Finally added a second horn, and other mods

After being pushed over in lanes and parking lots last week, I finally decided to do some upgrades to my 2013 Swing.
I installed a second horn mounted to the bracket that holds the front brake hoses. Being that I had to remove the front fairing to get to the horn wiring, I also added the power outlet in the left compartment, and added fork boots. In addition, I added a spare set of 16 gauge wires from under the front wing cover back to my fused distribution box under the seat.
I would have added pictures to my album, but the last time I tried, there was no room for pictures. I have not seen any upgrades from the admins yet. When possible, I will update this post.

"After being pushed over in lanes and parking lots last week" I'm surprised to hear you didn't mount a 50cal MG (or two) to the front.

Great list of upgrades...I like them all.

Actually Dennis, I installed the boots that you suggested in an old post. The second horn may have come from one of your posts also. I got the horn awhile ago from O'Reilly Auto. I just wired it in series to the original wiring. Boy Dennis I have your front bar, easy connectors for front running lights and rear Admire lights.

I installed a new pair of horns on my 650GT. It had a puny 'meep-meep' horn but now it has some Authority! I did the same on my GL1500. Put two Rivco airhorns under the right saddlebag with the compressor in the right bag, connected it in parallel through a relay to the original horn which was kinda weak. It worked great, if you just hit the horn button for a moment you got a nice, polite beep but if you held it for more than a second the air horns came in LOUD AND STRONG!!). It wasn't necessary on the GL1800 I had later because it had a horn that would put a '59 Buick to shame.

I've had my Silver Wing almost six years now, and the only time I've used the horn is to give it the occasional toot at home in the garage to check if it's still working, and before I take it for it's annual MOT safety check. I can say the same is true for all the other maxi scooters, motorcycles, and cars I've owned. It's intended for emergency use only, not as a unnecessary farkle or a substitute for your small appendage.  

So as the OE works fine and is road legal there's really there's no point fitting a Stebel Nautilus, Fiamm, or any other loud horn that mimics a freight train, plays the 'Yellow Rose of Texas' etc, unless it's to try and impress your mates with your new toy, or make pointless clips for YouTube demonstrating it.

Around this part of the world you might wait through a couple of cycles of a traffic signal while some idiot sends and receives text messages on their phone. A short toot often will bring them back to the fact that the traffic light has turned green... again.

A short toot on the OE horn should be sufficient to rouse these idiots then.

Not likely when their license plate is vibrating from the super loud music(?) coming from their radio.

Got to be careful with the air horns. A little old lady was crowding my lane once when I was riding a few years back. I hit the air horn and she almost ran over the car in the lane on the other side of her. Could have just as easily came my way.

Meldrew,
So what does a second horn have to do with " a substitute for your small appendage"? Both occasions I used my horn and both times the other driver did not acknowledge me along side their auto. One came to within two feet of me when switching lane. I saw the car waiting at the curb and seemed to be waiting for me to pass. Just as I was passing the car at the curb, it took off and switched two lanes into my lane. Thank God that I had been watching the car and for ABS brakes. The bad thing is that driver still did not acknowledge shoving me close to the shoulder of the road. Hope the second horn, not a air horn, works.
I remember making a mistake on my last 2002 Swing and press the horn button instead of cancelling my right turn signal. There was some guy waiting for the light to cross the street. I remember him cussing at me because I had made him jump at the sound of my horn. Ha Ha Ha. That is when I knew the horn was loud enough.

I've use the bell on my Dutch push bike more in the last two years than I've used a moto/auto horn in the last forty plus years. And that's only to piss off the annoying colonies of geese that clutter up the cycle paths alongside the River Ouse here in York when I'm cycling along them.

I uprated the OE bell on my bike to a large Dutch Basil bell, not because of my small appendage, as nature has been graciously generous to me! , but because it has a funky black and white polka dot enamelled top.

Not that the OE chrome bell is going to waste, I occasionally take it in my man bag when I walk into town along the same river path. It's amusing to secretly ring it to move walkers and selfie takers that are dawdling on the cycle path instead of walking on the pedestrian path.

Still stock here but have considered something with a little more authority, like exdavid I had the same set on my 1500, maybe that's the answer for the S'Wing but more than likely would go for an electric upgraded horn.

Why are you guys talking about your ear lobes?

exavid wrote:

Why are you guys talking about your ear lobes?

HUH?

Small appendages. See Meldrew.

Meldrew wrote:

... because it has a funky black and white polka dot enamelled top.

Errr... you are still talking about your bicycle bell I hope there Meldrew?

Tends to remind me of a certain British pudding.

That'd be spotted dick! Me Mum used to make a proper one with suet

Yep, that's pretty good stuff. The name held me back a bit but once I tried it I liked it.

Louder Horns are very Important to me, as I Don't have Much traffic from vehicals, but have lots of animal traffic.

I put louder horns on every bike I own, two horns, 12v 130decibles each one high tone one low tone,
connected directly to the battery through a relay, they are LOUD!!!

Via. Deers, Lots of wild Turkeys, Chickens, skunks, raccoons, animal avoidance is important.

I have been riding and 4 deers at the side of a two lane country road, about 2 feet from you as you pass by them.

I see them and honk a ways away to get them to move away from me, same with all the other animals.

It also works for people too.

:lol!: Wow, what a thread!

I just have the stock horn, and I use it on squirrels.  Works good.  They stand in the road, trying to figure out what's up, but the audible sets their path; at least to somewhere else.  I don't use it on cars, trucks, etc., they can't see me anyway.  I assume I'm not seen or heard.  It's MY fault I'm there, especially at 20+ over the limit etc.  

