Stebel Horn - Installed But Not Loud

[GregH]

I disassembled the fairing on the Bandit and successfully installed the Stebel Nautilus Compact Air Horn.

But it's not very loud.

It is pushing out the two tones but the volume is only slightly louder than the stock "Meep, Meep" horn.

I followed the installation instructions carefully: The compressor is vertical and level; the wires are all connected properly (it does honk!), the fuse is good.
The only deviation is that I used 14 ga. wire instead of 18 ga. for the old horn wires running back to the horn relay. (The supplied 18 ga. white wire was 1 foot too short and I had some 14 ga. white available.) I also crimped the barrel terminals (blade, spade, ring) using a pair of Vise-Grips.

1. Could the 14 ga. horn switch wire cause the problem?
2. Could a bad crimp using Vise-Grips cause the problem?
3. Is the horn defective?

I was eagerly anticipating a loud blast but was disappointed with a weak honk. Help me figure this out.

Thanks,
Greg

[Skid]

Since you went with a bigger gauge of wire that shouldn't be an issue.

I would double check your connections to make sure that they are all securly crimped and double check you ground wire too.

If you mounted the horn in the correct position, It is possible that you might have just gotten a bad horn.


Skid

[TexasTri]

you used the relay, right? I'm sure you did as they send it, but have to ask. Most folks will tell you the reason a horn does not sound loud is because it is not getting enough current/voltage.

[SirWilhelm]

Mine had a weak sound due to my plugging the power into the ground pin and the ground to power pin.
Once I switched them, then we rattled windows. And with two of the horns, people jump, even knowing that it is loud.
Ride on!

[GregH]

you used the relay, right? I'm sure you did as they send it, but have to ask. Most folks will tell you the reason a horn does not sound loud is because it is not getting enough current/voltage.
I did use the supplied relay and wired it per instructions. The fuse is running from the relay terminal to battery positive.

[GregH]

Mine had a weak sound due to my plugging the power into the ground pin and the ground to power pin.
Once I switched them, then we rattled windows.
Do you mean on the horn itself? I'm pretty sure that I plugged positive wire to positive terminal as marked on the horn, but switching them wouldn't take too long to check.

[Gilk51]

Do you mean on the horn itself? I'm pretty sure that I plugged positive wire to positive terminal as marked on the horn, but switching them wouldn't take too long to check.

Yes - double check the plus and minus - the horn is VERY polarity sensitive. If it works at all, then these are probably backwards. I connected one of mine wrong and it was very disappointing, too.

[RapidRobert]

This might sound intuitive and self-evident, but I'll ask anyway: Is your bike running when you test the horn? Or do you merely have the ignition switched on?

I wired up a Fiamm Freeway Blaster to my BMW, and with the bike running, you don't want to be standing within 10 feet of the bike when I use that sucker. Imagine my surprise when I took the bike in for a state inspection, and with the key switched on but the bike not running, I got the weakest, puny little meep that made the inspector chuckle. I was surprised and almost embarrased, it was that funny. I passed inspection anyway. Once the bike was running, it was scaring old folks right out of their Depends again. Go figure. Since I only really need a horn while the bike is running, I don't worry about it.

But do take the advice above and use a relay, if you haven't already.

[dukey33]

I'd suggest double checking your relay hookup. It is possible to mix up the power provided to the coil with the power for the contact and still have it "work". The existing or old horn wires should operate the coil. The new, fused, direct to battery power should go to contact that supplies the power to the horn. Also check for wires pinched under body panels or the saddle.

[txbanditrydr]

As a definitive check of the horn you might consider running a couple of leads directly from the battery to the horn itself.... bypassing the relay and that will rule out a defective horn.

[Gilk51]

As a definitive check of the horn you might consider running a couple of leads directly from the battery to the horn itself.... bypassing the relay and that will rule out a defective horn.

