Dallara
Well-known member
At least they're both Italian, right? 
Dallara
Dallara
'06 Magnum blaster installation
- Thread starter mindtrip
- Start date
Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:
TheAxeman
Well-known member
I'd like to know who REALLY measures their horn output at FOUR INCHES??? at 10'.
What was that you said??
What was that you said??
Fred H.
Well-known member
The FIAMM freeway blasters look to be very similar in design to the Magnum Blasters. I can tell you that they are EXTREMLY LOUD. I can't imagine needing any more volume.
The nice thing about them, is that they are relativly easy to find locally. Most Pep Boys carry them, as do some other auto parts stores. Though the $18.99 price for two of the Stebel horns sounds like a good deal, depending on what shipping costs. I think I paid around $16 each for the FIAMMS.
The nice thing about them, is that they are relativly easy to find locally. Most Pep Boys carry them, as do some other auto parts stores. Though the $18.99 price for two of the Stebel horns sounds like a good deal, depending on what shipping costs. I think I paid around $16 each for the FIAMMS.
Last edited by a moderator:
Fjrtn
Active member
Thanks a bunch Fred! Really appreciate your response to my questions, and as usual, your answers
will be most helpful :yahoo: .
Have you decided to tackle the Audiovox CC yet? I have had mine for about 6 mo. now but have been
waiting for the bike to come (got it right after you got yours) and the '06 supplement to arrive from Yamaha.
Thanks again,
Fjrtn (Goldie from the GL1800 board)
will be most helpful :yahoo: .
Have you decided to tackle the Audiovox CC yet? I have had mine for about 6 mo. now but have been
waiting for the bike to come (got it right after you got yours) and the '06 supplement to arrive from Yamaha.
Thanks again,
Fjrtn (Goldie from the GL1800 board)
Dallara
Well-known member
Last set of TM-80's I bought from Horns Plus (I have made two orders from them) cost me $18.95 plus $7.00 shipping to Texas for a total of $25.95 for the pair.
I have tried a single one of the Fiamm's before, and I think they're just as loud. I don't like the Fiamm wiring *studs* though as much as the Stebel spades. Seems like the spades on the Stebel's are more compatible with more bikes.
For me, the Stebel's are just as easy to find locally... Only they are not sold under the Stebel name. Here they have them in the Auto Zone's, O'Reilly's, Pep Boys, and even Wal-Mart, except they are under the "Carrand" name if I remember right. Black cardboard card with with the horn in plastic, yellow label with red lettering IIRC. Last time I saw 'em at an auto parts store they were about the same $13-14.00 each mentioned here for the Fiamm's.
Just FYI...
Dallara
I have tried a single one of the Fiamm's before, and I think they're just as loud. I don't like the Fiamm wiring *studs* though as much as the Stebel spades. Seems like the spades on the Stebel's are more compatible with more bikes.
For me, the Stebel's are just as easy to find locally... Only they are not sold under the Stebel name. Here they have them in the Auto Zone's, O'Reilly's, Pep Boys, and even Wal-Mart, except they are under the "Carrand" name if I remember right. Black cardboard card with with the horn in plastic, yellow label with red lettering IIRC. Last time I saw 'em at an auto parts store they were about the same $13-14.00 each mentioned here for the Fiamm's.
Just FYI...
Dallara
Last edited by a moderator:
FJRandy
Well-known member
What was that you said??
Am I speaking Chinese??
Let me repeat myself.......Stebel measures the output of their Magnum Blasters (and all others) at a distance of 4 inches. They ALSO list output at 3 meters. Much more realistic measurement.
When I did my own sound test, I measured 10 feet way.
Did you not know the ' mark after the #10 meant feet?
WTF??
TheAxeman
Well-known member
You missed the joke....
Fjrtn
Active member
Got my Freeway Blasters installed last night :yahoo: . Thanks Fred for the info you supplied yesterday. Stopped by my local Advance Auto store and picked up a fog light relay for around $11.00 as I recall. It worked perfectly for this job. Followed the FJRTech wiring instructions which were excellent. The most time was consumed in making the wiring setups needed to properly hook everything up. Not really hard to do but takes some time to cut, size, solder and put connectors on all the homemade wiring stuff.
Like Fred, I had some trouble getting the nut started on the horns since the attaching point on the back of the Blasters is not quite long enough when reusing the OEM mounting brackets. So, I ended up not using any washers and tightened down the nuts good and tight and used some blue loctite. I to used the OEM horn leads on the left side of the bike (one brown wire and one pink one) and they plugged right into the relay which I placed next to the outside of the storage compartment once I had all the necessary wires attached. Then, I wire tied everything up to tidy up the wiring and connected to the battery. Lastly, put a 10 Amp. fuse in the fuse holder to complete the wiring.
