I am getting more and more concerned with what I'm seeing out there. The main problem that I see right now is cell phone users. A survey recently showed that a cell phone user is almost the same as a drunk.
I always drive defensively with the rig just as I did solo. I have Rivco air horns mounted on the right front of the Valk. Their 114 db sound, on the right side, now seems to be partially shielded by the sidecar. I'm thinking of mounting a truck or firetruck BIG air horn(s) on the sidecar or maybe a pair of Stebels as a partial solution to those part time drivers asleep at the wheel. I'm looking at about 134 db, a big increase. Any thoughts?
Wayne
dont forget to take in the discomfort of your passengers. I had airhorns mounted on my bike..one on each side of the fairing. whenever I blew it my wife in the SC winced painfully, as she was about 3 or 4 feet from the right horn.
On my new K bike I also mounted a pair of airhorns , but mounted both of them together , on the left side of the fairing.THey are STILL very loud. dont worry about the bike or SC blocking the sound...they are VERY loud, and all drivers in the area are immediately aware of them..most looking up for the semi tuck they didnt see!!
Hand grenades
ok, so I live in LA.
Hand grenades sound good (pun).
We have the same dummys here in Indiana just not as many of them.
I don't worry about a passenger. I'm a widower and besides the Spyder is hard to get in and out of for many; it's definitely not a Ural.. I look at it as a third stabilizing wheel and a big luggage compartment. My horns will be mounted on the right side where most of the nitwits are.
Originally written by solo1 on 5/10/2007 7:53 AM
I am getting more and more concerned with what I'm seeing out there. The main problem that I see right now is cell phone users. A survey recently showed that a cell phone user is almost the same as a drunk.
I always drive defensively with the rig just as I did solo. I have Rivco air horns mounted on the right front of the Valk. Their 114 db sound, on the right side, now seems to be partially shielded by the sidecar. I'm thinking of mounting a truck or firetruck BIG air horn(s) on the sidecar or maybe a pair of Stebels as a partial solution to those part time drivers asleep at the wheel. I'm looking at about 134 db, a big increase. Any thoughts? Wayne
I run ProPad's Mini-Beast both my bikes. Am very pleased with their performance.
http://thepropad.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=1&P_ID=161
o~o
You may want to first view the TXDOT regs on horns related to a motorcyle before making any final swap to a really loud truck horn. There are some specifics regarding such that you will have to deal with when getting your rig inspected in Texas. Having just passed my inspection, the issue came up for me as a surprise. It is really all in how the inspector views the law, but you may want to keep a standard horn available until after you have passed your inspection, and then replace with whatever you wish. I run a Klaxton horn on my rig as a personal taste thing. I have seen early HD rigs with original klaxton-type horns on them, so I was a bit surprised when the inspector didn't want to initially pass my rig, because of this Texas rule of "harshness" on a motorcycle horn. He backed away and allowed my rig to pass when I explained that my Model A automobile has passed for years with such a horn, and that they were indeed standard equipment in the past. I may not be so lucky in the future when getting my inspection sticker. The rule is actually very vague.
I have to admit that I don't necessarily think that the crazy cagers are the sole fault of all motorcycle accidents, and that any style of horn will get their attention. I think a much more serious problem for motorcyclists is one that they are actually responsible for, themselves. This includes sidecarists as well. I believe most motorcyclists and sidecarists have never actually gotten behind their own machines at night to actually see just how visible (better yet, how invisible) their machines are. Get a rider onto it as well, and begin to look at just how visibility changes even in daylight. What I mean is that I have often let the wife drive the car on long trips. I enjoy viewing the sceenery as we ride, and often we pass or are passed by motorcycle riders of all types. I have started watching what I frequently see. I see riders who dress in dungarees that may feel good, but make the visibility poor, in that the color often is often very similar to the asphalt road surface they are riding on, making them more difficult to see by others. I see black machines ridden by folks with black clothing that is not reflective at all at night or in the fog or darkness of the evening hours. I see sports bike riders lane splitting or just acting the fool on their machines (I think none of them know what a lead foot on the gas pedal means) *Dallas is cracking down on all motorcyclists in general, due to the large amount of weekly deaths and accidents from sports bike riders who like to cut up and show off on back roads, side streets and the highways here. This also impacts anyone flying the chair on a sidecar, as they would likely ticket you for not controlling your vehicle now days, due to the idiocy of the sports bike rider crowd. The Dallas police are also tickiting folks in private parking lots, so flying the chair may be someting one does at risk in this area in the future. I see many choppers which have minimalistic lights anywhere on the bike. However, I also see sidecars that are really no better lit up from the rear as well. In reality, I can actually say that from my experience in looking at bikes over the past few years as a passenger in the cage, no horn in the world would help if the visibility isn't there in the first place. In the rigs I have seen like this, the fault is on the side of the motorcyclist and not the "crazy cager" with a cell phone or who is not paying attention. The state inspections should be more inclined to look at this visibility issue instead of the harshness of a horn on a motorcycle. I sort of laugh at the encouragement given in another post at this site to join a group and insure with them if you have ever been cut off and such while on a motorcycle. I am very doubtful that the motorist is always at fault in this regard, as the visibility/invisibiillity factor of the motorcycle is more likely to be involved in my opinion...............ahhhhhh, but back to horns.
