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Need a louder horn


milesandmiles

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milesandmiles

Found a Dual Bosch for an 1150 GS on Ebay. Looks like it'll work for my 1100 RT, 1 bolt, 2 wires. Anyone else tried anything better?

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search on air horn. much better. I have one on my bike, and installed one on Chris K's 1100s, and Joel G has one on his R12ST. Cannot remember the name, but it is an all in one unit, and very nice.

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Motorcycle Consumer News put dual/ dual (as in two) Stebel air horns on an RT about a year ago in one of their issues. I think it might actually dent sheet metal at 50 feet.

 

Frank

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Motorcycle Consumer News put dual/ dual (as in two) Stebel air horns on an RT about a year ago in one of their issues. I think it might actually dent sheet metal at 50 feet.

 

Frank

 

That was May issue of this year. I wrote it - here's a link to my site where you can see and hear everything - http://www.mklsportster.com/r1150rthorn.htm

 

-Moshe

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Found a Dual Bosch for an 1150 GS on Ebay. Looks like it'll work for my 1100 RT, 1 bolt, 2 wires. Anyone else tried anything better?
The Stebel compact air horn is hard to beat.
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The Stebel compact air horn is hard to beat.

 

+1

 

I installed one this past summer. Great product.......and don't test it in the garage with the door closed dopeslap.gif

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russell_bynum

While everyone gets all excited about adding puny little 4" horns on their puny little motorcycles, I'll remind you that people frequently pull out in front of big-ass red fire trucks with all of their lights and siren on, in addition to honking those 3' air horns that are loud enough to make people a block away lose bladder control.

 

If a fire truck isn't conspicuous enough, what makes you think your stupid little motorcycle horn will be?

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I agree with Russell.

I was driving my bright blue 1 ton Crew cab Duelly with a huge chrome brush-bar and big light bar on top down a big street. A guy on a side street pulled up to the stop sign, looked me in the eye, and drove right into my front fender. Even after hitting me and coming to a stop he still had his foot on the throttle and his rear tire was spinning on all the oil from his car.

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Russell, your point is very well taken, and I mentioned the same in my article in MCN. No piece of gear, from bright clothing to horns, is going to solve all of our problems. They should not lull a rider into a false sense of security by any means.

 

That said, I commute about 105 miles per day in rush hour on the New Jersey Turnpike, one of the worst and most congested highways in the entire country. And while I don't have a false sense of security, I do have lots of gear in my arsenal to use, and sometimes it DOES come in handy.

 

Yes, indeed, I can list a number of times my air horns have been used to keep someone for cutting into my lane, cutting me off, or somehow otherwise behaving badly. Are they the be-all end all of safety? No. But are they useful in my commute? Absolutely.

 

-MKL

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Great answer, both points are very well made. My old horn died (actually the relay did) and I rode without a horn for about 6 months. I never missed it, as I do not count on the horn to "help" be seen. On the other hand, when I got the air horn hooked up, the next day someone started to come into my lane, I moved over, started slowing down, and hit the horn. They heard me (yea I know a miracle) but Russell you are correct, I had already taken all the necessary avoidance actions. In this case the horn worked, but I was not going to "trust" it. So yes, if I have a horn on the bike, I want it to be the very best. Would I assume it is a safety device, NO. To me it is like a helmet, I work very hard to never go down, but if I do, I feel a helmet might help. same thing with a horn, 1 out of 10 times it might help, however all 10 times I will be using my standard avoidance skills.

 

With that in mind I still highly recommend the Steibel air horn, as a quality product.

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If a fire truck isn't conspicuous enough, what makes you think your stupid little motorcycle horn will be?

 

Good point.

 

Removing compact Stebel tonight.

 

Seeing as it's useless, the weight savings will more than pay off. thumbsup.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lmao.giflmao.gif

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russell_bynum
Russell, your point is very well taken, and I mentioned the same in my article in MCN. No piece of gear, from bright clothing to horns, is going to solve all of our problems. They should not lull a rider into a false sense of security by any means.

