Well, I wanted loud...

[BigShell]

Like many here, I wanted more than the stock horns could give me. I decided to install the Stebel.

 

I didn't really like mounting it where the stock horn is. I decided to mount it on the left rear, under the trunk and behind the HD lights. I made a bracket out of some aluminum bar I had and used a 'P' clamp and plastic ties. Not a lot of clearance for the bag lid and fender, but enough. That was the main reason for some plastic ties, to hold it away from things. Definitely louder than stock, but not as loud as I was expecting. While I felt better about being able to make some noise, I still didn't have what I wanted. I was thinking about another Stebel, but I saw some 132 db horns at AutoZone and I decided to give them a try.

 

What I bought were Blazer Horn's Highway Blaster I did some searching but couldn't find much on them. A search on 'Highway Blaster Horn' turned up some Freeway Blaster horns that look just like these and in the same db range (125 - 130) and price ($15-$20 each). I bought a high tone and low tone. They are mirror images so I could mount one on each side of the bike and still have the 'bell' as far forward and out of the way as possible. I mounted them behind the lower fairings. The bell sits on the front crash bar. The included bracket goes from a stud and nut in the center of the horn to the lower bolt that holds the air filter housing. The horn bracket is thin and I placed it between the housing and the housing bracket. I soldered two wires into the wire from my relay to the Stebel and ran them under the tank. You can just see the relay in a shot of the right side. It sits on top of the fluid reservoir under the right side cover. Two wires (white in the pic) are spliced into the stock horn below and activate the relay when the horn button is pressed. One red wire is fused to the battery and the other side of the relay goes to the three horns I installed. I used a plastic tie to hold the relay in place.

 

Now when I hit the horn button, I have 5 horns going off (2 stock, Stebel, 2 Blasters). First time I tapped the button, I flinched. By flinch, I mean I closed my eyes, shook my head, and took a step back. Tapped it again and all the grandkids came out to see what was going on. Even though they knew it was coming, they flinched every time I tapped the button. My wife finally made me stop. She was afraid the neighbors would get mad.

 

I'm loud enough now.

[Venturous Randy]

There is just something so neat about real loud horns on a motorcycle.

RandyA

[Monsta]

Love to hear a sound clip!

 

Did you polish your forks? They look shiney!

[Carbon_One]

And some folks thought a couple of us nuts who had 3 horns!!!!

Well I'm sure you'll be looking forward for just about any excuse now to lay on the button. Um I mean after all you do need to test it now and again. Yea that's it.

Way to go there BigShell

Larry

[BigShell]

I'll have to see what I've got that will make a digital recording. With all the cra... I mean stuff I have around here, surely I have something that will do it.

 

Yep... got to test it. On a regular basis to make sure all is ok. Unfortunately, drivers around here give me a fairly frequent opportunity to test them.

 

Speaking of horn blowing, I had a guy honk at me the other day. We were at one of those lights where it takes 3 sometimes 4 cycles to get through it. On the first move-up, he blew his horn at me. I guess he thought I wasn't moving fast enough. Well, when we stopped, I put down the stand and went back to ask him about it. From his seat, he sees a 6'2" 350+ lb bearded guy in full gear getting off a 1/2 ton motorcycle and coming toward him in the middle of traffic stopped at a light. He wouldn't make eye contact. He had his window down a few inches but he just sat there. I asked if he was having problems with his horn and if he would like for me to check it for him. He declined saying he would have it looked at later. I was slow on the next move-up, but he didn't honk that time.

[SaltyDawg]

BigShell I wonder how many people know what Semper Gumby means. LOL

You must be old school. :rotf::rotf:

[BigShell]

BigShell I wonder how many people know what Semper Gumby means. LOL

You must be old school. :rotf::rotf:

I don't know how many know it, but it's getting wider use in the Houston and South Texas PGR. Things can change so fast when putting a mission together and even faster during a mission. You've heard that no battle plan survives past the first shot... well the same holds for many missions. I was always hearing "remain flexible" or "we need to be flexible" or some other phrase telling us things were likely to change. After a bit, I started using Semper Gumby every time someone said 'flexible' and it started catching on with a few folks. I see it in more and more posts. I couldn't find any patches, so I had some made. I've been handing them out to ride captains and a few of the Marines I run into. I gave one to a Marine SgtMaj. He said that was exactly what he needed and he was going to have it framed and sitting on his desk.

