Air horns

[StoneChucker]

I guess it depends on your bike. Mine is about as loud as my car, I don't have any issues with it. Back in SA, I fitted a triple airhorn system into my car. It was pretty loud, but airhorns are also pretty big. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want one on my bike. They are also normally constructed out of cheap plastic, or I haven't seen any decent looking ones.

It boils down to safety I guess. If your horn is really quiet, then yeah go for a louder one. Doesn't necessarily have to be an air-horn.

[geoffm]

The RD350 has air horns, which were on it when I got it as the standard budgie had died. Work well, but only if the motor is running due to the tiddly battery. Beemer has a good horn, being a refugee from some BMW car.
Most of them are just enough to get a WOF and no more.
Geoff

[2_SL0]

I heard of a funny thing that hapend to someone with airhorns on a bike.
A driver of a car was turning in front of him or somethin along those lines, so he hit his horn. She turned looked straight at him and carried on her way. He crashed into her. When the lady was asked later why she didnt see him, especially as he had tooed his horn. The reply was " I turned and looked for the TRUCK, but couldnt see it"
The rider removed the airhorns.

[pritch]

The horns mentioned in this item are electric but some are reputedly authoritative. Of interest was the mention of a pre assembled wiring loom for the horns. I absolutely want something better than what came standard.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-horns/

[pritch]

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/horn-...horn-relay.htm

[pritch]

http://www.easternbeaver.com/Home/Ma...horns_kit.html

That URL's a bit long, you may have to cut and paste it.

[Silage]

Any idea on the current used to run an air horn pump?

I bought a cheap ($24) twin set at Cheap Auto or whatever and direct wired it without the relay cos I was cheap and cos it draws the same current either way. Bought a switch capable of handling current and it works fine.

How much current? It was OK a number of times on a 10amp fuse, but then it blew. Now on a 15A and seems OK.

Mounted only the short horn as far back on the front forks as it would go but have discovered the horn hits the mudguard on big bumps and heavy braking. Otherwise it is certainly louder than the original.

[Ixion]

I put air horns (the cheap ones) on the Beammer, but I was rather disappointed.They were quite loud compared with a lot of bike horns but not the primal mountain crumbling noise that I wanted. But the combination of air horns and the standard (very loud) BMW horns is not too bad. It is possible that they are a bit munted because I had to seriously extend the length of the airhoses. The compressor is in the top box, the trumpets are mounted on the carshbars.

Incidentally the musical ones are illegal here . No probs with the current drain but BMWs have 700 watt alternators

[inlinefour]

Too bad about the other poor bastards within six blocks.

What'd you do, mount 'em on the back where the radio used to sit?

The compressor was out the back and the horns was up the frount. Never actually let em rip late when they could have woken someone up (except for shift workers like me). Generally only used them out on the open road and if I had have kept the bike I could have quite easily removed the horns and put another halogen on the bike instead.