Horn delay

[RichKat]

I'm wanting to get a louder horn for my 1300, found a self contained air horn that's VERY loud, but I would like to be able to keep my stock horn too. Has anyone set up a delay circuit, so I can do a simple beep beep, before the air horn kicks in, you know, if someone is asleep at a light I can beep beep, but if they're about to hit me on the freeway I can let the big horn wake them up. I'm thinking maybe 3 seconds of regular horn then air horn honks, something like that

 

[Obo]

I haven't done that. I did the dual FIAMM Highway Blasters & relay upgrade instead.

But if you did want to do that you'd just need a delay to trigger the air horn.

You should be able to use something like this, but it would need an enclosed project box to keep it water tight ( or any small watertight container.)

https://www.mantech.co.za/Datasheets/Products/HW-010-200224.pdf

You'd tee the + & - wires to the horn and run them to the dual connector end and
You'd then run a 12v + fused power source into the center COM of the triple connector.
From one of the outside connectors on the triple you'd run to the 12v + of the air horn. You'd want the connector that's normally open (aka OFF) The other one is normally closed (aka ON)
The other outside connector would not be used.
You'd adjust the activation time with the standard screw pot. (0-10 seconds according to the documentation.)

There are some time delay relays that look like normal enclosed relays, but they are usually fixed activation in the 10 second range and are $30+ in price.

 

[Obo]

 

[Obo]

*You'd just want to ensure the air horn didn't draw more current (amps) than the relay was made for.

 

[RichKat]

Amazon sells the horn, comes with relay and wiring to be triggered by stock horn circuit, powered straight off the battery, so really all I would need is some way to delay it. I saw some delay setups on Amazon like what you showed, probably go with them
Thanks

 

[dwalby]

maybe I'm missing something, but given the current design approach:

1. when you tap the regular horn at someone who doesn't start when the light changes, 3 seconds later they're going to get the air horn blast, which probably isn't what you want.
2. if someone is about to run into you on the freeway, the air horn won't activate until 3 seconds later, which probably isn't what you want either.

 

[RiderRon]

The way most air horns work is they take a second for the compressor to spool up before they blow anyway so if you keep the stock horn and give the switch a quick bump and release it only the stock horn will blow. If you want the air horn then you hold on to it.
Several of the guys on the volusiariders forum used Wolo and Stebeil air horns with their stock horns and this is how they used them.
Just an idea.

 

[RichKat]

The way most air horns work is they take a second for the compressor to spool up before they blow anyway so if you keep the stock horn and give the switch a quick bump and release it only the stock horn will blow. If you want the air horn then you hold on to it.
Several of the guys on the volusiariders forum used Wolo and Stebeil air horns with their stock horns and this is how they used them.
Just an idea.

Yeah, the more I thought about it, that idea occurred to me, a delay might be totally unnecessary

 

[SMSW]

maybe I'm missing something, but given the current design approach:

1. when you tap the regular horn at someone who doesn't start when the light changes, 3 seconds later they're going to get the air horn blast, which probably isn't what you want.
2. if someone is about to run into you on the freeway, the air horn won't activate until 3 seconds later, which probably isn't what you want either.

It depends on the electronics. I thought of what you said too, but also wondered if the 'tap' on the button is a triggering voltage or if the board shuts down when said voltage goes to zero. In the former case, you are correct in example 1. IIRC, some AB relays can be found that work in either configuration.

 

[Mellow]

I would just hook the air horns to your stock button and add a 2nd button for triggering the meep horn.. the last thing you want is a meep when you need a honk.

 

[Firstpeke]

You could carry a road runner for normal use, train it so that when you give it a nudge it goes "meep meep"......

Getting my coat now.....

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

I put the meep on switch 3 of the right pod. I use it more than the honk.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

Post #42

St1300 PA wiring handlebar switches | ST1300 Related

Thanks !!!

www.st-owners.com

 

[Andrew Shadow]

It would be much simpler to use the high and low tone Fiamm Freeway Blasters instead of an air horn, both for installation and use. They have proven to be plenty loud enough. You can tap the OEM horn button to give just a little toot or you can hold the button and blast them at full volume. Being electric they respond immediately, unlike an air horn that has to spool up.

Another benefit is the improved reliability electric horns offers. Most electrically powered air horns don't seem to have a long life in my experience. Many here who have used the air horns have reported failures with them and have changed them out to the Fiamms. Failures with electric horns is very rare.

One of the other big advantages is the built-in redundancy because there are two horns used if you install both the high and low tones, which you should to get that scare the hell out of them big old Buick horn blast. It is extremely unlikely that both horns will fail at the same time, so you will always have at least one operational horn.

 

[Al st1100]

just use a separate switch

 

[Obo]

It is extremely unlikely that both horns will fail at the same time, so you will always have at least one operational horn.

The case where both horns *could* fail would be if the fuse blew or wiring was insufficient to the dedicated relay feeding the 2 horns that was triggered from the OEM wiring.
(you do NOT want to run 2 FIAMMS off the stock wiring!!)

If you were really worried about that the easy fix would be to run one FIAMM off the OEM wiring and have that also trigger the relay for the 2nd FIAMM. I had one FIAMM on the stock wiring for 3 years without issues, not that the horn gets used often or for long duration.

I wasn't worried about this so both my FIAMMS run off a dedicated relay triggered from the OEM horn circuit.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

The case where both horns *could* fail would be if the fuse blew or wiring was insufficient to the dedicated relay feeding the 2 horns that was triggered from the OEM wiring.
(you do NOT want to run 2 FIAMMS off the stock wiring!!)

No question.
That possibility is just as present with an air horn as well however. Any air horn that I have looked at exceeds or seriously taxes the current capacity of the OEM horn circuit, and to be properly installed requires a larger wire circuit triggered by the OEM horn wiring. From that standpoint there is no difference between the two scenarios.

 

[Obo]

I think we all agree louder horns are better and the stock one is not ideal.

However one chooses to upgrade their horn it's still a great thing to do, and relatively quick, easy and not expensive.

Work on being seen first, if not then be heard!

 

[RichKat]

The horn I'm going to get, has separate fused wiring, with a relay, only using stock wiring to trigger the relay, so NO extra load on stock wiring.

 

[RichKat]

ST air horn

www.youtube.com