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Wiring up a stebel

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:51 pm
by tempalte
I just got my stebel horn. Before I go pulling off plastic panels to run a hot wire to my battery, has anyone done that before? Any hints on what the easiest wiring route is?

Also, did you horn come with a wiring kit? Mine came with a relay, but no fuse or other wires.

thanks
chad

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:21 pm
by Davek
NathanielSalzman wrote up this install guide for the Blur; haven't tried it yet but I have a Stebel waiting also:

http://www.nathanielsalzman.com/?p=10

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:55 pm
by GFridrich3
I got the magnum, it was just as easy as unplugging the stock horn, and then plugging the two spade connectors onto the stebel horn, then bolting into place where the stock one was. Took all of like 10 minutes total install time.

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:13 pm
by Davek
Did you get the high or low tone Magnum, or a dual?

Posted: Tue Aug 26, 2008 11:30 pm
by GFridrich3
No clue, it was thru scooterworks. All I know is it is LOUD as fook and was super easy to install.

Package says TM80/1 400Hz 12v

Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:54 am
by Frankie 2 Tone
I put the Stebel on my Rattler, and you definently need to wire it through the battery and use the relay. If you just plug it up, you will fry your horn button, since it is not designed to take that much power through it. I also recommend that you put a fuse in the line too. I love the horn,and it is really easy to hook up, just read the wiring diagram that came with it. There are four tabs: 1. direct from the battery 2. direct from the horn button 3. one to the new horn 4. to a ground Have fun!!!!

Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:22 am
by illnoise
There are two Stebel horns sold by SW and commonly used. The Magnum doesn't need a relay, it's just plug-and-play, and it fits easily. The Nautilus Compact is much bigger, has a built-in compressor and requires a bit of wiring love as described by Nathaniel.

The price difference and dB rating difference isn't much. I've heard the Nautilus and it's beautifully, ridiculously loud. McCaleb was demonstrating it in the Colts' stadium at Dealer Expo and I was halfway up in the stands, 500 feet away, and I spit out my hot dog. It made everyone in the arena jump and stop talking for a second. I don't think the Magnum is close to that loud, but it's probably louder than anyone would need, but I'm holding out for the Nautilus, just because it'd be fun to stop peoples' hearts.

I'd love to hear an MP3 of them back to back for comparison, with the regular Blur horn. The recent horn review on WebBike World didn't have samples for either because their test units didn't work.

Bb.

Bb.

Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 3:31 am
by NathanielSalzman
The big difference between the Nautilus and the Magnum isn't the db's, it's the fact that the Nautilus is dual-note. You're hitting two separate notes at 148 db, one high and one low. That makes it extra piercing. I've been scaring the shat out of cagers for months now. It's excellent.

If anybody needs a walk-through or tech support on that install, let me know. I've done three of them now and I think I've finally got it down ;-)

I keep meaning to create a proper wiring diagram for that blog entry. Ooh, new sense of purpose!

Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 4:10 am
by NathanielSalzman
Alright kids, super duper wiring diagram now added to my DIY post.

http://www.nathanielsalzman.com/2008/08 ... -air-horn/

Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:04 pm
by illnoise
Alright, I wired up the Nautilus compact.

Whoo boy is this awesome. I feel like I just bought a shotgun and I can't wait for a fox to come into my chicken coop. Which is probably not the right frame of mind for scootering.

Bb.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:42 am
by Lostmycage
Just out of curiosity... I had someone tell me that it'll blow a fuse if you honk the horn with the engine off. I can't make that make sense just yet. Has anyone else run across this? After riding a 150 Buddy, I really can't go to a little meep-meeper.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:51 am
by Frankie 2 Tone
that happened on my Rattler, I needed a bigger fuse, no more problem. The Stebel draws a lot more amps then the stock horn....I also switched out the tube style fuse for blade.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:55 am
by NathanielSalzman
The only way I could see that happening is if you don't install the relay. Even then, the horn would not draw more or less current with the engine running. It could also have more to do with how much they were playing with it. But my money is on how it's wired. Do it through the relay on a new circuit, and you ought to be able to run it all day motor on or off and not have any fuse issues. Are these horns installed by Genuine, or DIY installs?

For what it's worth, I honk mine with the motor off all the time.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:06 am
by Lostmycage
I suspected as much. I have a feeling that these are reports to my dealer for DIYer's. If using the relay, and I've given this a lot of thought here, I can't figure any scenario where it'd blow the fuse with the motor off more or less than with the motor running.

Thanks for reaffirming my suspicions, though. I'll be wiring that up first thing come the sun (as in rain gone, not necessarily daytime, hehe).

Did Illnoise ever get back to you on the Silverstar headlamp install? I put one in my Buddy and it's quite a bit of difference. I real that Babblefish put one in and couldn't tell any difference at all. That's got me a little baffled. I might borrow the Silverstar from my Buddy when I'm digging the Blur apart and cramming in the Naultilus.

Thanks NathanielSalzman

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:14 am
by Frankie 2 Tone
Lostmycage wrote:I suspected as much. I have a feeling that these are reports to my dealer for DIYer's. If using the relay, and I've given this a lot of thought here, I can't figure any scenario where it'd blow the fuse with the motor off more or less than with the motor running.
I am a DIY'r, but I also did use the relay. I think the original fuse that I installed was too low of an amperage, so when I changed it, I put in the blade type and have had no problems since. It blew twice before I changed it, once with out the engine running, and once with it running. Have fun putting it in.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:47 am
by Lostmycage
What fuse did you use when it blew and what fuse did you use when it gave you no more trouble?

For some reason I have 20A in my head (could be made up, though I might have read it somewhere, flip a coin - I'm a scatter brain). Does that sound right?

Thanks!

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:00 am
by NathanielSalzman
yup, 20A fuses. Because it's on its own circuit, we're only fusing it in case of an open full short to ground. We're not trying to protect something else on the circuit that's sensitive, just making sure the battery doesn't catch fire if something shorts out.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:41 am
by Lostmycage
Fantastic. Thanks a ton folks.

The odd thing is I didn't even try the horn on the Blur when I test rode it. I just knew I'd be installing the Nautilus right away.

I should probably double check that the stock horn works (I asked the previous owner and he said it did, I trust that enough, but will double check before disassembly).

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:30 pm
by illnoise
I followed N's instructions with the 20A fuse and it works fine with the engine off. Though I imagine you're not doing any favors for your battery (or your neighbors) if you're honking it a lot.

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:01 pm
by Lostmycage
It's ok, all my neighbors are old. Just kidding, I'm not really gonna just honk the hiorn all day for the heck of it. My neighbors really are old, though...

Now, for the rain to go away...

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:06 pm
by Frankie 2 Tone
I put on a 20A fuse and it works great! My son loves to honk the horn, and my neighbors don't mind too much...lol