New Horn

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Is the a replacement horn I can get locally, something that is louder and will fit in with minimal work?
 
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ST Gui

240Robert
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The Fiamm horns work well. They are available separately: a low tone and high tone. They're noticeably louder than the stock meep-meep. http://www.amazon.com/FIAMM-72112-Freeway-Blaster-Horn/dp/B000DINKPQ

I got the low tone and replaced the OEM horn with it. Pull the plastic off the bike then remove the factory horn and put the Fiamm in its place and connect the wire. Put the plastic back on and you're done. Quick and easy.

If you use the two horns together (louder and more attention-getting) you'll need to use a horn relay as the horn button won't handle the current draw for the two horns. At least not well and not for long. The same applies to the electric air horns. They need to be wired to a relay and not the horn switch.

I really like the GoldWing horns. They sound more car-like than just about any horns I've ever heard on a bike. The Fiamms sound a little shrill. The Stebels and Wolos even more so. Ideally I'd like the ST to sound like something between a Buick and a diesel train.

[video=youtube;pTRYm_peqGA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTRYm_peqGA[/video]

Ok that might be a bit much.


EDIT: Here's a YT clip of an OEM horn (possibly louder than the ST!) vs a Fiamm vs a Stebel:

[video=youtube;XiY92xGXEDI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiY92xGXEDI[/video]

For my money the Fiamm is almost as loud and a much easier install. It's tough to go by the manufacturer's dB ratings. There are never standards referenced so comparing print is pretty much a waste of time.

When people make these sound clips I wish they'd record from about 15' in front of the bike to give a better idea of relative levels. Your dB may vary.
 
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Is the a replacement horn I can get locally, something that is louder and will fit in with minimal work?
Stebel Nautilus air horn
Bad Boy air horn at Harbor Freight
Fiamm HiWay Blasters, hi and low, paired

All require a relay triggered by the OEM horn wires. They draw way too many amps for the OEM wiring. The difference in loudness is noticeable, but not by much. The Fiamms are the least expensive and require more effort to mount, but are also the most durable. I have the Fiamms on my ST, 11 years, Bad Boy on my KLR, which is basically a copy of the Stebel.
 

Uncle Phil

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I've had the Stebels and now have the Fiamms (although I still have one Stebel that still works on one of my ST1100s). A single Fiamm is just about a 'bolt on' replacement for the stocker on an ST1100. I would presume it would be the same on a ST1300. To add the second one was not much work either - just a little bracket 'fabrication'. ;-) IMHO, the quality of the Stebels has really gone down over the last few years. I got tired of fussing with mine and went with the dual Fiamms. In an 'unoffical' side by side 'honk off' in my garage, I could not tell much difference in loudness between the Stebel and the Fiamms.
 

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How would just a single low tone Fiamm sound Phil?
About half as loud .... ;-) Not really too bad, but the combination really puts out the racket. Other than cutting the inner fairing a little bit, it's not that big a deal to add the second horn. Just fab a simple bracket, a relay pigtailed into the original horn connection, then a good hot to fire both horns. The nice thing about having both is it sounds like an old Buick land yacht which makes people look around just in case there's one coming. ;-)
 

ST Gui

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A single Fiamm is just about a 'bolt on' replacement for the stocker on an ST1100. I would presume it would be the same on a ST1300.
And you would be correct. It's definitely bolt-on and probably the quickest and easiest way to raise the ST's honk to a level audible to someone other than the rider. Local + louder + will fit + minimal work = single Fiamm.

Adding a second one is a bit more work because a relay is needed. There are a lot of creative mounting methods for the second horn or for both as a set- to be found around here.

If you want something quick and easy I think a Fiamm is well worth the minimal time and money to get something on the ST right away while you plan your Ultimate Honk.


How would just a single low tone Fiamm sound Phil?
The second video above is a comparison using a signal low-note Fiamm. It's the second horn in the comparison. Adding the high-note Fiamm would give you that sort of shrill sound similar to the Stebel and some more volume.
 

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And you would be correct. It's definitely bolt-on and probably the quickest and easiest way to raise the ST's honk to a level audible to someone other than the rider. Local + louder + will fit + minimal work = single Fiamm.

Adding a second one is a bit more work because a relay is needed. There are a lot of creative mounting methods for the second horn or for both as a set- to be found around here.

If you want something quick and easy I think a Fiamm is well worth the minimal time and money to get something on the ST right away while you plan your Ultimate Honk.