 

That said, I commute about 105 miles per day in rush hour on the New Jersey Turnpike, one of the worst and most congested highways in the entire country. And while I don't have a false sense of security, I do have lots of gear in my arsenal to use, and sometimes it DOES come in handy.

 

Yes, indeed, I can list a number of times my air horns have been used to keep someone for cutting into my lane, cutting me off, or somehow otherwise behaving badly. Are they the be-all end all of safety? No. But are they useful in my commute? Absolutely.

 

-MKL

 

Fair enough.

 

I personally don't really see much value, but that's just me. Another factor is I can legally lane-split. So...where you are more or less stuck with much fewer legal options for getting yourself out of harm's way...and you are therefore more reliant on passive safety devices like a horn, I can just scoot between the lanes and be clear. So, for me...by the time I've done everything I can do to actively ensure my wellbeing, there isn't any point in honking, since I'm 3 cars away by then.

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So, for me...by the time I've done everything I can do to actively ensure my wellbeing, there isn't any point in honking, since I'm 3 cars away by then.

 

Russell, I only wish I lived in California, and lane splitting is just one of the many reasons! Anyway, anyone who is interested can go to my site and actually listen to the horns, as I recorded them on a short video clip vs. my 2005 X5 horn (stock) and my GF's 2004 R1150R horn (stock) for comparison.

 

-MKL

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I'm not sure what horn came with my 2004 R1150RT, but it is the loudest horn have ever heard on a motorcycle. I never use it but I have hit it a few times accidentally when canceling my turn signal and just about scared the crap out of me thinking a car was honking in my blind side. If anything, I'd like to disconnect it.

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So...where you are more or less stuck with much fewer legal options for getting yourself out of harm's way...and you are therefore more reliant on passive safety devices like a horn,.....

 

There ya go.

 

Last week on the way home, I was in the left lane on a four lane divided road.. Some a$$hat in a Camaro thought it timely to change lanes on me, without signaling. Not that it mattered, I was on his left quarter when he tried it. I sat on the horn, & he quickly retreated back to his lane.

 

Did I mention that it was dumping rain at about a half inch an hour at the time?

 

Tell me LOUD horns don't make a difference.

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I'm not sure what horn came with my 2004 R1150RT, but it is the loudest horn have ever heard on a motorcycle. I never use it but I have hit it a few times accidentally when canceling my turn signal and just about scared the crap out of me thinking a car was honking in my blind side. If anything, I'd like to disconnect it.

 

Go ahead. Disconnect it.

 

See how long that works for ya.

 

I dare ya.

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russell_bynum
So...where you are more or less stuck with much fewer legal options for getting yourself out of harm's way...and you are therefore more reliant on passive safety devices like a horn,.....

 

There ya go.

 

Last week on the way home, I was in the left lane on a four lane divided road.. Some a$$hat in a Camaro thought it timely to change lanes on me. I was on his left quarter when he tried it. I sat on the horn, & he quickly retreated back to his lane.

 

Did I mention that is was dumping rain at about a half inch an hour at the time?

 

Tell me LOUD horns don't make a difference.

 

Left quarter...meaning he was slightly ahead of you to your right. Correct?

 

If so, a brief roll-off and/or gentle application of the brakes would have put him safely ahead.

 

Or a twist of the wrist would put you ahead.

 

Or I guess you could sit on your horn and hope he hears you and has a correct and productive reaction.

 

 

I dunno...I just don't see the value. Any time spent honking could have been spent getting out of harms way and moving on with life.

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This is the part that's hard to explain over the internet. If you weren't there, .... But, Ill try.

If so, a brief roll-off and/or gentle application of the brakes would have put him safely ahead.

 

No, he was on my 2 o'clock.

 

Or a twist of the wrist would put you ahead.