Just an interesting note, but the horn button on my ri
I read with interest your comments on horns and idiots in cars and on motorcycles. You have some good points. I'm glad that Indiana doesn't have any problems with extra loud horns but even if they did they wouldn't enforce it as they don't enforce the laws regarding straight pipes. I guess that they want to keep people safe because "Loud pipes save Lives" Aside from that, Indiana doesn't have vehicle inspections. As a result, there's some real junk out there.
As for me, my Valk is black. However I always ride with yellow somewhere. Yellow helmet, yellow mesh jacket, or Aerostitch "firemans yellow" jacket with reflective strips. After all these years of riding though, I'm always looking and constantly evaluating situations with a "what if" attitude. The ole Mark I eyeball and an active mind is the best protection out there. I shudder when I see cruisers riding through traffic with both feel on their highway pegs!
Wayne
Originally written by solo1 on 5/10/2007 3:23 PM
Hand grenades sound good (pun).
We have the same dummys here in Indiana just not as many of them.I don't worry about a passenger. I'm a widower and besides the Spyder is hard to get in and out of for many; it's definitely not a Ural.. I look at it as a third stabilizing wheel and a big luggage compartment. My horns will be mounted on the right side where most of the nitwits are.
I wouldnt worry about what side the horns are mounted on except for passenger discomfort. the horns will be loud no matter where they are mounted..left , right, middle. or on the SC, the SC makes little difference in shielding the air horn sound. I can blow my left side mounted horns and people 50 feet away in all directions jump from the loud sound. a cager 5 or 10 ' away will have no problem hearing them even when mounted on the left side of the bike.
I'm going to mount the two Stebel Compact Nautilus air horns on the right side of the bike. I had a spare Baker Air Wing bracket and I've mounted them vertically one above the other on the bracket. I think that these quads will be enough to do the job. The wiring including the double relays and attaching them will be easy.
I have a set of Wolo air horns on my Sidecar rig. They are mounted on the left side but I've yet to fail to wake up a car driver with them. I use them almost every day to awaken a driver on a cell phone who is about to turn or pull out in front of me. It's become an everyday occurrence.
You really need something loud. It's hard to beat air horns. Make sure to mount the air compressor very close to the horns. A relay is needed also. Most horn kits come with a relay and a switch.
I retained my stock HD horn button and added another button on the left handlebar near the OEM button so now I have two sets of horns.
Just keep in mind the reality of things. I have installed a Wolo "Bad Boy" air horn on my Ural. Since then, however, I have discovered that, when the poop hits the fan, I am too busy taking evasive measures while verbally expressing my opinion of the cager's ancestry to even think about pressing the horn button. By the time I do, they are too far away to understand what that "beep" was!
Sarge
Originally written by Sarge on 5/31/2007 12:11 AM
Just keep in mind the reality of things. I have installed a Wolo "Bad Boy" air horn on my Ural. Since then, however, I have discovered that, when the poop hits the fan, I am too busy taking evasive measures while verbally expressing my opinion of the cager's ancestry to even think about pressing the horn button. By the time I do, they are too far away to understand what that "beep" was!
Sarge
Here is some food for thought that some many or may not agree with but no matter.
Horns are nice to have and can get us out of a sticky situation from time to time. They also are an excellent device to enhance a simple wave.
The issue of concern, and sarge alluded to this in a subtle way, is that a horn should never take the place of making a good reactive decision to brake, swerve or a combination of these things when the the ol reaper is stareing is in the face.
If horn operation is put above riding saftey skills we are setting ourselves up for disaster. As with a solo bike a sidecar rig will come out on the downside of any confrontation with a four wheeled or larger vehicle.
We also need to realize that the blue haired or soccer mom cage jockey on the cell phone while drinking a cup of coffee can react to a horn blast unprodictable ways.Anticipation of how we need to react in a given emergency situation will put us far ahead of trying to anticipate how a cage jockey may react when the horn is heard. In addition to this realize that Some brain dead drivers wil hav etheir windows rolled up with music blaring while trying to manage three kids and maybe even a 12v hair dryer all at the same time.
Being 'right' on a rig or a solo bike means little on impact. Some have been 'dead right' which holds little merit except for maybe a funeral director.
Claude
Well said Claude. Excellent post.
Correct as hell, Claude!
Loud pipes and loud horns may give the owner's peace of mind, complacency, and a feeling of being protected (as does "The Safety of 4 Wheel Drive", another marketing fallacy), but both have a tendency to get other motorists Peed off and are no replacement for rider awareness. That split second that one is using to honk their air horn may be the same one that is needed to take an evasive action to avoid being in a collision.
They are handy to have in a parking lot though, when someone is backing into your rig.
Lonnie
I, too, liked Greg's idea of hand grenades. And, let's be honest, wouldn't it be kinda fun to see little miss thing's mascara wand wind up all over her forehead? ;-P
But seriously, I agree with Huey, and Claude. Assume EVERYONE is out to smear you across the pavement. And, as a side note, something I've made a habit of doing is 'cover' the horn button as I go through potential 'hot' spots, while formulating my escape route at the same time. (Another shameless plug for taking a Safety Class to build the foundation of good, safe habits!) Areas like intersections, on/off ramps, etc. And for the record, it's not always the soccer moms (although, they are the most frequent offenders) that are on their own planet. Phones, make up, even reading the paper! I can almost 100% predict who is going to come on over into my lane, my slot. *sigh*
Just my two cents worth...
Karla
