Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Almost honkin' there

It's only been since forever that Black Betty has been under the... well knife is not quite apt... wrench is more to the point.

It's amazing how slowly I can get a couple of simple projects done.  A cynic would say that as a lawyer I have a lifetime of charging large amounts of money, by the hour, and so the work expands to biblical proportions.  Or maybe I'm just not that good at the arts mechanical (as Hercule Poirot might turn that phrase).

There will be disgustingly detailed and meticulous project reports, in the fullness of time.

In the meantime, I can tease, can't I?

Before...
... and after...
... but there is still no voice because... the wires aren't connected, plus there are some other little things to button it all up and make it pretty.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Ooo, so nice and shiny... If you're able to share audio here, I'm sure that your readers would like to have a listen (once it's wired, of course). Happy tinkering.

David Masse said...

Hi Ry, thanks for stopping by.

I recorded a video before removing the stock horn. Once I get the Stebel plugged, I'll record another. I'll post them here with the project report.

I like your blog by the way. I'll link to it tomorrow. Quirky and totally different. Very nice.

How's your knee?

Unknown said...

Howdy, David:

Thanks right back at ya' for dropping by my quirky, little spot on the interwebs...

It sounds like you were thinking ahead, documenting the pre-tinker sights and sounds of Black Betty. I'm looking forward to hearing the difference between little before and BIG after.

Ah, the knee: You know, I was limping something fierce for a week or so after that ridiculous spill. I still shake my head at the foolishness, but live and learn (as long as one lives through it to learn its lesson[s]).

That poor knee is always the one to get injured, hiking or skiing or motorcycling or whatever. One of these days it will experience a serious accident or catastrophic failure and I'll end up needing surgery like Sonja (I hope to recover as well).

RichardM said...

How much room between the horn and the exhaust pipe or is there some sort of shield? Even if the body of the horn was metal it may be too much heat for the compressor. The only way to tell woul be to take it for a short ride and check.

Funny lawyer comment...

David Masse said...

I'm wondering about that too.

The OEM horn is metal, but the shiny bit is plastic. The shiny shield on the Stebel is plastic, the compressor is metal, but the horn is plastic.

In the photo the angle shows it closer to the exhaust than it is. There is a gap, but the same gap as for the OEM horn.

A test run is definitely in order.

David Masse said...

Knees are one of the creator's weak designs and join the ranks of avocado pits, Ostrich flight dynamics, and periodically, male vs female emotional responses.

I overworked my left knee in February, and needed four rounds of physio to work my way back. Now I do daily morning exercises.

David Masse said...

I've been Googling, and can't find any reports of melting in relation to motorcycle installations.

Except of course for the astonishing number of people on the ADV forum who installed their Stebel direct to the OEM horn leads. Holy smoke! It's a wonder more horn buttons don't melt.

SonjaM said...

Looks great, David. We definitely need a sound bite once plugged in. It hard to see from the perspective but wonder if it might get in the way of potentially to be installed engine guards.

David Masse said...

Sonja it took a while but I finally found an image showing both the OEM horn and engine guards and there seems to be plenty of room.

David Masse said...

For the test run, I may put an oven thermometer where the horn is, maybe a tad closer to the pipe.

If the plastic on the horn is a decent ABS, which I believe it is, it should be able to take 350F I would think, and I don't think the pipes would throw that much heat straight out.

VStar Lady said...

That's one big honkin' horn!

Bill Leuthold said...

Nice installation, David. Several riders around here have installed loud horns on their scoots and they certainly can get someone's attention. But I only use a horn to prod someone texting at a recently turned green light or greeting friends and find the little "beep beep" horns to be perfect for that. I look forward to seeing the other upgrades.

RichardM said...

I picked up an air horn on a kick-starter campaign several years ago and it came with a small electronic circuit. You left the stock horn installed and if you just pressed the horn button for a short time (something like <0.5 sec and was adjustable) then the stock horn would beep. If you held the button down, the air horn would come on.

RichardM said...

The website is http://screaming-banshee.com/home in case you are interested.

David Masse said...

Bill the beep-beep works well outside of big cities and off expressways. It also works very well pretty much everywhere in Europe.

When I first started riding I had a cab head for my lane. I braked frantically and I'm pretty positive he never heard beep out of me.

With the Stebel, not only have I managed to protect myself on a number of occasions, I have actually prevented motorists in front of me from kissing up against each other.

I will never ride without a Stebel. Well... maybe in retirement in Florida one day :)

Conchscooter said...

You are a man of infinite patience. Mechanical Skill? I guess so. I'd not be riding if I had to wait to install a horn.

David Masse said...

Well Michael, not quite. Infinite patience is definitely in your wheelhouse though. The prize is your wonderful P200.

One day I will ride down to visit and insist on a spin on that bike.

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