 

Again, no. Traffic prevented that. As an aside, that's one of of my escape routes.

 

Or I guess you could sit on your horn and hope he hears you and has a correct and productive reaction.

 

 

I dunno...I just don't see the value. Any time spent honking could have been spent getting out of harms way and moving on with life.

 

The value is, he yanked his 3.5 ton car back in to his lane. Had I not sat on my uber-loud horn, I'd have been bounced ( tongue.gifsorry) into the next lane, & God knows what would have happened then.

 

His action was very sudden. Had I not been watching him ( I had reason to), I'd be posting this from from a hospital room. tongue.gif

 

Believe me, I don't live by the horn. However, I'm not bashful about using it. Just yesterday, I used it on an on-duty cop. He made a left turn, without a signal, & left his right quarter sticking out in my lane.

 

I was hoping he would pull back out & stop me.

 

Citizens arrest, citizens arrest!

 

Sorry Russell, you're just wrong on this one. grin.gif

 

Then again, as I said, you should have been there.

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While everyone gets all excited about adding puny little 4" horns on their puny little motorcycles, I'll remind you that people frequently pull out in front of big-ass red fire trucks with all of their lights and siren on, in addition to honking those 3' air horns that are loud enough to make people a block away lose bladder control.

 

If a fire truck isn't conspicuous enough, what makes you think your stupid little motorcycle horn will be?

 

Ahem, Russell: You miss the point entirely.

 

Those near sighted, or elderly, or cell phone preoccupied, or partially drunk cagers may indeed crush my Beemer and my lifeless bones with it, but I WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT! I'll die with my right hand on the thottle, and my left hand on the air horn button. grin.gif

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russell_bynum
While everyone gets all excited about adding puny little 4" horns on their puny little motorcycles, I'll remind you that people frequently pull out in front of big-ass red fire trucks with all of their lights and siren on, in addition to honking those 3' air horns that are loud enough to make people a block away lose bladder control.

 

If a fire truck isn't conspicuous enough, what makes you think your stupid little motorcycle horn will be?

 

Ahem, Russell: You miss the point entirely.

 

Those near sighted, or elderly, or cell phone preoccupied, or partially drunk cagers may indeed crush my Beemer and my lifeless bones with it, but I WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT! I'll die with my right hand on the thottle, and my left hand on the air horn button. grin.gif

 

If you die loudly, you're still dead.

 

And you wasted time and attention that could have been spent causing yourself to not be dead.

 

But have fun with that.

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I love the loud horn on my 2005 R1200RT, I would not be happy with the one horn setup on the later R12.......

It is very useful sometimes.......

BUT.... if you are spending your time and effort honking the horn instead of taking the proper evasive action, it could easily be your last mistake.

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I'm not sure what horn came with my 2004 R1150RT, but it is the loudest horn have ever heard on a motorcycle. I never use it but I have hit it a few times accidentally when canceling my turn signal and just about scared the crap out of me thinking a car was honking in my blind side. If anything, I'd like to disconnect it.

 

Go ahead. Disconnect it.

 

See how long that works for ya.

 

I dare ya.

 

When I purchased my H-D FXST eight years ago it didn't have a horn and I thought I could not live without one. After awhile I realized I really didn't need one, except when the light turns green and the driver in the car in front of me is not paying attention and I have to whistle to let them know it's time to drive again. What I have found is that not having a horn makes me react to my surroundings by paying attention and being alert instead of hoping a horn will somehow save me. If using a horn works for you, use it. But don't knock the riders that would rather use their time to ride away from the problem.

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milesandmiles

I had a teen pull u-turn while comming at me on a back road. This was daylight with my highbeam on. Her situational awareness was ZERO but mine wasn't, I avoided her. However, I wouldn't think of suggesting that we stop driving around w/o headlights because this one driver was an idiot and didn't notice mine. I want a headlight, running lights, hi-vis vest, loud horn, and frickin 4th of July sparklers hanging off my fenders if it wards off even half of the potential bike killers out there. Do not suggest that a horn is useless in ALL cases because it was useless in a FEW. When HUZBAND honked at that Camero and it corrected its mistake, that was a simple and effective alternative to plan B, avoid.

