View Full Version : Upgraded the horn on my Ninja
Grn99Kawi September 26th, 2009, 10:12 AM The stock horn never really bothered me much... sounding more like the Warner Brother's roadrunner with a sock in its mouth.. but ther other day I had to reach for the horn 3 times.. and once I leaned on it for some ass clown in a Mercedes Benz "courtesy car" who couldnt decide which of 2 lanes he really wanted while taking calls on his cell phone... I showed him where the sky was using a selected finger.. I dont think he ever heard or saw me...
Last night I went to Autozone and picked up the fabled "Freeway Blaster" low note horn for $20.. install was very straightforward. I used the bracket that came with the horn and I used black foam (like those that mount tranny coolers up against radiators) to insulate it like the OEM bracket does with rubber.. I'm not sure if that is necessary, but I did it anyway...
The sounds is louder, but best of all it sounds like a 'car' and not a big wheels.
Some idiots still might not hear me, but at least I have a better fighting chance... I made a quick video showing the difference:
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Alex September 26th, 2009, 10:20 AM Good job! :thumbup:
andrewexd September 26th, 2009, 10:25 AM yeah sounds alot better. The stock horn is useless on the freeway...
noche_caliente September 26th, 2009, 12:41 PM Thanks for the comparison!
welcome2thedawn September 26th, 2009, 12:46 PM that's awesome!!! i must have one!
bobaab October 14th, 2009, 01:57 PM Nice! It sounds way better than the stocker. The stock horn is more of a suggestion rather than a warning...I never use it.
Nemesis October 14th, 2009, 02:06 PM I actually want to do this to my bike but I'm usually the one that gets honked at. LOL!
ManyCavies October 14th, 2009, 02:42 PM Thats great! Thanks for the info:D
I still want an air horn to wake up the idiots that seem to aim for me when eye contact is made, target fixation anyone.:(
g21-30 October 14th, 2009, 02:48 PM Good Job! Sounds just like my '09 (Freeway Blaster)
ajaygraci October 14th, 2009, 06:07 PM sounds just like a car nowm good job and thanks for that vid ... i thought it would sound like a 8wheel trucker but still its a huge improvement
Nemesis October 14th, 2009, 06:10 PM I just saw the vid...I wanna install one of those train horns on mine. LOL!
M October 17th, 2009, 06:39 PM I went with a FIAMM low tone. I ended up having to mount the horn to the upper left radiator bolt, so that I can still use the triple tree in conjunction with my front stand.
websniper November 22nd, 2009, 01:58 PM I've installed the same horn. It's a marked difference. And, watching the wrench jump when he hit the honker while performing my inspection was added entertainment value!
BlueRaven November 22nd, 2009, 03:44 PM :thumbup: i never thought of changing my horn but will definitely look into it for the future. I have a few months to do mods ...darn long canadian winters :smow:
Snake November 22nd, 2009, 04:38 PM It's definetly alot more of an attention getter.
Rayme November 22nd, 2009, 06:13 PM I'd like to get hella supertones, they are hella loud! You dont want to horn it by accident when in your garage/shed :P
BlueRaven November 22nd, 2009, 06:22 PM it may cause you to scream like a girl if you were to accidentely hit the horn in the garage ...lol
H.I.D. June 18th, 2010, 09:15 AM I noticed that the stock horn draws 2.5 amps, and the freeway blaster
draws 5 amps. Is there any concern about installing the freeway blaster
because it will draw 5 amps. Would it "overheat the wiring" ?
H.I.D. June 18th, 2010, 09:18 AM I forgot to mention, the bike that i am referring to is the new gen- 2008 ninja 250
tjkamper June 18th, 2010, 09:49 AM Sounds like a good investment of $20 and a Saturday.
jonthechron June 18th, 2010, 10:57 AM Dontcha worry bout it, my horn draws about 18 AMPS, air-horn ftw
mrlmd June 18th, 2010, 11:13 AM Most of these horns, and that's like a knock-off of a Stebel air horn, CANNOT be directly wired up to the stock horn button and wires. They need to be connected usually directly from the battery to a relay and then to the horn, and the horn button and existing wiring the goes to activate the relay. The Stebel and similar ones are protected by a 20 amp fuse and heavier wires are used to power them from the relay than are used for the original horn wiring. If you run the horn like that you have a risk of burning out the horn button and the wires, or melting them, and in a severe accident, could start a fire.
See the 2 wiring diagrams attached. You should have gotten a relay with that horn, otherwise go pick up a 20 amp rated relay and a 10 or 20 amp inline fuse and do it correctly. That may be only another 5 dollars or so. Otherwise you may not have any horn soon or some other problem with your bike.
jonthechron June 18th, 2010, 01:08 PM Most of these horns, and that's like a knock-off of a Stebel air horn, CANNOT be directly wired up to the stock horn button and wires. They need to be connected usually directly from the battery to a relay and then to the horn, and the horn button and existing wiring the goes to activate the relay. The Stebel and similar ones are protected by a 20 amp fuse and heavier wires are used to power them from the relay than are used for the original horn wiring. If you run the horn like that you have a risk of burning out the horn button and the wires, or melting them, and in a severe accident, could start a fire.
See the 2 wiring diagrams attached. You should have gotten a relay with that horn, otherwise go pick up a 20 amp rated relay and a 10 or 20 amp inline fuse and do it correctly. That may be only another 5 dollars or so. Otherwise you may not have any horn soon or some other problem with your bike.
+1
Always wire things up the proper way, even though it will appear to "work" by simple plug&play, long term reliability may be compromised. Use a relay to wire the air horn, check for the proper AWG, make sure fuses are of correct Amperage rating, etc. If you don't think you can do-this-yourself, have someone with competent electrical experience do it for you.
AgentCircus July 18th, 2010, 05:13 PM For those of you with the FIAMM Freeway Blaster, where did you buy it? I checked Autozone and they didn't have it.
gogiburn July 18th, 2010, 06:47 PM go to www.autohornsplus.com and get the M80 Stebels.$19 for 2 one hi one lo Awsome orns includes the relays.
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