Stock horn decibel readings

[ST Dan]

just thought i would pass this along as I was thinking of getting a stebel...
i thought I would test the stock horn, as I have access to a decibel meter.

at one foot infront of the bike the reading was 101 decibels
at 12 feet infront of the bike the reading was 94 decibels!!!:eek:

that really makes me think the 139 decibels would help quite a bit., one question though, can a stebel just replace a stock horn in terms of mounting, as I am assuming it would be pretty easy to wire it to the horn button. thanks

(just started looking into this so i haven't yet researched it)

[Blue STreak]

NO! Don't wire it as a direct replacement for the stock horn. The Stebel draws somewhere north of 10 amps (as I think about it, it may be closer to 20). Not only will it fry the horn switch over time, but the wimpy stock horn wiring will prevent it from being anywhere near as loud as it should be.

Replace the stock horn with a relay, and wire the horn through the relay, direct to the battery, using 12 gauge (or larger) wiring. The Stebel comes with a wiring diagram (although mine was pretty hard to read), and if you do a few searches you'll find plenty of help on the web.

When I first installed my stebel, I used 14 gauge wiring. I later replaced that with 10 gauge. The difference in volume was very noticeable.

[STill Fiddlin]

Use the search feature here. Lots of folks have upgraded the horn and you'll probably find pictures and details. As meyerweb says - heavy gauge wire and a relay is the short answer.

[Bones]

Disconnect the stock horn and use that hot lead from the horn button to fire your new horn relay. That way the stock horn button can be used with the Stebel.

[ConqSoft]

Is there room in there to add the Stebel, leaving the stock horn? The stock horn is much more reliable, so I would rather have both functional in case I'm out on an extended trip and the Stebel decides to die.

[newbornst1300]

I would say that there is enough room to leave the stock horn and add the Stebel which would be attached to the fairing support above.

[J Solo]

It would be pretty nice to be able to mount two stebels, preferably at differing ends of the bike. Guaranteed to be heard!

[ST Dan]

Disconnect the stock horn and use that hot lead from the horn button to fire your new horn relay. That way the stock horn button can be used with the Stebel.


ahhhh....I see, said the blind man who picked up the hammer and saw!!! :bow1:

so the horn button will activate the relay, which in turn powers the stebel!!...I get it now...

[hojo in sc]

I left my stock horn in place just in case the Stebel failed for some odd reason.

[HankSTer]

Is there room in there to add the Stebel, leaving the stock horn? The stock horn is much more reliable, so I would rather have both functional in case I'm out on an extended trip and the Stebel decides to die.

I'm curious why you think the stock horn is much more reliable? I've had a stebel on about 10k on a vfr and now about 16k on my ST... no problems whatsoever.

Maybe you've seen reports (I can think of one who had a disintegrating relay) that have indicated failures, but it's very few and far between from what I've taken note of.

IIRC, stebel wiring diagram does have a picture of wiring up 2 horns, and I think it would just be a matter of finding a different place to put the relay (I believe most have used the position of the old horn).

Maybe it would be worth starting a poll "who's stebel has failed?". I'd bet it's a very small percentage.


Regards,

[ConqSoft]

Well, I've never had a stock horn fail for any reason at any time, so I don't want to risk being out on the road without a functioning horn.

[UNTMatt]

The Stebel horn itself is reliable, it's the relay that causes issues. Suggestion, pull the relay apart prior to install and seal the seam with pure silicone sealant and use dieletric grease on the connections. You should have no problems after that.

One year later with 18k miles and our Stebel is just as loud and reliable as it was day one.

As for the original question, get an inline fuse holder and some 12 gauge wire. Wire it direct to the battery and let the horn button activate the relay. If you do not do this, you will have issues ranging from an unreliable horn to cooked wiring or a cooked switch. I think we used a 20 amp fuse on mine and we have not had any problems.

[dreddd2000]

You can always order Eastern Beaver's premade wiring harness for a single horn. Granted that I'm lazy, but I was also afraid to try my hand at wiring yet. I was very pleased with the harness I bought. It comes complete and assembled so all I had to do was unmount the stock horn, mounth the Stebel and connect a few wires. A few zipstrip wire tires to hold everything in place and I was ready to go.

I have no affiliation with Eastern Beaver other than that of a satisfied customer.