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I was riding to work this spring in the dark and a black Honda sedan pulled into my lane without looking (I was on his right side) and almost clocked me. Before I could even think about grappling for my horn I opened her up and blew past him like he was standing still. Unfortunately right up the road was a motorcycle officer sitting in the dark behind a bush with his radar on and clocked me going 60 mph in a 35 mph zone. After he pulled my over he asked what happened, as he saw something up the road with me and the car. I told him what happened and he said he would have done the same thing and handed me my drivers license back and told me to take it easy. Horns are good for some things, but to me at least, I'm not going to waste my time honking my horn when I can avoid the whole thing. And I ride with my PIAA driving lights, my high beam, my fog lights and my Signal Minder equipped turn signals on as additional driving lights.

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I had the Stebel and although it worked well for a year it failed miserably bncry.gif in Alaska due to the dusty conditions on Haul road and others. It is a loud horn, but this time, I went for the $30,= dual air horns from Discount Auto. A lot more noise (twotone)thumbsup.gif for less $$$ clap.gif

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so why is the issue doing one or the other, or having the ability of one thing and not the other? i can use my horn and do all russell mentions. what is not optimal about a super loud horn and russells recommended evasive actions? my thumb knows where the horn button is without a look or a seconds thought. using the horn does not diminish my ability to think and act evasively. ideally a bonehead driver deserves a loud blast just as i deserve to get out of their way. i say do both. a horn has helped many just as moving out of the way has, so why not combine the two?

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russell_bynum
so why is the issue doing one or the other, or having the ability of one thing and not the other? i can use my horn and do all russell mentions. what is not optimal about a super loud horn and russells recommended evasive actions? my thumb knows where the horn button is without a look or a seconds thought. using the horn does not diminish my ability to think and act evasively. ideally a bonehead driver deserves a loud blast just as i deserve to get out of their way. i say do both. a horn has helped many just as moving out of the way has, so why not combine the two?

 

When people are startled, they rarely react rationally. One time I honked at a guy who was changing lanes into me in my tuck, and he startled and swerved TOWARDS me.

 

On the off chance that someone hears your horn, are they going to react properly? Now you've got your reaction time to the initial problem plus their reaction time to hear your horn (maybe) and do something plus your reaction time to see what they did. Just react and get clear of the problem.

 

I guess if you want to take actions to ensure your survival and then think about honking, that's fine. But then again, if you've already taken evasive action and there's no longer a threat, what's the point of honking?

 

 

In the car, where you have poor acceleration, poor manuverability, and you're 3X wider than a bike? Sure...honking makes sense because it's often the ONLY thing you can do.

 

On a bike? What's the point? Just get clear of the problem and move on with life.

 

I guess the one exception would be if you're stopped at an intersection behind someone, and they suddenly decide to back up. At that point, you probably can't backpeddle fast enough to get clear, so honking is pretty much your only possible course of action. (And that situation is also a great example of why lane splitting is a good idea. smile.gif )

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i suppose the heart of the issue (my original point that is) is this. why bother honking? because i believe a driver should be alerted and punished for his stupidity and poor skills, and not get off with a simple wave of the cell phone. why bother honking? because i feel i deserve accolade and reward greater than simple escape for my superior evasive skills. russell, i agree with all your points. and with those guys who prefer a loud blast. its just my way of so far, successfully dealing with most situations like this.

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i suppose the heart of the issue (my original point that is) is this. why bother honking? because i believe a driver should be alerted and punished for his stupidity and poor skills, and not get off with a simple wave of the cell phone. why bother honking? because i feel i deserve accolade and reward greater than simple escape for my superior evasive skills. russell, i agree with all your points. and with those guys who prefer a loud blast. its just my way of so far, successfully dealing with most situations like this.

