Magnum Blaster vs. Freeway Blaster

[ScrapeApe]

I wish to upgrade my horns and found that Magnum Blasters are the way to go from this forum. I've located Freeway Blasters by Fiamm at the local auto parts place. Are they the same as Magnum Blasters? Also, wasn't there a plug-n-play harness that was developed by a member of this forum? Will it fit an 06A?

 

[jestal]

No they are not the same. The magnum blasters are not made by Fiamm nor vice versa. The freeways may be loud (enough?) but if you want the real magnum blasters try here....

https://www.hornsplusauto.com/

Located in East Lansing, Michigan if you're in the area. Save the shipping. That's what I did. Good excuse for a ride.

 

[Fred H.]

I put Freeway Blasters on my Concours and on my FJR. They are very loud. Don't know how they compare to the Magnum Blasters, but I suspect they are close to the same.

The only problem with the Freeway Blasters is that the threaded stud on them is not really long enough to work with the existing FJR mounts. I had to do some mods to get mine to work due to the short plug. For this reason, I would advise you to go with the Magnum Blasters if you can find em. If not, the Freeway Blaster will work but you may not get all the washers on due to the stud length.

 

[toophast]

FJRandy makes the harnesses, look in the vendor section he has a post there

Toopast

 

[trinibob]

how about the new PIAA ?

https://www.piaa.com/Powersports/piaa-power...s/PIAA_Horn.jpg

 

[paint]

I installed the Nautilus Mini on my '03 using FJRandy's harness. It took a bit of black plastic removal but it works.

This puppy is LOUD! The cagers are looking for a locomotive on the road!

Paint

 

[jestal]

I think I would tend towards the Nautilus Mini if I did the horn install again.

Despite reports of the magnum blasters being a clean bolt in I didn't find that to be the case.

The magnum blaster will fit into the left hand spot pretty cleanly with some bending of the mounting bracket on the bike and reindexing the mouting strap (or bracket extension) to get the horn recessed into the fairing more so that just the horn peaks out. There is room inside the plastic for the horn on the left side.

The right side is another story. One of the ignition coils is just behind where the horn wants to recess into the fairing so it cannot go outboard and into the fairing recess without colliding with the ignition coil. If you simply mount the magnum blaster in the stock location it WILL hit the fork when the fork is in full compression. If the fork is turned to the right even slightly the interference becomes much worse. I did quite a bit of surgery to the plastic horn trumpet to get clearance to the ignition coil to move it more outboard of the bike and away from the forks. Even with the cutting and removing a good bit of material from the end of the horn trumpet it is still hanging out into the fork travel envelope quite a bit. It hasn't hit anything yet (the chances of heavy compression travel while the fork is turned hard is pretty low and hitting the horn would probably be my last worry if that happened) but I still am keeping an eye on it in the future.

Even the magnum blasters have a pretty short mounting stud so it is hard to get them to mount to the production bracket rubber isolator. You'll have to leave one of the mounting washers off to gain enough stud length to put the nut on and rely on locktite to keep it secured.

Since only one Nautilus Mini is required it would be much easier (in hindsight) to mount it on the left side where there is room inside the fairing enclosure and just go with one horn.

 

[Fred H.]

Even the magnum blasters have a pretty short mounting stud so it is hard to get them to mount to the production bracket rubber isolator. You'll have to leave one of the mounting washers off to gain enough stud length to put the nut on and rely on locktite to keep it secured.
Since only one Nautilus Mini is required it would be much easier (in hindsight) to mount it on the left side where there is room inside the fairing enclosure and just go with one horn.

Sounds like the Magnum blasters suffer from the same problem that the Freeway Blasters do. I suspect the two horns are actually identical and made by the same facotry just sent through different suppliers.

Can you give us a link to the Nautlis Mini horns? I would like to give them a look see.

 

[jestal]

The Nautilus is also at

https://www.hornsplusauto.com/

 

[FJRandy]

Even the magnum blasters have a pretty short mounting stud so it is hard to get them to mount to the production bracket rubber isolator. You'll have to leave one of the mounting washers off to gain enough stud length to put the nut on and rely on locktite to keep it secured.
Since only one Nautilus Mini is required it would be much easier (in hindsight) to mount it on the left side where there is room inside the fairing enclosure and just go with one horn.

Sounds like the Magnum blasters suffer from the same problem that the Freeway Blasters do. I suspect the two horns are actually identical and made by the same facotry just sent through different suppliers.

No, the two horns are NOT identical in any way except output. I already did a sound test, and they're so close it isn't worth discussing. I did the test at 6 feet from the horn. If you read Stebel's claim of 138 dB, it's from FOUR INCHES. Not 3 feet like most manufacturers. Their sound level at 3' is identical to the rest. The difference in the two horns is that one is higher pitched pair and the other a lower sounding pair.

I didn't believe any of the claims so I used my sound meter and tested a more realistic (although STILL too close) distance. Even the compact Nautilus isn't WAY louder, just a different sound altogether.

I can see it now with people coming out of the woodwork to tell me I'm wrong. Do what you have to do.....I already did MY testing.

And yes ScrapeApe, my harness should fit an '06 A no problem. But it IS set up to run a pair of std type horns and not the Nautilus series. If desired I can make a specific fit for the Nautilus.

 

[Toecutter]

I can see it now with people coming out of the woodwork to tell me I'm wrong. Do what you have to do.....I already did MY testing.

Au contraire. I did my own "testing" as well, and decided my Fiamms were loud enough, and the sound was more to my liking, (read more piercing, IMO). Thanks for the backup Randy!

 

[Patent1]

FJRandy you have a PM.

Jim

 

[ScrapeApe]

Has anyone fitted the Magnum Blasters (stebel) , Freeway Blasters (Fiamm), or the Nautilus mini (stebel) to an 06A??? Don't know if the curved radiator reduces clearance / increases mods...etc....

 

[Bounce]

I bought a pair of Freeway Blaster back when the FJRTech article first went on line. They were easier to find. I moved them off the bike after hearing them and put them in my 96 GMC Sierra truck. They are louder than the OEM GMC horns but higher pitched. I ordered the Magnum Blasters and put them of the Feejer because I wanted the louder pair on the bike.

I posted the numbers of the dBA readings I took to the EZ board back then but they don't archive anything and it was lost to either attrition or the hack attack.

 

[FJRandy]

Bounce, do you remember at all what your findings were? I'm just curious. You know I never wrote the #'s down because they were so close from 6' away.

IMHO, it's only a matter of which "tone" or specific sound people are looking for from each different horn.

Those freeway blasters are a little thinner than the Magnums and might be slightly easier to tuck in tight. I'm waiting to see some install pics myself from someone who is going to install theirs on an '06. No one in my area is getting an '06 that I can snoop around in yet.

 

[Toecutter]

I checked out an '06 the other day at a local dealer. Aside from the shock of seeing it marked $1000 over MSRP, it looked like there was some extra room for horns under there. Hard to tell without really trying it though.