Good idea. However, if the horn is good, be prepared for a loud blast since you are only an arm's length from the horn! :eek2:

[mnapuran]

Are you testing the horn while riding, or just sitting still? Mine draws a LOT of power. Much louder when the bike is at 4K RPM's or higher.

[GregH]

I had the power on but was not running the engine.
I'll pull the fairing off this one night this week or this weekend and check the wires. I'll wear ear plugs when I test it.

[Stook]

I had the power on but was not running the engine.
I'll pull the fairing off this one night this week or this weekend and check the wires. I'll wear ear plugs when I test it.

I'm not sure that will matter (engine running or not running) if your battery is up - assuming you have a decent sized battery. You don't want to be anywhere near mine when someone hits the horn button with the engine off (that includes being inside of garage, or on driveway, but you really don't want to be in the garage if the horn goes off in there).

I doubt that a "ground" is necessary, but mine is mounted directly to a metal bracket that connects to the frame. Unlikely that's relevant though. This may not be relevant either, but did you remove the stock horn, or is it still wired in there too? I'd be inclined to remove it, or at least disconnect the wires, if you haven't already done so (assuming you're using the stock horn button for the Stebel).

If you're wired up correctly (relay installed correctly, positive & negative correct) and it's still wimpy I'd bet on a defective unit. Getting the wiring done up properly is essential though, so the advice others have offered in that regard is definitely worth heeding.

[GregH]

The ground is wired to the frame. I disconnected the stock horn.
I'm hoping to get home in time tomorrow night to loosen the left side of the fairing and swap the positive and neg wires on the horn itself to check if that is the issue.
Failing that I'll pull the entire fairing off and begin testing the electrical connections piece by piece to isolate the offender.

Thanks for all of the help, y'all. I'll keep you posted on results.

[mnapuran]

Mine is wired directly to the battery and triggered from a relay. And I'm telling you that unless my battery is pushing 14v+ (which really only happens when it's running at 3-4K+ RPM's) my horn isn't all that loud.

[GregH]

I'll fire up the engine and hit the horn button to check that.

[slowoldguy]

And I'm telling you that unless my battery is pushing 14v+ (which really only happens when it's running at 3-4K+ RPM's) my horn isn't all that loud.
__________________
mnapuran, Gee that's not really satisfactory, is it? Stopped at a stoplight and needing the horn? Needing the horn in a residential area? Cruising down the freeway? I know your CBR rev's lots higher than my R or my LT , but still - I'd be sending that puppy back.

[mnapuran]

It's never been a problem for me.... worst case, I can clutch and rev :)

[GregH]

Ding, ding, ding, ding...we have a winner!
Gilk51 was correct -- I reversed the positive and negative wires at the horn and the horn fired up nice and loud. Man, am I glad I put earplugs in before pressing the horn button. Volume is the same whether the motor is running or not.

Thanks for the help, everyone. Now they'll hear me coming! :rider:

[bushwhacker]

Ding, ding, ding, ding...we have a winner!
Gilk51 was correct -- I reversed the positive and negative wires at the horn and the horn fired up nice and loud. Man, am I glad I put earplugs in before pressing the horn button. Volume is the same whether the motor is running or not.

Thanks for the help, everyone. Now they'll hear me coming! :rider:


Actually SirWilhelm beat him to the punch.


Mine had a weak sound due to my plugging the power into the ground pin and the ground to power pin.
Once I switched them, then we rattled windows. And with two of the horns, people jump, even knowing that it is loud.
Ride on!

[Gilk51]

Actually SirWilhelm beat him to the punch.

Yep, I mentioned that in the other thread - those San Angelo guys are sharp! :clap:

[GregH]

...those San Angelo guys are sharp!
And I'm not! :eek2:
Sorry for the slight, SirWilhelm. Thanks for the advice.
I had my wife sit in her car with the doors closed and the radio on: she noticed when I hit the horn button!

Now, if I can just honk people into dropping their cellphones! ;-)