+1

 

 

 

.

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russell_bynum
i suppose the heart of the issue (my original point that is) is this. why bother honking? because i believe a driver should be alerted and punished for his stupidity and poor skills, and not get off with a simple wave of the cell phone. why bother honking? because i feel i deserve accolade and reward greater than simple escape for my superior evasive skills. russell, i agree with all your points. and with those guys who prefer a loud blast. its just my way of so far, successfully dealing with most situations like this.

 

I understand...I can definitely relate to wanting to let someone know the error of their ways. grin.gif

 

It's just that, with my style of riding anyway, by the time I've taken care of the threat, there's no point in honking because I'm not anywhere near that vehicle anymore.

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On a bike? What's the point? Just get clear of the problem and move on with life.

 

Russell,

 

It's just another piece of safety gear. I use a horn (cage or bike) about once or twice a year, not counting the occasional "toots" after an event to simply tell a driver "hey.. wake up!".

 

(And, there is a point to that, like the other day when a woman cut from the far right hand lane freeway lane at 80mph+ to the far left hand lane, slipping "neatly" between me and the car in front of me, about 3-4 car lengths behind the car in front of me, and about 3 feet in front of my right fender, all the time holding the steering wheel with her knees and fixing her hair with both hands above her head, and never moving her head to look at a rear view mirror or over her shoulder for traffic. Then, 2 days after that on the same stretch of I5 south bound, there was a car that cut from the far left to the far right lane (where I was, cause I was already spooked by Friday happy-hour nuts). He nearly plowed into the rear of the car in the adjacent lane at estimated > 100MPH, but instead, less than one car length from impact, he evidently realized there was "something" in front of him, he turned sharply to the right - into my lane, over corrected left and then right, went into a 90' sideway slide into my lane (again, I was at 80 mph, so he had to be moving at 90-100MPH). He slid all away round the car he almost impacted, which means he slid right into my lane, and back left to the adjacent lane and and continued to slide between the 3-4 (far right) lanes for a quarter of a mile, broadside to both my car and the very lucky guy next to me, until he slowed to about 30mph. Then he corrected right 90 degrees back into my lane, stalled, and coasted to a stop in front of my car, which by that time was on the right shoulder looking for daylight. If I had a decent horn and 1/2 second more awareness of what was happening, I would have hit the horn to prevent him from impacting the car to my left, because we were in a long "sweeper" left, and both wrecked cars would have definitely slid rightward into my lane had he impacted.)

 

I don't know if I'll ever use the air horn on my RT, but if I do NEED it, I won't be regretting I have it (unless of course, I forget which side the horn switch is and hit the "cancel signal" intead).

 

I agree with your points in general, but not your anti-air-horn (seemingly) absolutist perspective. Like everything else, YMMV, of course.

 

Cya .. Scott

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I'm not sure what horn came with my 2004 R1150RT, but it is the loudest horn have ever heard on a motorcycle. I never use it but I have hit it a few times accidentally when canceling my turn signal and just about scared the crap out of me thinking a car was honking in my blind side. If anything, I'd like to disconnect it.

 

My 2003 twin spark came as standard with twin electric horns and they are indeed VERY loud. My earlier 1150 only had a single pathetic horn. My recommendation would be to listen to the horns on a later twin horn RT and see if that simple solution is the way to go.

Andy

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Russell, you're pretty strong in your opinion..... but why deprive yourself (or try to convince someone else) of just another tool? Not every event necessitates a radical, speedy or quick manoever. Sometimes a nice solid TOOT is enough to get that casual and lazy lane changer to get back over. Plus you get to see the look on his/her face for not checking his mirror (no, not his blind spot....why would I loiter there!) It's a friendly "wake up and drive"....which might be more useful than just blasting by.

