NOT horned!

[doc47]

I have loved the Stebel Nautilus Compact horn that came on my Dakar. It does announce itself. But I've discovered that, despite its nautical name, it does not like water!

I read the reviews in WebBikeWorld but wonder if there are any newer products out there?

Any recommendations on horns? Places to purchase said horn(s)?

[Guest Kakugo]

Stebel is in a rough patch of lately.

The owner is currently on trial for having sold made in Rumania horns branded as "made in Italy" and build quality has really done down lately.

To give an example a rag run tests on two Nautilus and found them to be 30db below specs.

 

If you like loud horns there are a few products out there.

Hella Supertones pack a hefty punch for their size. They moved production to India but quality seems to be unaffected.

Fiamm El Grande twin horns are dirt cheap and work well.

Finally PIAA horns seem to be good value for money.

 

Personally I am fully satisfied with my twin horn set up. The old RT horn was actually exactly the same as the one fit to the old 5 series saloon so if you look around breakers' yards you may land yourself a bargain.

[WestyLancs]

Just out of curiosity Doc, which bit has failed.

 

Years ago I used to ride police R80s fitted with two tone horns

of similar design to the nautilus. If the trumpet was facing too far

forward they had a tendency to fill with water in the rain and stop working.

 

A liberal dose of WD40 or similar down the 'horn' followed by

a good shake, then giving it a good 'blast', usually cured it.

Then slightly tilt the mouth of the horn down to reduce the risk of further ingress.

May not apply in your case though.

 

[Rougarou]

I've got twin Stebels mounted on the RT and haven't had any issues. The horns have been mounted for over two years now and I'm an all weather rider. Like Ian says, tilt the mouth down a bit and the risk is lessened.

[realshelby]

Doc, I recently bought Stebel for the new V Strom. Works, but like mentioned above it sure doesn't seem as loud as one I used to have! I think the factory horns on my '04 RT are as/more loud and definitely sound better. I would look into a pair of the all electric horns if I were to do it over.

[elkroeger]

Hi Doc, I've got a pair of those twin Fiamms on my 11RS. And a Nautilus on Lori's bike. We've blown both horns side by side, in the carport, and there really isn't a lot of difference (or maybe I'm just tone deaf...). The Stebel has a higher tone. Personally I prefer the Fiamms because they seem higher quality all around. We went with the Nautilus on Lori's 650CS because there wasn't as much room to work with.

 

I got started on those Faimm horns when my dad let me have the horns off of his old Alfa Romeo. I put 'em on my R100 and never looked back. Buy one hi tone, and one low tone.

 

available at aerostich: LINK

[BerndM]

I have loved the Stebel Nautilus Compact horn that came on my Dakar. It does announce itself. But I've discovered that, despite its nautical name, it does not like water!

I read the reviews in WebBikeWorld but wonder if there are any newer products out there?

Any recommendations on horns? Places to purchase said horn(s)?

 

Best horns on a motorcycle I've ever heard are the STOCK twin horns on the 2005 R1200RT. In 2006, they went to a single crappy horn.

My bike demands attention when I hit the horn on my 2005.

 

[moshe_levy]

Doc, the horns should have come with thin plastic tubing for air intake that you can direct away from typically wet or dirty areas. Did you use this?

 

-MKL

[g_frey]

The horns are nice until they break in less than ONE year as they did for me and yes they were installed correctly. Then try to receive a reply from the company or parts. Try, Try, try, because they will not reply or sell you the part needed to fix the horn.

[g_frey]

On mine it was the carbon brushes. It would have been an easy fix but the company would not return my calls, emails, or letters. The brushes failed because the brush holders were too large and let them wiggle too much in use.

[Fubar]

Hi Doc, I've got a pair of those twin Fiamms on my 11RS. And a Nautilus on Lori's bike. We've blown both horns side by side, in the carport, and there really isn't a lot of difference.

I looked at the Stebel but went with a 135dB FIAMM I got at the auto parts store for about $10 instead of the $45 for a claimed 6dB more in the Nautilus.

They fit and work well. I should have gotten both (they had 2 different tones) and mounted them together.

[BerndM]

I just found this link today. It is worth a look.

 

http://www.gizmag.com/plug-play-screamer-motorcycle-horn/25047/

[g_frey]

The Stebels while louder than stock are not as loud as they advertize by a long shot. There is NO support for the Stebles either.

[Blind Squirrel]

Do you have to run these horns through a relay?

[Rougarou]

Do you have to run these horns through a relay?

 

Yes, I run both of my Stebels independently. Both are connected to the factory horn power lines for switching power but the actual horn activation power comes directly from the battery. They both use 30amp fuses.

[doc47]

Moshe, the horn came on the bike when I bought it.

 

Took it off today and played with it. The plastic trumpet part slides off the compressor unit. Despite my having mounted the thing upside down it had water in it.

 

There's an 0-ring that seals the connection between the compressor and trumpet/diaphragms assembly. That connection has to be tight. I wrapped it with a couple of zip-ties to keep it tight.

 

I now have better performance (and still better than a stock horn!)... but only one diaphragm seems to be working. I may try the WD-40 trick but I'm beginning to think this thing is headed for the horn graveyard. It may be corroded inside or perhaps dirt has lodged in the diaphragm.

 

The problem is that there are not a lot of options for mounting on an F650GS.

[tallman]

Mounting air horn don't know if it helps but when/if you replace...