Whoooooooaaaaaa :clapping: are these things loud !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just about scared my snoozing assistant...my lazy chocolate Lab...to death! He looked like the roof had just fallen in .
So, start to finish this project took around four hours and $45 (horns, relay, wiring, etc.). I really missed the Big Boy horns on my old GL1800. The FJR horns sounded more like my first 1957 MoPed . Believe me, these horns put out some serious noise :clapping: .
Fjrtn
Like Fred, I had some trouble getting the nut started on the horns since the attaching point on the back of the Blasters is not quite long enough when reusing the OEM mounting brackets. So, I ended up not using any washers and tightened down the nuts good and tight and used some blue loctite. I to used the OEM horn leads on the left side of the bike (one brown wire and one pink one) and they plugged right into the relay which I placed next to the outside of the storage compartment once I had all the necessary wires attached. Then, I wire tied everything up to tidy up the wiring and connected to the battery. Lastly, put a 10 Amp. fuse in the fuse holder to complete the wiring.
Whoooooooaaaaaa :clapping: are these things loud
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just about scared my snoozing assistant...my lazy chocolate Lab...to death! He looked like the roof had just fallen in .So, start to finish this project took around four hours and $45 (horns, relay, wiring, etc.). I really missed the Big Boy horns on my old GL1800. The FJR horns sounded more like my first 1957 MoPed
. Believe me, these horns put out some serious noise :clapping: .Fjrtn
FJRandy
Well-known member
Fred H.
Well-known member
You might want to go find some thin washers and put between the nut and the bracket. If you don't use them, there is a possibility that the nut could pull back through the grommet and the horn would then come out of the bracket. All those two little metal inserts in the grommet do is provide some support for the stud, but it will not prevent the nut from pulling though the back side of the gromment.
I just found a real thin washer and used it instead of the OEM washer. Another option would be to remove the grommet altogether and just use a larger diameter washer and bolt it solidly to the bracket.
Fjrtn
Active member
Fred:
Yeah, I see what you are saying. Tried to find some thinner washers in my stock but couldn't find any that were thinner than the OEMs. Might try just removing the grommet as you suggest. Sure don't want one of those bad boys to fall off during flight .
Thanks,
Fjrtn
Yeah, I see what you are saying. Tried to find some thinner washers in my stock but couldn't find any that were thinner than the OEMs. Might try just removing the grommet as you suggest. Sure don't want one of those bad boys to fall off during flight
.Thanks,
Fjrtn
FJRandy
Well-known member
Why would you even consider using the factory brackets when you get a set with the horns? Better yet, the new brackets allow you to mount the horns at a better angle to get more fork clearance. They're plenty strong, and they bend like butter.
I don't get it.
I don't get it.
Dallara
Well-known member
Nothing major, but interesting to note...
Just got in another set of Stebel TM-80 "Magnum Blaster" horns from Horns Plus. These are in the factory Stebel packaging (not the Carrand packaging, but I have received these horns in both different packaging before...). For the first time I noticed something odd - Each of the individual packages, one low tone and one high tone, is marked as putting out 136 db instead of the the normally passed around TM-80 figure of 138 db...
This got me to looking at the Stebel site - Stebel Horns Italy
And specifically at the TM-80 "Magnum Blasters"... There they list each of the high and low tone horns indeed putting out 136 db @ 4 inches, and 112 db at 2 meters (roughly 6.5 feet)...
But, when paired together as a set (high and low used together) they list the output as 139 db @ 4 inches, 115 db at 2 meters/6.5 feet.
None of this is really important, as they are still REALLY LOUD, but it is a it different than often discussed.
Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
Dallara
ps - Also, I'm with you FJRandy... I have always used the spring steel wafered brackets that come with the Stebel's. Why? Well, BMW R-1150-R's come with one of the cheesiest horns known to man, and a cheapy hop-up to them was to get a VW $12.00 horn. MUCH better than the Beemer stocker, but still not that great. I had one of these on my BMW for a bit. When I got a high tone Stebel TM-80 I decided to mount it to the VW bracket, mainly because of a slight clearance issue and the VW bracket eliminated this. However, as soon as I mounted the Stebel to the VW bracket it lost about 1/3 of its output and sounded flatter and kind of off-key. I unbolted it from the bracket, tried it, and it was back to its loud-as-hell-self... Lots of head scratching and fiddling later I discovered that as long as the Stebel was bolted up with its layered, spring steel mount plates it worked fine. I even tried it on the stock BMW bracket, which also muted it quite bit. Teh VW and BMW brackets were both thicker, heavier, singular pieces of steel bracketry, and more rigid, but they would not let the Stebel produce as loud an output as it was capable of. This led me to go and examine my other bike's (a Honda) TM-80 installation, where the horns were bolted to the stock Honda brackets. Changed those out for the spring steel Stebel bracket strips (I had luckily saved them tucked away in the tool box junk drawer), and low and behold - louder, sharper, clearer sound output...