 

Each his own, I guess. thumbsup.gif

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It's just another piece of safety gear.
That's kind of the whole point IMHO. A loud horn is just like headlights on (or headlight modulators if you believe in them), pulsating brake lights, aux. lights (e.g. motolights), high visibility clothing, and other similar efforts. Never to be relied on, but one more thing on the list that can occasionally improve our odds.

 

Just because a loud horn isn't the end-all, be-all solution to all our visibility problems (what is?), that doesn't mean it doesn't have some incremental value.

 

Do everything you can to improve your odds, then ride knowing that none of it works all the time.

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russell_bynum
Russell, you're pretty strong in your opinion..... but why deprive yourself (or try to convince someone else) of just another tool? Not every event necessitates a radical, speedy or quick manoever. Sometimes a nice solid TOOT is enough to get that casual and lazy lane changer to get back over. Plus you get to see the look on his/her face for not checking his mirror (no, not his blind spot....why would I loiter there!) It's a friendly "wake up and drive"....which might be more useful than just blasting by.

 

Each his own, I guess. thumbsup.gif

 

I guess it's just a different attitude.

 

If I'm really in any danger, then I'm not going to waste time with a horn....I'm going to remove myself from the situation.

 

If I'm not really in danger...like...if someone is changing lanes into me and I've got plenty of room to move around and get clear without really ever being at risk...I dunno. I guess I could sit there honking my horn to "teach them a lesson" or whatever. That's just not my style. I will, on occasion, make my disapproval of their driving skills/habits known with a look and a thumbs-down or something...but even that, I don't do very often. I usually just remedy the situation and move on with life.

 

If you guys want to honk your horns, go nuts...that's fine by me. If you honk your horn in a situation where you are actually in danger, you're seriously delusional if you think that's going to help you. If you're just doing it to "teach them a lesson", then have at it, but don't be suprised when they have no idea why you honked.

 

Keep in mind, most American drivers have incredibly poor skills, and the general attitude about driving is that they don't take it seriously. Most likely, that guy who just cut you off had no idea you were there, and if you suddenly appear honking your horn at him, you're just another "crazy biker" who thinks they own the road. It will likely never occur to them that they were the ones in the wrong.

 

If the guy who just changed lanes into you made an honest mistake, then there's some benefit in letting him know he did something stupid.

 

If the guy who just changed lanes into you did it intentionally to be a jerk, then what's the point of telling him he got to you?

 

Another thing to think about...did YOU do anything to create the situation where that guy changed lanes into you? i.e. Were you riding along static in his blind spot? Were you lane splitting? (note: I lane split and I'm a big proponent of it as a tool to enhance my safety, but I absolutely do not expect cars to see me when I'm splitting. I'm in a place that's hard for them to see me, and I'm going much faster than they're expecting someone to be going at that point in time. If someone accidentally sees me and moves out of the way, they get a big wave, but if someone changes lanes into me while I'm splitting, I consider that MY problem and MY fault, not theirs.)

 

Like I said...I guess it's just a different attitude. Nobody is responsible for my wellbeing except for me. If someone encroaches on my space, I just fix the problem and move on with life. Using your horn either means you expect someone else to be responsible for your wellbeing, or you're just telling someone they're an idiot. As for the former, I'm not putting my wellbeing in someone else's hands, and as for the latter...I'd rather just ride.

 

But you guys have fun with your horns. wave.gif

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f I'm really in any danger, then I'm not going to waste time with a horn....I'm going to remove myself from the situation.
Sure, but what about doing both? I certainly many a time have taken evasive action, take control of the outcome myself, at the same time as hitting the button for my air horn. Sometimes the horn has an the effect of increasing the margin of likelihood of a positive outcome of the situation at hand, sometimes it doesn't. But again, it's just one more thing in the bag of 'tools.'
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I have the Moshe Levy dusl horn set-up on my RT and I feel a lot safer with it. Riding in the NY-NJ-CT corridor with the heavy traffic and loud background noise environment I need all the horn power I can muster. They don't substitute for good riding judgment and situational awareness. But they do communicate to other drivers who might not see me or be otherwise occupied in their awareness and attention.

