How I saved $175 and stayed out of the Dog House (Horns inop)

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OldernYZer

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May 5, 2017
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Location
Prescott, Arizona
Having just been unexpectedly graced with permission from my wife to go buy the first road bike I've owned since I met her, I found myself facing the uncomfortable fact that I was potentially going to have to spend a significant amount of money on it before she's even had her first real ride on the thing. And that to correct a problem that for me is only important because if it doesn't work, I won't be allowed to take the final test to get the State to agree that I know how to ride a motorcycle.

So, I was determined to fix the horns on my own. Working somewhat blind with nothing but an owner's manual on an unfamiliar machine, the first thing I found out is that there's no dedicated fuse for the horn, and since everything else works, that was not likely to be the problem, but I checked anyway, and they were all good. So the next most accessible item in the system, if not the most likely culprit, is the button. I opened the handlebar switch and found the back of the horn button openly exposed, with a pair of wires soldered to two terminals. Turning the key on and jumping these with a screwdriver blade produced the desired obnoxious squawk from both horns, so the problem had to be the button itself, most likely dirty or corroded contacts. This was a good thing, since I wasn't in the mood to pull the gas tank for an extended search.

But now I had to get the button out of the switch housing in order to get enough access to figure out what to do with it. In spite of the fact that none of the four switches mounted on that side are serviced separately, they are four discrete switches individually bolted into the housing with #1 Phillips screws. The next issue was that the turn signal switch overhangs the horn button, and has to be removed first. The small black knob on this switch has to be removed in order to pull the switch lever through the slot it runs in. It snaps onto the lever, and I freed it by working a small 90 degree machinist scribe between the bottom side of the lever and the knob to lift the plastic latch that holds it there. Then it was a matter of removing th etwo screws that hold the switch and that was out of the way.

Next was the single screw that holds the horn button in place. The horn wires interfere with the removal a little, and it would be possible to cut the zip tie that holds the complete harness to the switch body and replace it once you finish, but I managed to work around that by moving the leads with a plastic pick far enough to get the screw out.

The horn button itself is the second simplest switch I've ever seen. The button is hinged on the base plate, looking rather like a tiny desk stapler. It has a contact on its underside that connects to a coil spring that is soldered to the base plate and one of the wires. The other contact is on the base plate, and pressing the button simply puts the two together. So I worked a flat jeweler's file between the coils of the spring and scuffed up the contact surfaces, and just like that, I had a functional horn button again.

From there it was just a matter of putting the whole thing back together. Simple enough, but watch for two things: First, the horn leads do their best to get pinched by the mounting screw for the button. Keep them out of trouble by moving them out of the way as the screw tightens. Second, once the turn signal switch goes back in, you have to support the TS lever by pushing outward from the inside in order to snap the knob back on. Then close the housing up and it's finished.

 
Congrats. Nice work. Electrical problems are almost always small problems like this, but impossible to find.

 
OldernYZer posted: <snip, snip> ....... And that to correct a problem that for me is only important because if it doesn't work, I won't be allowed to take the final test to get the State to agree that I know how to ride a motorcycle.
Nice write-up. If you have some photos, please post them.

Now, the only thing I take issue with is the quoted statement. For many of us, the horn is a really, really important element! It's used to keep numbskulls in their own freeway lane if they decide to merge into us.

When you need that horn, it's nice to have it operable and LOUD.

 
Can't argue with that, but speaking from experience here in Southern California (where I won't be much longer), too many people have their radios, car phones, whatever turned up too loud too much of the time, and even the typical car horn doesn't do much good. I find myself directing my reflexes toward evasive activities rather than spending the time it takes to engage the horn on doing so. Just me.

According to your avatar, you have good taste in helmets.

 
Even though I was born in New York City and technically grew up less than 2 miles from the city limits, I have no instinct to hit the horn in any vehicle, for any reason. When situations arise, my instinct is to react to the situation by braking, turning, etc. Even afterward, hitting the horn in remonstration never occurs to me. I'm too intent on evaluating the next potential threat.

In aviation, there's an aphorism regarding dealing with any problem: "Aviate, Navigate, Communicate - in that order". With communication being the lowest priority and usually it's totally irrelevant.

 
Can't argue with that, but speaking from experience here in Southern California (where I won't be much longer), too many people have their radios, car phones, whatever turned up too loud too much of the time, and even the typical car horn doesn't do much good. I find myself directing my reflexes toward evasive activities rather than spending the time it takes to engage the horn on doing so. Just me.
According to your avatar, you have good taste in helmets.
So where are you moving, Oregon? No offense but I hope not. Too many here from that state of mind AKA CA.

 
Please, not Oregon. That state is no more than a step behind California, and holding its belt loop. I'm going to emigrate to a free country: Arizona.

California was fine until everyone moved here, and I don't mean just the driving. When folks complain about the way people drive here, they have to remember that 70% of them learned how somewhere else. Even if they hear your horn, the only response you'll get most of the time is an extended middle finger displayed while continuing to complete the offensive maneuver.

 
I still love my LOUD horn that Uncle Hud referenced in his post. The combination of that Stebel airhorn under the triple tree and a set of Sport Horns in the stock location really wake the dead.

I have the agree on the limited usefullness of horns though. They come in handy to wake up the sleeper at a green light of when someone is drifting into my lane on the freeway because they are texting or actually attempting a lane change, but would be useless if someone was doing a panic lane change to avoid stopped traffic ahead of them because that requires immediate evasive action (and an admonishment to self for not having noticed the potential for this happening due to lack of situational awareness).

 
Nice job on the horns.
punk.gif


I own 2 quiet bikes, and I basically use the horns to ward off trouble BEFORE it even starts.

I make sure that people pulling out into traffic get a short blast.

I give others a little beep as I'm overtaking them. etc.

As others have said, once the sh*t hits the fan, the horn is the last thing I'm

thinking about reaching for.

That being said, I think the dual horns on my 2004 are very good compared to many other bikes.

 
I use mine for bicycles that tend to use the whole road for some reason. They must be on their own personal single track in their mind.

Geeeezzzzzz

Dave

 
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