Stebel horn ?

[STNY]

Hello all, I have a couple of questions regarding the electrical install, and I have read up a lot in other threads.

Are you also keeping the factory horn operational in addition to adding the Stebel?

If so, can I use Dual horn relay kit (http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Horn_Kits/horn_kits.html) Dual horn relay kit from Jim at Easternbeaver?

Or are you not using the factory horn?

And if so can I use the Single horn relay kit (http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Horn_Kits/horn_kits.html)

TIA for all replies
Tom

[thesmithiz]

I took the stcok horn out and used the single horn relay kit from Eastern Beaver. Works great!

[alphafang]

I kept the stock horn and used the relay that came with the Stebel and after sorting the fuse issue out .....20amp.... thanks guys. I have had no problems.
Paul

[VFR]

If you replace the stock horn with the Stebel (recommended, since if you need the horn you want it to be heard clearly) you don't need a relay kit. Depending where you got the horn, it may or may not have come with a relay. If not, still not a problem.

1. Find a place and mount the horn. Make sure that the forks will turn lock to lock without the horn hitting anything. This step is kind of important. If nothing you have will work, go to the hardware store and buy a piece of metal strap. Cut, bend and drill to fit.
2. Buy a Bosch or equiv. 30amp relay. Available from auto parts or electronic store.
3. Connnect the two wires removed from the stock horn to terminals 85 & 86 on the relay.
4. Tie wrap the relay to a nearby wire bundle or if there is a place to mount it within reach of the wires, screw the relay in place. It will work fine either way.
5. Run a FUSED 14 ga. wire from the battery positive terminal, battery side of the starter solenoid, etc. along an existing wiring harness up to the horn.
6. Make sure the fuse holder is as close to the battery as possible. That way if something goes wrong, the fuse pops instead of letting the magic smoke out of the wire.
7. Connect the other end of the fused wire to terminal 30 on the relay.
8. Connect a 14 ga. wire from terminal 87 on the relay to one of the horn terminals.
9. Connect another wire from the other horn terminal to a good chassis ground, like, say, the horn mounting bolt.
10. Install a 20 or 25 amp fuse in the fuse holder.
11. Cover your ears & have someone press the horn button. Those puppies are LOUD!!!

You are using the original horn wiring only to energize the relay. Very small current used here. That is terminals 85 & 86.

When the relay is energized, it connects terminal 30 to 87 and energizes the horn with the ground wire completing the circuit.

Easy - should take about an hour, not including trips to the parts & hardware stores....

Larry

[st11ray]

Hello all, I have a couple of questions regarding the electrical install, and I have read up a lot in other threads.

Are you also keeping the factory horn operational in addition to adding the Stebel?

If so, can I use Dual horn relay kit (http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Horn_Kits/horn_kits.html) Dual horn relay kit from Jim at Easternbeaver?

Or are you not using the factory horn?

And if so can I use the Single horn relay kit (http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Horn_Kits/horn_kits.html)

TIA for all replies
Tom

I took the stock horn off and used the single horn relay from the beaver. I ran the wire under the tank and up the right side, zip tying the relay near the coil. I got the standard length harness and it just did make it to the battery. I should have measured a little better and I probably would have ordered a longer harness, because I'd like to run it to my new AP2, but it's too short for that. The harness from easternbeaver is simple to install and works perfectly.

[azlife4me]

Larry,
Thanks for the great write-up. After reading that, I now think I can do it. Very cool.

[STNY]

If you replace the stock horn with the Stebel (recommended, since if you need the horn you want it to be heard clearly) you don't need a relay kit. Depending where you got the horn, it may or may not have come with a relay. If not, still not a problem.