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russell_bynum
f I'm really in any danger, then I'm not going to waste time with a horn....I'm going to remove myself from the situation.
Sure, but what about doing both? I certainly many a time have taken evasive action, take control of the outcome myself, at the same time as hitting the button for my air horn. Sometimes the horn has an the effect of increasing the margin of likelihood of a positive outcome of the situation at hand, sometimes it doesn't. But again, it's just one more thing in the bag of 'tools.'

 

If I'm actually in danger, I don't want to waste any CPU cycles on something passive...I want to bring all of my skills to bear on extracting myself from the situation.

 

Like I said...I guess it's just a different attitude. The horn is just not a tool that I have much use for. I'm not even sure if my Tuono HAS a horn. I think I remember seeing it down there above the radiators, but I don't know...and I certainly haven't ever used it.

 

It's just not something that I think about.

 

I used to...when I first started street riding. But there was some point, about 2 years into my street riding (commuting 120 miles a day through SoCal/LA traffic...ofen 80+ miles of lane splitting) when I noticed I just never even considered the horn. I saw someone about to get in my way, so I simply changed my way so they weren't in it.

 

There's not any emotion (i.e. "Look at that asshat!") or anything else....I just ride. See a problem, deal with it. See a clear path, take it. It never occurs to me to use the horn because it relies on someone else to hear it and react. Then I have to see how they react and figure out how I'm supposed to react to their reaction. i.e. Maybe they heard my horn and moved back into their lane. Maybe they heard it, and jerked the wheel as they were startled..sending them even closer to me. Maybe they heard it and slammed on their brakes. Maybe they heard it and accelerated hard while continuing the lane change.

 

Whatever they do, I have to figure out if they've heard the horn and how they are reacting. Then I have to figure out what to do about that.

 

Or...I can just get the hell out of the way without creating any additional difficult-to-predict behaviors to the mix.

 

Like I said...if you guys want to honk your horns, go for it. Personally, I think it shows a somewhat scary attitude.

 

It is one thing to wear a bright yellow jacket or put an annoying headlight flasher on your bike. Those are things you do before the ride and (hopefully) don't think about once you're on the ride. It isn't like someone starts to change lanes into you, so you suddenly whip your bright yellow jacket out of the tank bag and put it on. smile.gif

 

The horn is different. It's like...you've done whatever you do to keep yourself out of trouble (being aware, loud clothes, flashing headlight, whatever) but trouble found you anyway...so you whip out one more thing at the last minute. It means you're actively thinking that someone else is going to look out for your wellbeing.

 

 

I keep coming back to this...the only reasons you would honk is: 1. So that someone else will take responsibility for your wellbeing. and/or 2. To let them know you think they're an idiot.

 

#1 scares me and #2 doesn't interest me.

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I lean Russell's way -- riding skills, situation avoidance, and getting away from the problem rather than blowing the bullhorn. But, hey, if a mega-phone does it for you, then go for it. Assuming of course, you don't lean on it every second you can like a NY hack.

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Hitting the brakes, swerving, down shifting, avoiding, accelerating. These things are all automatic reactions to any situation I've been in. Honking isn't. I always think about it well after the fact.

 

That said, I rarely honk.

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I have the Strebel airhorn on my GS. I have used it just a few times but it saved my ass twice. Cars and trucks don't see motorcycles. With a loud blast, maybe they can hear them.

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Russell,

 

In NYC, with a cab 2 inches from you in loud noisy traffic and he decides to take your lane space...you'll hit the horn. The other cab immediately on your tail will not give you evasive room nor will you be able to stop and reason with the traffic because in this tight pack they will be all over you with their horns to keep you moving.

 

Having grown up in california I know California has a different "culture" related to horns. The context here is 180 degrees out from the "horn culture" in California.

