button

http://lh5.ggpht.com/MilesCyaaa/SE9VhRJsAII/AAAAAAAAAKc/8Bdw-wz0dH4/s144/DSCF1438.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/MilesCyaaa/Komoto250cc/photo#5210477323919032450)

[katoranger]

That looks like the escort horn.

Allen

[ImEazy]

Srreynolds2003,

How did you mount car horn to the bike?



Sorry I missed your question. I see you got it figured out.
I used the stock mount, but mounted it higher as I have
removed the plastic fins on my bike. I figure that would
keep it up out of any mud or water I may run through.
Good job locating and fixing your problem.

[IronFist]

Yes, good find on your short. :D