BTW - Meldrew - Got to say - if it's good enough for Honda, it's good enough for me; and what is that German road sign saying?  I've wondered for years.  Can't figure it out.  Hills?  Ice?  Steep Grade?  Help.  

Next time you come to Florida - look me up.  Love to meet you and the missus.  

Gotta go; gator in the back yard! :lol!: :lol!:

DennisB wrote:

"After being pushed over in lanes and parking lots last week" I'm surprised to hear you didn't mount a 50cal MG (or two) to the front.

Great list of upgrades...I like them all.

Something like that?

In Houston with the horrendous traffic and the very bad drivers you cannot have enough horn for safety here. I just bought my Silverwing and will be installing the loudest horn you can buy on it. Also a modulating brake light or other larger than stock brake light to warn those riding on your tail behind you. It would be great to live in a city or town where they traffic is light and the car drivers are careful and skilled but not in Houston. Many Goldwing and other bikes install air horns on their bikes..

Honda probably moved the horn switch on their latest offerings because it is used less than the indicators. When I have to avoid a problem the last thing I have time to reach for is a horn, if the idiot hears it they will instinctively brake and that could make matters worse, as I'm already taking avoiding action.
I'm sure the manufacturers would fit something louder if they considered it a safety improvement.
My strategy for staying upright is to try not to meet another vehicle at junctions and roundabouts, so I look well ahead and adjust my speed accordingly.

Regardless of what some members say about them, headlight modulators are great safety tools on roads other than freeways, and even then they will be seen in rear view mirrors. I put twin air horns on my Goldwing and used them once in a while. They were heard. The newer GL1800 has a very loud electric horn which doesn't really benefit. The meep-meep horns on most scooters is pretty poor. Dual horns are a big improvement. Especially those like Fiamm that sound like a '59 Buick. Who wants to be run over by a two and a half ton boat that has lousy brakes anyway?

I have Dual Fiaam High and Low Tone Horns at 130decibels each on 3 of My current bikes, and also my car.

I replace the single Horn on my Car Toyota/Scion IQ meep meep sound was replaced, wired direct to battery with fuse and relay, it/They are Loud!!!, I was on the freeway the other day as I am looking ahead down the road, I see two deers in the fast lane on the freeway, traffic was moving fast.

I start laying on my Horn(s) about a 1/4 mile away, the Deer got out of the way of the Freeway traffic quickly and safely. I have used the bike Horns for getting deers and Turkeys squirrels, it didn't work on either Snakes or a turtle with a death wish (I didn't think it would, but I needed to test the horn that day anyway) out of my path, on country roads many many, times.

hondos wrote:

<>I have used the bike Horns for getting deers and Turkeys squirrels, it didn't work on either Snakes or a turtle with a death wish (I didn't think it would, but I needed to test the horn that day anyway)  out of my path, on country roads many many, times.

Hmm, maybe because snakes & turtles don't have ears

Deer on the roads is a real problem around these parts. A loud horn helps, deer whistles don't.
When on secondary roads at night I usually try to find a car or truck going the same direction and follow them. It helps to have a deer picket out in front.

Personally from my experiences with critters nothing beats the eyes and a good set of brakes. I've tried them all including the electronic " whistles " deer hear in the same frequency as we do, all the electronic deterrents seemed to attract dogs Horns? maybe but it's the luck of the draw. I watched a deer cross the road and go into an open field, just for giggles I used the air horns on my Gold Wing, it looked back at me and turned around and ran back across the road into a woods. I've had three deer strikes in some 60+ years of driving riding, two of the three THEY hit me in the side of the vehicle.

In my area we've just had a warning that sixteen stallions are being released into the New Forest for a month or two.
It's likely that the New Forest ponies will be more active during this period and possibly cross the roads without looking!

Could be interesting; I shall stay clear for the time being.

Further to my last post: my neighbour was driving home from work through the Forest early this morning while it was still dark and hit a deer.
It damaged the front corner of his two-month-old car but it could have been worse, especially if he'd been riding a motorcycle.
No news of the deer so I expect it limped/ran off into the trees.

Beware out there!

Deer aren't the only hazard. One evening a few years ago when we were moving some of my household stuff over to York from Cumbria on a dark and rural part of the A66, a myopic badger wandered out of the undergrowth straight into the path of the Ford Transit hire van Mrs M was driving.

I didn't see the incident as I was driving along behind her in my Smart, what I did see in my headlights was what I thought was a dark plastic rubbish bag blowing across in front of me. It was the dead badger, and it hit my car with a sickening loud bang which for a few seconds scared the hell out of me.

My Smart was luckily undamaged, but the Transit had damage to it's front bumper, and also serious damage to the diesel intercooler which we had to pay for.  I'd seen roadkill badgers before and some of them are the size of large dogs. Now when I see a dead badger on the road I wonder about the damage they caused to the vehicle that killed it.

Herdwick sheep are also stupid and unpredictable when you're riding on fell roads. So are farm animals that have got out of fields, and patches of country roads where farmers have moved dairy cattle from field to milking parlour can be downright dangerous to a rider caught unaware. Road surfaces where they've crossed or have been herded down are literally awash with cowshit.

Of course these horny handed sons of the soil couldn't care less about the mess their livestock have made for other road users, and don't get me started on farm tractors and farm machinery generally out on the roads.