1. Find a place and mount the horn. Make sure that the forks will turn lock to lock without the horn hitting anything. This step is kind of important. If nothing you have will work, go to the hardware store and buy a piece of metal strap. Cut, bend and drill to fit.
2. Buy a Bosch or equiv. 30amp relay. Available from auto parts or electronic store.
3. Connnect the two wires removed from the stock horn to terminals 85 & 86 on the relay.
4. Tie wrap the relay to a nearby wire bundle or if there is a place to mount it within reach of the wires, screw the relay in place. It will work fine either way.
5. Run a FUSED 14 ga. wire from the battery positive terminal, battery side of the starter solenoid, etc. along an existing wiring harness up to the horn.
6. Make sure the fuse holder is as close to the battery as possible. That way if something goes wrong, the fuse pops instead of letting the magic smoke out of the wire.
7. Connect the other end of the fused wire to terminal 30 on the relay.
8. Connect a 14 ga. wire from terminal 87 on the relay to one of the horn terminals.
9. Connect another wire from the other horn terminal to a good chassis ground, like, say, the horn mounting bolt.
10. Install a 20 or 25 amp fuse in the fuse holder.
11. Cover your ears & have someone press the horn button. Those puppies are LOUD!!!

You are using the original horn wiring only to energize the relay. Very small current used here. That is terminals 85 & 86.

When the relay is energized, it connects terminal 30 to 87 and energizes the horn with the ground wire completing the circuit.

Easy - should take about an hour, not including trips to the parts & hardware stores....

Larry


Wow Larry, great write up, sounds like you might have installed a few before.

thanks

[STNY]

I took the stock horn off and used the single horn relay from the beaver. I ran the wire under the tank and up the right side, zip tying the relay near the coil. I got the standard length harness and it just did make it to the battery. I should have measured a little better and I probably would have ordered a longer harness, because I'd like to run it to my new AP2, but it's too short for that. The harness from easternbeaver is simple to install and works perfectly.

I think I will take this route.
Looks more like a straight forward plug n play with Jims, "Single Beaver" set up.
Being that my AP 2 is under the seat, I'll have Jim add an additional 6 " of wire and go to it, rather than the battery.

Thanks again

[thesmithiz]

If you do a search in here you should find a thread that shows an excellent spot for the Stebel and all you have to do is drill out and existing hole making it slightly larger. There are two holes that are basically behind the right side mirror. I was able to access bot of them and drill out by loosening the dash and moving it forward. This mounts the Stebel higher than the stock location and out of the way of everthing, if you didn't know better you would think that HONDA had this in mind.

[STNY]

I saw that thread.
Could I remove the stock and put the stebel there? Or are there clearance or other issues?
If you do a search in here you should find a thread that shows an excellent spot for the Stebel and all you have to do is drill out and existing hole making it slightly larger. There are two holes that are basically behind the right side mirror. I was able to access bot of them and drill out by loosening the dash and moving it forward. This mounts the Stebel higher than the stock location and out of the way of everthing, if you didn't know better you would think that HONDA had this in mind.

[STBNE]

I think I will take this route.
Looks more like a straight forward plug n play with Jims, "Single Beaver" set up.
Being that my AP 2 is under the seat, I'll have Jim add an additional 6 " of wire and go to it, rather than the battery.

Thanks again
Hey STNY...I removed my stock horn and used the Eastern Beaver single horn harness with the inline 20amp fuse.Some ppl like to keep the old horn but have it disconnected just in case something happens to the STebel.The Eastern Beaver harness is factory grade quality made.Meaning all the crimps are done professionally and better than most ppl can make themselves at home.So it is all plug in and play and I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND IT...You Will be glad you used this.One word of caution abt the relay that STebel provides...there have been quality issues and these relays have been known to be ...inferior and downright defective...the relay that is part of the Eastern Beaver harness...is just right.Sorry to get long winded....the other thing abt the STebel horn is to keep the trumpets facing down and towards the centerline of the Bike.Good luck with it ...:D

[STNY]

Thanks Ben, Nice AVATAR :D Good Photographer too!
I have used Jims stuff before and it is top notch.
Hey STNY...I removed my stock horn and used the Eastern Beaver single horn harness with the inline 20amp fuse.Some ppl like to keep the old horn but have it disconnected just in case something happens to the STebel.The Eastern Beaver harness is factory grade quality made.Meaning all the crimps are done professionally and better than most ppl can make themselves at home.So it is all plug in and play and I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND IT...You Will be glad you used this.One word of caution abt the relay that STebel provides...there have been quality issues and these relays have been known to be ...inferior and downright defective...the relay that is part of the Eastern Beaver harness...is just right.Sorry to get long winded....the other thing abt the STebel horn is to keep the trumpets facing down and towards the centerline of the Bike.Good luck with it ...:D

[thesmithiz]

I saw that thread.
Could I remove the stock and put the stebel there? Or are there clearance or other issues?