 

Context does make a difference.

 

I was in Tokoyo Japan in the back seat of a cab on a Friday afternoon. We were stopped and surrounded by other vehicles. Not a sound was heard. No horns, no hand gestures, nothing. Just quiet. It was then that I realized we were in a traffic jam. Their car culture was very polite and not a bit like the one I was used to either in New York or California. Aftr about 10 minutes we finally got moving again.

 

(This experience also alerted me to a better understanding as to why Japaneese motorcycle horns are so anemic. They do not have to be very loud in their environment)

 

I believe you have to be fully prepared in the context in which you ride. In this NYC context, having loud horns availalbe is appropriate preparation.

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I was in Lima, Peru a couple of weeks ago. During a typical ride in a taxi the driver would honk at least once per block or so. They honk to tell pedestrians not to step off the curb, they honk to say I'm cutting you off, they honk to say hurry up, and to say get out of the way.

 

The good news is that the horns are not very loud, maybe only 70-80 db. Of course that may be because they are worn out!!!!!

 

Stan

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russell_bynum

In NYC, with a cab 2 inches from you in loud noisy traffic and he decides to take your lane space...you'll hit the horn. The other cab immediately on your tail will not give you evasive room nor will you be able to stop and reason with the traffic because in this tight pack they will be all over you with their horns to keep you moving.

 

I haven't ridden in NYC, but that said...

 

1. If the cab tries to take your lane, wouldn't you just move over, into the gap between lanes?

 

2. If I'm understanding it correctly, you're basically hoking for the same reason that I honk in my car...I have no ability to go anywhere or do anything to avoid a collision. If somone comes over into my lane and there's someone on the other side of me, I can't accelerate or brake quickly enough to make a real difference, so I use my horn because that's the only option I have left.

 

(I did that this morning, now that I think of it. Left turn with 2 left turn lanes. I'm in the leftmost lane. The lady to my right made the turn, but totally cut into my lane leaving me nowhere to go but into her or into the center divider. I honked, she swerved, and everything turned out OK. On the bike, I would have had more than enough room to just move over, and I've got the power to just zip ahead of her before she gets close enough to really cause a problem, but in the car, the only thing I could do was slam on the brakes...which could make the guy behind me rear-end me, and if I overdo it, I lock up the brakes and slide into her. So...the horn was my best option.)

 

Are you saying it's like that? I'm having trouble picturing an environment where the traffic density is such that a bike can't manuver at all (but somehow the cars are still able to change lanes?) but like you said...it's all about context and I have no context for riding in NYC.

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Russell, fianl Contextual reference:

 

Wildomar California (2000 Census) has a population density of 1,063 people per square mile.

 

Manhattan New York has a population density of 66,940 people per square mile. It's an older city with narrow streets.

 

The mayor of NYC is now advocating "congestion pricing" to reduce the trafic count below 86th street because we cannot move the vehicular traffic around in this city.

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russell_bynum
Russell, fianl Contextual reference:

 

Wildomar California (2000 Census) has a population density of 1,063 people per square mile.

 

Manhattan New York has a population density of 66,940 people per square mile. It's an older city with narrow streets.

 

The mayor of NYC is now advocating "congestion pricing" to reduce the trafic count below 86th street because we cannot move the vehicular traffic around in this city.

 

LOL! Wildomar is a small rural town. But most of my lane splitting experience is in and around downtown LA. I know that isn't as densely populated as NYC, but don't use Wildotucky as a comparison. grin.gif

 

One of these days I need to get up there are see what NYC is all about. I'm thinking that my dualsport with the bars cut down a bit, with some motard hoops and street tires would be a fun machine in that environment. cool.gif

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A pair of Fiamm Hi and Low tones. My dad had these on his Alfa Romeo when I was a kid. It's as good as it gets in a standard little compact unit. They'll get granny looking in her friggin' mirror!

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