The second video above is a comparison using a signal low-note Fiamm. It's the second horn in the comparison. Adding the high-note Fiamm would give you that sort of shrill sound similar to the Stebel and some more volume.
A low and high tone Fiamm Blaster will fit in the space the OEM horn is located. One of the Fiamms has to have the trumpet opening trimmed a little to fit but it's minimal and easy to do. I pulled 12 volts for the relay from an accessory outlet I mounted in the RH fairing pocket and the relay install was similarly easy to do. The Hi Lo horns give a massive improvement over stock and any other single horn update.
 
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cchassey
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I think I was the Fiamms at Auto zone for about $20, I believe it was the low tone. They had another one, high tone that had a horn on it for the same price. Are either one good for a single horn solution?
 
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I think I was the Fiamms at Auto zone for about $20, I believe it was the low tone. They had another one, high tone that had a horn on it for the same price. Are either one good for a single horn solution?
Do it right and install both the hi and low horns fed by a realy switched from the original horn wires.

Single horn - air, Stebel or BadBoy, you will need a relay anyway, they draw 18 amps.
 

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Are either one good for a single horn solution?
Yes. Either one is a big improvement over stock and as I said it's a very easy bolt-on job. I prefer the low-tone for a single-horn install.

Two is better. They work in concert adding a little more sound and the combination of the two tones make them get attention better than one. But there's a bit more to the installation with a relay and additional wiring.

You could do one horn now and add the other later or do both at once. Your choice.

The horn is always louder to you than to the Other Guy regardless of the manufacturers' db ratings. Upgrade for those times when a horn is invaluable but ride to keep those times to a minimum.
 

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A couple of things to remember about the Stebel, Badboy style horns:

  1. They need a lot of power. If you are running high beams and/or heated grips, extra lighting, extra heated clothing you're not going to have enough power to "fire" the horn. So make sure the stock horn also sounds at the same time as a "backup" - take the relay trigger off the stock horn wires.
  2. They don't like cold and moisture. Fog, drizzle, rain etc. can make them sound like a strangled cat. So mount them somewhere where the air is warmer, like close to the engine.
When mounted correctly, oh boy do they work! I had a scooter rider try and cut me up the other day - he needed new trousers. Priceless!
 
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A couple of things to remember about the Stebel, Badboy style horns:

  1. They need a lot of power. If you are running high beams and/or heated grips, extra lighting, extra heated clothing you're not going to have enough power to "fire" the horn. So make sure the stock horn also sounds at the same time as a "backup" - take the relay trigger off the stock horn wires.
  2. They don't like cold and moisture. Fog, drizzle, rain etc. can make them sound like a strangled cat. So mount them somewhere where the air is warmer, like close to the engine.
When mounted correctly, oh boy do they work! I had a scooter rider try and cut me up the other day - he needed new trousers. Priceless!
:plus1:
I agree,
1. I ran a 12 ga wire with a 20 amp fuse straight to the battery. I also left my OEM horn hooked up. There was a test done and the guy said the horn was drawing 18 amps.
2. I live in the cold fog and rain and on the way to work most mornings when I pass through a meadows. I fire the horn 5 or 6 times with small bursts to keep everything vibrating properly. The closest homes are about a 1/4 mile away. I hope they can't hear me. I run parallel to a set of train tracks when I do it, so they might think I'm a train.

:toot1::toot1::toot1:

I mounted mine where Deano mounted his in his excellent post.
 

ST1100Y

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I ran a 12 ga wire with a 20 amp fuse straight to the battery. I also left my OEM horn hooked up.
Ditto, spliced into the feed for the OEM horn to power the relay for a set of two-tone trumpets like these:
http://www.amazon.com/HELLA-007424801-Twin-Trumpet-Bracket/dp/B000COBK8A/ref=pd_sim_auto_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1BRKCRQ6ZVNV92HZ2E2R

and they sound pretty much like:
http://www.valkmotive.de/userfiles/products/sound/bpEx9WuCjMXHHLn91EwjcP1lHNsKp9UsjFKhcKf.mp3 :twisted:
 
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Hi all, I’m thinking of replacing my horn. Can anyone tell me the dB Of the standard horn. Thanks in advance
 

ST Gui

240Robert
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To be honest it's so low that I'm not sure knowint that info is really of any use. The other problem with comparing dB levels is few if any manufacturers tell you how the measurement is made. Was the meter 1" or 1' or 1m away (probably closer than farther). Wrap that horn in Tup and now that dB rating is less even impressive. I think if we measured the level of the factory meeper exactly the same way we did with a preferred upgrade we'd be even more insulted than we are are with Honda's choice.
 
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