I didn't try that and I'm pretty sure somewhere in here it was posted that it won't fit there. The Stebel is quite a bit larger than the stock horn.

[STBNE]

Thanks Ben, Nice AVATAR :D Good Photographer too!
I have used Jims stuff before and it is top notch.
LMAOooo That was a great ride Tom!Now that I know the area better next time we can meet in Port Jervis.I actually rode 425 miles that day...a PR on the ST.:D I look at the pics we took that day...was just looking at them...:cool:

[VFR]

I've done a couple of these. Wiring street rods & custom cars is what I do these days.

I don't have an ST so I can't say if the original bracket will bend to fit or not. When I did the Blackbird & VFR, I had to make a new bracket to relocate the horn slightly higher in order to clear everything.

Also no clue about the wiring kit, however all parts you need are very inexpensive. Should be able to get everything at NAPA, Kragen, etc. Whether doing it all yourself or installing a kit, be very careful when routing the wires to no pinch or place them where they can rub. Many people make the job seem a lot harder than it is.

Good Luck,
Larry

[st11ray]

I saw that thread.
Could I remove the stock and put the stebel there? Or are there clearance or other issues?

Tom,
I don't think the Stebel would fit where the stock horn goes. Just follow the threads on here about the Stebel install, in the hole at the right side mirror. It was a piece of cake. Taking the tupperware on and off was the hardest part.

[st13fundred]

.Some ppl like to keep the old horn but have it disconnected just in case something happens to the STebel.

I'm installing a Stebel Nautilus too. I think I'm going to leave my stock horn installed and leave it wired. Other people here have done this, and I don't it's a half bad idea (although I haven't heard what the Stebel and the stock horn sound like when they're on at the same time ??). The reason for doing this that you gain the benefit of having a "backup" horn if the either the Stebel or the relay stop working for some reason.

Essentially you make up two short "Y" shaped wire sections, each having appropriate connectors. Make the Y's with one male and two female spade/blade/tab/faston terminals (whatever you want to call them) on the branches. The female terminals should be insulated (shroud over the receptacle).

Take the factory trigger wires (the ones that have the two female terminals and plug onto the stock horn), and plug them into the male terminals on the "Y" sections.

What you do next is parallel wire the relay coil and the stock horn to each other using the female terminals on the "Y" wire sections. To clarify, take any one of the four female terminals and plug it onto the terminal #85 on the relay. On the second "Y", use the same relative wire that branches off in the same direction as the wire you just plugged onto #85, and plug it onto terminal #86 on the relay. Doing this alone (with no other wires attached to the relay - you don't wan't blow out your ear drums yet), you can now test the relay (hear it click) when you press and release the horn button (this assumes the battery is connected and the key is on). If this test worked, what's left to do is to connect the two remaining female terminals (one from each "Y" section) to the male terminals on the stock horn (order doesn't matter). Now, repeat the earlier test. You should hear the stock horn and feel the relay click when your press and release the horn button. If this worked, you did good, and can continue on with wiring in the Stebel horn as described earlier.

To make this as full-proof as possible, make sure ALL the connections are good and secure (at the stock horn, relay, Stebel, and both "Y" sections).

Make sense??

Matt

[maxib]

Okay, maybe I'm not getting it yet...

The reason for installing the Stebel was the fact that the OEM horn was inadequate at best...right?

So, if the Stebel fails, you're right back to inadequate...

My Stebel has never failed...