I don't know why, but apparently (at least in the named applications) the Stebel's needed their own, more flexible brackets...
Just FYI...
And THANKS, Randy... Your harness arrived today along with the Stebel's from Horns Plus, so tonight or tomorrow night all will be mounted on the "Supertanker" (which is what a riding buddy has christened my FJR with for a name...).
Just got in another set of Stebel TM-80 "Magnum Blaster" horns from Horns Plus. These are in the factory Stebel packaging (not the Carrand packaging, but I have received these horns in both different packaging before...). For the first time I noticed something odd - Each of the individual packages, one low tone and one high tone, is marked as putting out 136 db instead of the the normally passed around TM-80 figure of 138 db...
This got me to looking at the Stebel site - Stebel Horns Italy
And specifically at the TM-80 "Magnum Blasters"... There they list each of the high and low tone horns indeed putting out 136 db @ 4 inches, and 112 db at 2 meters (roughly 6.5 feet)...
But, when paired together as a set (high and low used together) they list the output as 139 db @ 4 inches, 115 db at 2 meters/6.5 feet.
None of this is really important, as they are still REALLY LOUD, but it is a it different than often discussed.
Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
Dallara
ps - Also, I'm with you FJRandy... I have always used the spring steel wafered brackets that come with the Stebel's. Why? Well, BMW R-1150-R's come with one of the cheesiest horns known to man, and a cheapy hop-up to them was to get a VW $12.00 horn. MUCH better than the Beemer stocker, but still not that great. I had one of these on my BMW for a bit. When I got a high tone Stebel TM-80 I decided to mount it to the VW bracket, mainly because of a slight clearance issue and the VW bracket eliminated this. However, as soon as I mounted the Stebel to the VW bracket it lost about 1/3 of its output and sounded flatter and kind of off-key. I unbolted it from the bracket, tried it, and it was back to its loud-as-hell-self... Lots of head scratching and fiddling later I discovered that as long as the Stebel was bolted up with its layered, spring steel mount plates it worked fine. I even tried it on the stock BMW bracket, which also muted it quite bit. Teh VW and BMW brackets were both thicker, heavier, singular pieces of steel bracketry, and more rigid, but they would not let the Stebel produce as loud an output as it was capable of. This led me to go and examine my other bike's (a Honda) TM-80 installation, where the horns were bolted to the stock Honda brackets. Changed those out for the spring steel Stebel bracket strips (I had luckily saved them tucked away in the tool box junk drawer), and low and behold - louder, sharper, clearer sound output...
I don't know why, but apparently (at least in the named applications) the Stebel's needed their own, more flexible brackets...
Just FYI...
And THANKS, Randy... Your harness arrived today along with the Stebel's from Horns Plus, so tonight or tomorrow night all will be mounted on the "Supertanker" (which is what a riding buddy has christened my FJR with for a name...).
Last edited by a moderator:
TheAxeman
Well-known member
I just installed mine tonight using Mindtrips writeup as a guide. After removing the old horns be careful that the two small metal clips which fit into the rubber grommets on the existing brackets are accounted for...they fall out easily. A couple of things I did different which seemed to work well also. I bent the two metal strips as Mindtrip suggested but only for the right hand side, it wasn't necessary to do it on the left. I used 3/4" long stainless bolts pushed through the bracket from the back with washers on both sides of the bracket and a stop nut to hold it securely in place. Absolutely bend the terminals on the horns to make it easier to attach the spade connections. As far as placement of the relay is concerned, I found an open space between the battery and fairing directly in front of the fuses where the relay fit in nicely along with the fuse on FJRandy's wiring harness. I made sure I taped off the relay terminals well before sticking it in. (FJRandy, I agree with Mindtrip that you should add a couple of inches onto the right side feed wires otherwise it worked excellent.) There was no need to remove the panel with the headlight adjustment knob but it was easier to run the feed wires by removing the battery completely. You may want to have a couple of slightly longer battery bolts on hand to accomodate the two added connections. Do not try your horns with your ears less than 4" away.
