Stebel Nautilus on 83 R65?

[TXRider60]

Has anyone installed a Stebel NAUTILUS Compact Dual-Tone air horn on the R65? Bob's has a good price, but also a disclaimer that "although compact, it may not fit every model."  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I prefer the Fiamms, myself.  They are just as loud, with fewer moving parts.  
I have heard of the Nautilus failing within just a couple of years, before.

[TXRider60]

Thanks for the input-- you got my attention when you used the ugliest 4-letter word...

[Mike V]

Burt,

I'm with Rob, love my Fiamm's - they'll blow your hair back. I installed the duals on my 650 and fabricated my own mounting system with 3/8" steel stock. Not that difficult. If you're not into a small amount of metal work you can find adequate materials at the hardware store for the installation.

http://s428.photobucket.com/albums/qq8/gruntyman66/81%20R650%20Restoration/Horns%2008-09/

[Patrick_Krivacka]

besides mounting them, are the fiamms plug and play? Any extra wiring or fuses or relays? Also, where did you purchase them?

[montmil]

besides mounting them, are the fiamms plug and play? Any extra wiring or fuses or relays? Also, where did you purchase them?

The stock BMW has a single horn so it will be necessary to add a jumper for the 12V and another for the ground wire. No biggie.

Your bike should already have a horn relay as the little bitty wiring at the horn button is inadequate to carry the power load require by the horn/s. I did not add a fuse when I upgrade the honker on my R65.

Pep Boys and other FLAPS carry them at a variety of prices.

Monte

[Semper Gumby]

I wired my Fiamms to a 30 amp relay and wired the horn buttion to the relay.  The horns circuit was completed back at the battery with an inline fuse.  I was thinking about putting one of those compact horns on the BSA.  Loud horns put the fear of God in cage drivers.

[Mike V]

iman,

My wiring...by recollection...is similar to Bill's.  I have a pdf of the entire wiring I can forward to you when I get home. My memory tells me an inline fused (30amp) connection from the battery to the horn relay, then from the relay a spliced connection to both horns. These things are freaking LOUD. I can check my notes when I get home. I may have posted them previously - I'll search the archives.

[Patrick_Krivacka]

I'd be grateful for that PDF.

[Bob_Roller]

If you mount an air-horn in the same place as the stock horn, be mindful of clearance between the horn, and the front fender when the front forks are fully compressed .

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

For any of these additional horns, you WILL need a relay in the circuit to take the load.

My stock '79 did not have a horn relay.  I was not aware BMW put them on the R65.

They offered a second horn as an option, but I'm not sure that kit even came with a relay!
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=0363&mospid=47851&btnr=61_0206&hg=61&fg=35

And put your fuse as close to the battery as practical.

I bought my Fiamms at the local auto parts store.
I bought my relay at Radio Shack.  They have both a 30 amp and a 40 amp relay, but the 30 amp seems to only have a maximum heat range of 85 F!  The 40 amp is a little more practical at 257 F.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3020762

No doubt auto parts stores will have relays, as well.

[montmil]

Burt and the iman,

Regarding upgrading from the OEM horn, I yanked the tank off the '81 and located the horn relay; has a "53" on it in this photo. If memory serves, this relay was unused when I bought the bike a few years ago. PO had installed a fairing and other farkles that were removed by the time I got the R65, so this relay was likely used for an accessory.



Here's one way to get loud:

Disconnect Negative (–) battery cable prior to beginning any work on the electrical system of the motorcycle.

12ga wire, with an inline fuse, required from battery Positive (+) terminal to relay. FIAMM install instructions recommend 10A fuse with single horn installation. I installed a 15A due to heavier wire used for installation. For twin horns, use 25A minimum. For durability, I'd also suggest the weatherproof mini blade-style rather than a glass tube or euro ceramic fuse. NAPA part number 784667 for the mini fuse holder.

Relay Terminals and wire routing:
      30 - 12V direct from battery to relay. Use 14ga wire, nothing smaller.
      87 - Change over contact direct to horn terminal. 16ga wire.
      85 - Extend original wire from horn (Green w/Black tracer) to this terminal. 16ga wire.
      86 - Extend original wire from horn (Brown w/White tracer) to this terminal. 16ga wire.
A new wire is required from horn’s second terminal to ground. Ample grounds available near coil. Dual horns will need jumpers for 12V and ground wires. Professional-grade electrical wiring, like coffee, begins with good grounds.

Space should be available to mount the horn relay just aft of and adjacent to the existing relays. Hope this helps with your horn installation.

Monte

[Patrick_Krivacka]

thanks monte. What's that neat little tray that holds your relays and electrical bits? aren't those supposed to be zip tied to your rear fender like mine?

[nhmaf]

Not all bikes came with a horn relay - so look carefully and don't ASSUME!

[Mike V]

I'd be grateful for that PDF

iman,
If you still want my pdf sketch, ping me off-list - you're welcome to it. But I can tell you it's no where near as clear or informative as Monte's post.

mvtv@cox.net