Horn delay

[Obo]

Did you keep the stock horn too?

 

[ST1100Y]

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.

I've to agree...
For "gaining attention" (i.e. SMOMBIE about to stagger out into the road) I can just blip the horn button...
And in any other situation I'm already in distress, hence want a full blare...
Besides that adding more components only increases failure rates...
Hence I've left the OEM horn untouched, only wired the relay for my high/low pair parallel to it, routed a fused 6mm² wiring from the battery through the NO contact... works since the 90ies...

 

[RichKat]

Did you keep the stock horn too?

Yeah, but you can't hear it

 

[RichKat]

This is the horn I purchased

 

[RichKat]

Fitted it in the "dashboard" right side, behind the speaker grill, pointing down

 

[SMSW]

If you really want loud, this is the way to go. However, if it is facing forward, your speed might decrease a bit...

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[SMSW]

This is the horn I purchased

Amazon's picture shows a 30 amp fuse protecting the relay and this horn circuit. I'd suggest you run #10 awg wire from the battery or an aux. fusebox to the horn relay, and then the same #10 from the load side of the relay to the horn. You can use the original horn wiring to trigger the relay. The specs say the horn draws 15 amps, but you have to consider voltage drop. Since this is not a critical application, you can probably get away with # 12 wire and a 20 amp fuse, but I'd opt for #10. The voltage drop would be higher with #12, but probably not excessive (I've not run the numbers).

 

[Larry Fine]

I'd suggest you run #10 awg wire from the battery or an aux. fusebox to the horn relay, and then the same #10 from the load side of the relay to the horn.

And from the compressor - terminal to the battery - terminal or to ground.

The voltage drop would be higher with #12, but probably not excessive (I've not run the numbers).

The compressor will spool up and sound off a bit faster with the #10, too.

Correct polarity matters with compressors; they're louder when it's right.

 

[RichKat]

I used the wire loom it came with, figured they know what it needs. It's instant on, I was hoping there would be a slight delay for it to kick on, but no

 

[Sadlsor]

Just a distraction, as I'm wont to do...
While I'm all about doing what you want, and how you want if it's possible, I wouldn't want any delay on my horn.
Firstly, it's a cautionary device -- and it only works to the extent the recipient gets the caution AND complies.
Not really a safety device, in the strictest definition of the word.
Following that, there will always be some degree of time-lapse between someone's receiving and responding (or not) to the caution.
After the delivery of the caution, my time and efforts will be devoted to taking appropriate escape and evade measures.
In the end, we can all agree the stock horn is all but useless, and I'll add a more robust device at some point.
I installed the dual tone Fiamm Freeway Blasters on my Blackbird in the day, and it seemed to make a difference to inattentive cagers... and the dirtier their looks they gave me, the more satisfied I was.

 

[ST Gui]

If it were me I'd have two buttons and two horn circuits as previously mentioned. Most of the time when a polite Meep Meep is appropriate there's plenty of time to select it from a secondary button. In more dire straits where an urgent warning is imperative a delay could be a bad bad thing.

To that end I've never liked air horns. Sure they're loud. But they also have a "You really pissed me off so how do you like me now!" sound. To me they don't sound like a warning device though this is mostly because of they way many pinheads use them. There's a barely perceptible ramp up for air horns. They "feel" instant but compared to electro-mechanical horns they're not. I prefer two low FIAMMS over airhorns and hi-lo FIAMMS. Also not a fan of the shrill Euro sound.

But if I had to have airhorns I'd want some that sounded like they reached puberty.

 

[ST1100Y]

If it were me I'd have two buttons and two horn circuits as previously mentioned.
<snip>
But if I had to have airhorns I'd want some that sounded like they reached puberty.

Whelen offers quite a few features in this ...




I upgraded my '94 with a few things: the OEM button energizes the OEM tweeter + two high/low snail horns...

The inboard button array then plays a different orchestra, top to bottom:
- wail
- yelp
- piercer/pulse
- air-horn

the latter definitely addresses that guy in front who just cut you off...

 

[ST Gui]

I've oft considered an electronic air horn to supplement the meeper. Good on ya!

addresses

 

[RichKat]

Road today, had an 18 wheeler start changing lanes on me, first time to see if they could hear me,
HE DID! Jumped back to his lane immediately
It's LOUD. Two snail horns back to back, harmonize to seam even louder. A very quick tap isn't to obnoxious, but a long press gets attention

 

[ST1100Y]

Two snail horns back to back, harmonize to seam even louder. A very quick tap isn't to obnoxious, but a long press gets attention

Yep, pointed the trumpets of mine downward in front if the bike to reflect from the road surface...
(the Whelen setup in the '94 drives a big a$$ speaker mounted behind the headlight...)