So, just toss the OEM and follow the brilliant installation instructions posted here as I did and call it a day! :rolleyes:

(Of course, I don't live in New York City where horns are used constantly, but if I did, the OEM horn would still be worthless.)

[STNY]

Tom,
I don't think the Stebel would fit where the stock horn goes. Just follow the threads on here about the Stebel install, in the hole at the right side mirror. It was a piece of cake. Taking the tupperware on and off was the hardest part.

Yes, I saw the pics of that install and will doing mine the same way.

Thanks again everyone for the good advice.

[st13fundred]

Okay, maybe I'm not getting it yet...

The reason for installing the Stebel was the fact that the OEM horn was inadequate at best...right?

So, if the Stebel fails, you're right back to inadequate...

My Stebel has never failed...


Stock horn inadequate? Definitely. Would I rather have no horn at all, than the inadequate stock horn? No way.

No horn at all? What am I talking about? Last year, a buddy and I installed a Stebel on his new KLR650. Excellent installation. No shortcuts taken. We took the wires off the stock horn and used them for the trigger on the relay (the way its supposed to be done - right?). The Stebel worked for about three months, then quit. The problem wasn't the horn, it turned out to be a failure in the lousy relay that came with the Stebel. If we had wired it the way I suggested above (hindsight is a wonderful thing), he would've had something (anything?) - which in my book, however inadequate, is still better than nothing.

The good thing about the earlier instructions were that they suggested using a Bosch relay. I don't know if they're sealed, but it sounds like a good call. We replaced the failed relay on my buddies bike with a sealed Panasonic from Eastern Beaver (I'm using the same on my ST), and everything turned out groovy baby (Austin Powers was on TV tonight :cool:). But there's no guaranty everyone will heed the advice of using a good relay.

I'm not saying the Stebel is likely to fail, but being that it is an electromechanical device with moving parts (small air compressor inside), it *could* fail if an air seal goes bad, or if the motor siezes (it's not supposed to be tilted more than 15 degrees - presumably for lubrication reasons), etc.. The stock horn isn't likely to fail either.

What I am saying is that adding a couple extra wires to give you some sort of safeguard, is, IMHO, so much smarter than ensuring the 100% reality of having no horn at all (by disconnecting the stock horn altogether) if either the Stebel or relay fail. I'm no safety fanatic, but I've seen it happen (with my own ears :rolleyes:). The smart part are the people here that thought of the idea (Lord knows it wasn't me).

Matt

[VFR]

For those who are concerned about a waterproof relay.

GM uses weatherpack relays for fuel pump and other uses. These are 50 amp with weatherpack connectors and are available at any GM dealer. Not inexpensive, but if you absolutely have to have a waterproof relay, that is the one to get.

However, if you mount the relay up high behind the instrument cluster it won't get wet. Believe me, if water get up that high, you already have much worse problems than the horn relay....

Larry

[st11ray]

For those who are concerned about a waterproof relay.

GM uses weatherpack relays for fuel pump and other uses. These are 50 amp with weatherpack connectors and are available at any GM dealer. Not inexpensive, but if you absolutely have to have a waterproof relay, that is the one to get.

However, if you mount the relay up high behind the instrument cluster it won't get wet. Believe me, if water get up that high, you already have much worse problems than the horn relay....

Larry

Jim at easternbeaver will add a weatherpack fuse and relay for an extra $3.95.

[STNY]

That sounds like a good idea having the weatherpack fuse and relay substituted for the original. I like being safe rather than sorry. :cool:

[STingray]

Here's the info that VFR was referring to (with photos): http://www.ridethatbike.com/ST1300/ST%20Air%20Horn.htm

One does NOT need a relay kit for this. I did, however, blow a 10 amp fuse and have moved to a 15 amp fuse. The mounting bolt that comes with the Stebel is about 1/2" too long, so cut it; mount it; blow it!

Really one of the most simple farkles on the 1300.