Fjrtn
Active member
Well Fred...and FJRandy..., I redid my mounting brackets last night per Fred's suggestion. I think they would have stayed on OK had I done nothing; but, why take a chance with them since it only takes a few minutes to remove them.
I ended up using a little over 1/2 of the rubber grommet by slicing off one side of the grommet leaving the largest portion of the grommet to be used. Then, I ground off approximately 1/2 of the aluminum pieces that the threaded lug goes through in order to effectively increase the usable length of the threaded lug from the horn. Doing that allowed enough additional clearance for the nut to thread back securely onto the lug, even using the OEM washers. So, I was able to retain most of the effectiveness of the rubber grommets purpose and still use the original factory mounting brackets.
I don't think I have a clearance problem using the factory brackets. Yes, it is somewhat closer on the right side than on the left side. What do you think Fred? Did you consider using the brackets that came with the Blasters? Wouldn't be a big deal to switch with the Freeway Blaster brackets though. What do you think?
Fjrtn
I ended up using a little over 1/2 of the rubber grommet by slicing off one side of the grommet leaving the largest portion of the grommet to be used. Then, I ground off approximately 1/2 of the aluminum pieces that the threaded lug goes through in order to effectively increase the usable length of the threaded lug from the horn. Doing that allowed enough additional clearance for the nut to thread back securely onto the lug, even using the OEM washers. So, I was able to retain most of the effectiveness of the rubber grommets purpose and still use the original factory mounting brackets.
I don't think I have a clearance problem using the factory brackets. Yes, it is somewhat closer on the right side than on the left side. What do you think Fred? Did you consider using the brackets that came with the Blasters? Wouldn't be a big deal to switch with the Freeway Blaster brackets though. What do you think?
Fjrtn
Fred H.
Well-known member
The reason there are rubber gromments on those brackets is because the horns need to be able to vibrate in order to be loud. This is especially important with the OEM little beeper style horns, I don't know if it is as critical with the Freeway or Magnum blasters, but I suspect even those get a little quieter when mounted solidly, as some of the sound vibration will get shunted though the bracket and absorbed. By mounting them on the grommet, more of the vibration energy is contained in the horn and converted to sound.
Though like I said, the difference on the FIAMMS may not be significant as they are plenty loud anyway. You probably could solid mount them using the new brackets without a problem. I just wanted to retain the rubber isolation gromment so that the horn would be as loud as possible.
Though like I said, the difference on the FIAMMS may not be significant as they are plenty loud anyway. You probably could solid mount them using the new brackets without a problem. I just wanted to retain the rubber isolation gromment so that the horn would be as loud as possible.
Last edited by a moderator:
Fjrtn
Active member
Thanks Fred. I understand you point about the grommets purpose. It seems to me that I was able to retain a good deal of "vibration" room...as compared to using the complete unaltered grommet... by using my method on the reworked factory rubber grommets.
Do you thing we will have a clearance issue?
Fjrtn
Do you thing we will have a clearance issue?
Fjrtn
Fred H.
Well-known member
I have not had any clearance problems with mine. I think I did have to twist one of the horns about 1/4 inch, but that was it.
Fjrtn
Active member
+1 and the 1/4 twist (right side). Will let you know if I encounter any clearance problems down the road.
Thanks!
Fjrtn
Thanks!
Fjrtn
Took delivery of my 06 Thursday.
Put the magnum blasters on yesterday as well as the fork brace from my 05.
There is some bad new....with the 200lb of me on the bike, the brace does contact the horns about 1/2" before full lock. BTW, the suspension is in stock set up....maybe if I lost some weight or played with the suspension it wouldn't be an issue....and it's really only an issue when moving the bike around in the garage or in a parking lot with me on it.
The good new....it's really not that bad...there is enough flex in the mounting strips that I'm not that worried about it. I'm just going to keep an eye on it and maybe look at putting the horns somewhere else latter.
Put the magnum blasters on yesterday as well as the fork brace from my 05.
There is some bad new....with the 200lb of me on the bike, the brace does contact the horns about 1/2" before full lock. BTW, the suspension is in stock set up....maybe if I lost some weight or played with the suspension it wouldn't be an issue....and it's really only an issue when moving the bike around in the garage or in a parking lot with me on it.
The good new....it's really not that bad...there is enough flex in the mounting strips that I'm not that worried about it. I'm just going to keep an eye on it and maybe look at putting the horns somewhere else latter.
Similar threads