 

Monsta,

 

I managed a recording. I just used a cheap mp3/radio/recorder. I did a short burst from the right side, then a pause as I walked around to the left side and gave it another quick burst. I pointed the mic away from the scooter, but the horns still pegged the meters on the recording so it really doesn't show the full effect. there is a pause after the second burst and you can begin to here the radio as I turned the mic toward the scooter to turn the recorder off. The radio was turned down to 7 or 8 and you have to listen close to hear it, but that and the sound from the RK pipes do help give an idea as to the loudness of the horns.

 

 

See if this link will work for the .wav file.

[gibvel]

BigShell I wonder how many people know what Semper Gumby means. LOL

You must be old school. :rotf::rotf:

 

Got a buddy, here at work, who's a Marine, that uses that phrase. Never knew what it meant until then.

[Monsta]

Monsta,

 

I managed a recording.

 

Wow, those sound nice! I think I'm gonna have to follow your lead. My Stebel is loud but adding those other two make it sound fantastic! I think I'd like one pointing out back anyway.

 

So...did you polish your forks or are the newer RSV's that shiney?

[BigShell]

So...did you polish your forks or are the newer RSV's that shiney?

 

Polish? The midnight comes with a lot of extra chrome, including the forks, but I don't spend a lot of time with polish. I try to wash it maybe once a month. More often when the butterflies decide to migrate. Maybe wax it two or three times a year. Thats a work bike, not a show bike. They do look pretty good in those pics, but in reality they are pretty dirty. The last two days before those shots, it was foggy, drizzly and nasty on the ride to work each morning. You can kind of see how the whole bike looked in the third picture. The dirt and water spots on the bag lids. Trunk looks good in the photo, but it must just be the angle because its as dirty as the saddlebag top.

[BigShell]

Had a good test for the horns today. I was on my way to a PGR staging area doing around 50 down a wide 2 lane. About a block in front of me a 3 axle bobtail dump truck started out of side road on the left and was going to turn in front of me. I laid on the horn button. A confused truck driver locked up his brakes. I think he was looking for another truck and looked puzzled when he saw me.

 

At the staging area, the conversation turned to some of the idiot drivers out there. One guy said he wanted horns that sounded like a train... maybe folks would hear him. I told him about what happen on the way in and asked if he wanted to hear them. About 10 of us walked over to the scooter. I turned the key and hit the horn. Even though they knew it was coming, every one of them flinched. The guy that wanted to sound like a train said I was just about there.

 

They proved themselves today. I like them!

[Eck]

Looks great!!!!! Nice installation job!

Was just wondering about one thing though...was Beer30 helping you?

[Gentleman George]

Sure could have used them horns today.. some guy passed me on the two lane comming into town with another car comming at us. when he came back into the lane I had to go to the shoulder to give him room.. about three miles further while in town some guy put on his left turning signal on and then moved right into my lane... I hit my horn and he moved back over, but I would have loved to have shook him up with those horns.. and wouldn't you know it..it was the same guy.

[BuddyRich]

Now when I hit the horn button, I have 5 horns going off

 

I'm loud enough now.

 

 

 

Just hope the bike don't go up in smoke one day when you hit those horns.

 

:rotf:

[Squeeze]

Got a buddy, here at work, who's a Marine, that uses that phrase. Never knew what it meant until then.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semper_Gumby

[BigShell]

Looks great!!!!! Nice installation job!

 

Was just wondering about one thing though...was Beer30 helping you?

More like CokeZero30... Beer30 would have been welcome too!

[BigShell]

 

Just hope the bike don't go up in smoke one day when you hit those horns.

 

:rotf:

 

 

I took a lot kidding along those lines. They told me I better not hit the horn at night.. headlights might dim so much I can't see.

 

 

As I approached the place where that truck pulled out yesterday, I realized I wasn't really a block away when I hit the horns... more like half a block. I laid on them a good 3 to 5 seconds. No wires burning or fuses blowing.... yet!

[Midrsv]

I love the Stebel horn. Had a little fun with mine today. I was going to work this morning along a 2 lane road that connects subdivisions and there were these 2 late teen age guys walking down the center of my lane with their back to me. There are now sidewalks along this road and the right should was tree lined. You know the type, crotch of their pants down to their knees, underwear showing, strolling along daring someone to hit them. Had I been in the car I am sure they would have just glared at me and slowly moved out of the way. Since I have stock pipes on the bike they didn't hear me coming and when I got about 100 ft from them I layed on the horn. One of the guys dove for the trees and the one furthest from the side tried to run but couldn't because his belt was around his knees. As I passed he was pulling his pants up and trying to get off the road. I am sure they thought they were about to be hit by a truck. It put a smile on my face all the way to work.

 

DT