Man are those things loud! :clap2:

[brianm767]

Here's where I mounted my horn and relay, you can see the relay it has 85 on it, I marked the pin #'s on the sides of the relay just because my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, I popped it open and sealed it with some silicone before installing it, and the terminals face down, I used an insulated Adel clamp around the fairing frame work to secure it.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/brianm767/IMGP9555.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/brianm767/IMGP0007.jpg

sound clip, compared to wifes F4I

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/brianm767/th_IMGP9561.jpg (http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/brianm767/?action=view&current=IMGP9561.flv)

[Rolando]

I had a Stebel horn I found and bought on eBay installed using the directions and photos here, very properly, relay and all. Very loud, definitely. Not very harmonious sound however. I'd recomend a standard two tone horn set. Cheap, easy, loud and nicer sound. Won't change the Stebel now myself, but the harshness of the sound, not the loudness, isn't great in my view. I had an old BMW K1100Lt before and installed a two tone set of horns, very similar to the stock in shape and construction, a bit bigger. Easily found at auto parts shops. The sound was also very loud, but much more pleasing. People thought some old boat of a car was honking. Now they probably think it's a truck. Good effect both ways. Hope this is of use to anyone planning to install a Stebel. Take care. Ride safe.

[theduke642]

Well after 3 hours of trying to figure out how to mount the stebel air horn without removing the fairing, I looked on this site and decided to follow the directions yall supplied. I removed the right fairing in about 10 minutes and had it installed and buttoned back up in about 45 minutes total.

This horn rocks!!! When all else fails, follow the directions.....

I use my st for funeral escorts and this will be much better when busting red lights. Great addition for any rider.

[hotgazza]

When I mounted my Stebel, I kept the standard horn and used the power to it to switch the Stebel relay. A toggle switch in that signal line allows me to retain the stock horn alone, or both together. Three 55 kg (120lb) breaking strain zip ties and some closed cell foam fixed it neatly to the fairing bracket, pointing downwards and with a plastic hose loop to keep everything out of the air intake. It has worked faultlessly, and the noise output is divine.

[CarSalesman]

Considering the Stebel Nautilus. The description says it can be heard for 3 blocks. Does anyone think its TOO loud?

[uptoblackwood]

I noticed in the web link to the install....in the first image there was a gray spacer block in the install. In a later post the install image did not have the spacer. My horn came via post last week and there is no gray spacer in the box. Should there be?

Forest

[STNY]

I installed mine last week and it didn't come with one.

[uptoblackwood]

Thanks...

[Mark]

I noticed in the web link to the install....in the first image there was a gray spacer block in the install. In a later post the install image did not have the spacer. My horn came via post last week and there is no gray spacer in the box. Should there be?

Forest

The spacer is just that... a spacer.. if you need one you can fab one out of epoxy...

Mark

[st11ray]

Mine didn't have one either. I tried using some rubber spacers that I had, but ended up mounting it with no spacers. I have not had any problems with my horn.

[uptoblackwood]

Mark,

The spacer in the image appeared to be built just for the Stebel mount. Here: http://www.ridethatbike.com/ST1300/ST%20HORN9.JPG Making one is easy....but I wasn't clear as to whether it should have been included in the kit.

Thanks

Forest

[Mark]

Sorry Forest.
I did get a spacer in the Stebel knockoff I bought; but, it is sitting on my bench...

Mark

[Red Duke Rider]

I noticed in the web link to the install....in the first image there was a gray spacer block in the install. In a later post the install image did not have the spacer. My horn came via post last week and there is no gray spacer in the box. Should there be?

Forest

I contacted Twisted Throttle about this myself. The Stebels no longer come with this phenolic block - they felt it wasn't necessary.

[ChipSTer]

I didn't use one either (even though it came with mine too)...
:cool:

[uptoblackwood]

Thanks everyone for the info on the spacer.....

I'm going to remove plastic soon to do a bit of work on the bike. The Stebel install will be part of that work.

Forest

[TRICKYRIC5474]

I finally got my stebel compact natualus wired. Used the Eastern Beaver wiring/relay kit was was a huge help.

Horn is very loud and install when very smoothly.