Horn Conundrum

Discussion in 'Technical Help' started by David Reynolds, Jul 18, 2020.

  1. David Reynolds

    David Reynolds Member

    Jun 26, 2020
    44
    18
    Browns Valley CA
    #1 David Reynolds, Jul 18, 2020
    OK guys, bear with me here, bought a gorgeous 2017 T100 three weeks ago and put a few hundred miles on it so far...the horn didn't work when I took ownership which was certainly not a deal breaker but the seller should at least have given me a heads-up...oh well.

    So I put a meter on the unit and its getting 12 volts at which point I order a new horn figuring the original has gone tits up for whatever reason regardless of the fact that it's virtually new.

    Here's where it gets interesting...plug in the replacement horn and it works great for about five minutes until I play around with the mounting bracket a bit and then lo and behold, it dies again - completely! Obviously it's not a fuse because that's the first thing I checked and it worked briefly as mentioned. Is there a short in the system somewhere? Should I keep playing with the connections?

    Anyway, consider me 100% baffled at this point. Any ideas from you Triumph guys with much better mechanical/electrical chops than moi? Many thanks for any advice you can offer. Lack of a horn certainly won't prevent any future rides but every once in awhile there's some cager who you can just sense is gonna pull out in front of you without seeing you (you see it coming based on their 'body language' am I right?) and in those cases maybe once a year you need the fucking horn...

    Any thoughts?
     
  2. Jim bushluv

    Jim bushluv New Member

    Sep 11, 2021
    0
    1
    Murca
    #2 Jim bushluv, Sep 11, 2021
    Did you figure out? Mines doing the same thing
     
  3. stollydriver

    stollydriver Elite Member

    Apr 25, 2015
    2,072
    800
    north wales
    #3 stollydriver, Sep 11, 2021
    Is the horn in on a rubber mount - ie isolated from earth? If you remove from the bike and leave it hanging - does it work?
     
  4. Jim bushluv

    Jim bushluv New Member

    Sep 11, 2021
    0
    1
    Murca
    #4 Jim bushluv, Sep 11, 2021
    There are! Seems like a fairly common issue here.

    It’s on a metal mount. I have a 2011 Thruxton, I just purchased. The oem horn was doa. I put on a replacement. It worked for about a week then died. Both connections appear to have good current. I tested with an un-mounted horn and it honked.
     
  5. stollydriver

    stollydriver Elite Member

    Apr 25, 2015
    2,072
    800
    north wales
    #5 stollydriver, Sep 11, 2021
    Just out of interest - are the horns marked for polarity?
     
  6. Jim bushluv

    Jim bushluv New Member

    Sep 11, 2021
    0
    1
    Murca
    #6 Jim bushluv, Sep 11, 2021
    Good question! I don’t believe so but I’m not near one at the moment. Fwiw: the tabs are the same size as well
     
  7. Cyborgbot

    Cyborgbot Guest

    #7 Cyborgbot, Sep 11, 2021
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 12, 2021
    Yes, if you wire a horn the wrong way round you will get negative noise.

    ;):joy:
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  8. stollydriver

    stollydriver Elite Member

    Apr 25, 2015
    2,072
    800
    north wales
    #8 stollydriver, Sep 11, 2021
    On some cars - if the negative feed is on the live connection - when installed the live can go to the earth path rendering the horn inoperative. Just a thought..
     
  9. robin phillips

    robin phillips Member

    Dec 13, 2020
    30
    13
    somerset
    #9 robin phillips, Mar 4, 2024
    Horns...... I saw recent posts ref horns that can be heard , and a recommend of the Denali sound bomb mini....( I have a 2008 Bonnie 865 ...... horn = wet faxt !)
    I ordered a Denali from Sportsbike Bristol....Excellent service , by the way.
    On coming to fit however in the original horns ' position..... The Denali is slightly bigger than the poor original...... I was not happy with this positioning.....
    My Bonnie has a Triumph supplied , and very substantial windscreen bracketry..... The new horn , using the 2 extension brackets supplied , paired up , enabled me to fit the horn behind the screen very neatly. A quick job then to extend the wiring with shrink fit waterproof connections....
    Result .......Very Loud indeed....! Hoping my £25 investment will help save me , next time I feel ' that driver hasn't seen me ' etc Safe Riding to you all.
     
    • Useful Useful x 1
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