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Stebel Nautilus Compact
Twin Air Horn
On Saturday, 4 Feb 2006, I installed my Stebel Nautilus
Compact twin air horn in my 2002 Suzuki Intruder VS1400. In the preparation
stage, I had found that with the stock configuration of the bike, there was
no available space to install the horn internally. So, I ordered a pair of K&N
RC-1820 pod type air filters to enable removal of the stock airboxes. Suffice
it to say that the front airbox was removed and the rear airbox removed, cut
apart, and reinstalled in conformance to the cultural wisdom of IntruderAlert.com.
With the front airbox removed, there proved to be space sufficient for the air horn inside the frame rails just behind the steering head. I removed the front tank mount and drilled two 5mm holes for button socket head M5 screws 1/2" apart as shown in Fig. 1. These holes were positioned so as not to interfere with the mounting bolts that go into the existing holes.
Fig.
1 |
Next, I fabricated a bracket from a piece of 0.020" stainless sheet that was cut to 2" x 3". I made a 90 degree bend along a line 1/2" from one of the long edges (for stiffness). An 8mm hole was located in one corner, 1/2" from each edge. With the bend oriented up and bent away from the viewer, the 8mm hole was located in the lower left corner. I bolted the tank bracket into the frame, clamped my work to it, and held the horn in place while I marked the work for the first hole. I took it out, drilled one of the 5mm holes, bolted it to the tank bracket, held the horn, marked the place for the second hole, then took it out again and drilled the other hole. Finally, I made another 5mm hole on the narrow upper surface of the bracket for mounting the relay that came with the horn. Fig. 2 shows the bracket, and it looks funny because I've rotated the photo until it's upside down in order to be closer to the orientation it has when installed.
Fig.
2 |
Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show left, right, and rear perspectives of the front tank mount, bracket, horn, and relay all assembled together. Again, the first two pictures were rotated, making the lighting seem strange. I found it necessary to remove the horn before insertion into the frame, but since the mounting point of the horn captures the M8 nut, I only had to hold the metal casing of the horn compressor in order to torque down the mounting bolt. Care should be taken to use an M8 bolt that is no longer than necessary; too long of a bolt will break the compressor housing! I used a standard pitch M8 bolt 20 mm long. The M8 nut and all 3 of the M5 nuts are nylon insert locknuts. I didn't use any of the hardware that came with the horn; I had to buy everything from my local independant hardware store.
Fig.
3 |
Fig.
4 |
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Fig.
5 |
Once it was mechanically mounted in the frame, I wired it up. I used #12 AWG wire with "gasoline and oil resistant" insulation for the high current portions of the circuit, and I used the existing wires that formerly connected to the stock horn in order to power the relay's coil. The spade connectors on the stock wires slid right onto the provided relay.
Taking 6" of black #12 AWG wire with a spade terminal on one end and a ring terminal on the other, I made a ground connection from the (-) terminal of the compressor to the frontmost head bolt at the front of the engine. I had noticed that the starter motor only had one lead running to it, meaning that the return path must go through the engine itself. I figured any return connection good enough for the starter motor was good enough for the horn! I used a wire brush to burnish up the head just around the bolt hole, and sandwiched a star washer between the head and the ring terminal. I also replaced the painted flange bolt with a zinc plated one that I just happened to have laying around.
Using 8" of red #12 AWG wire with spade connectors on both ends, I connected the (+) terminal of the horn to terminal (87) of the relay, as instructed by the sparse documentation that came with the horn.
Fig.
6 |
Fig.
7 |
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Relay |
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I have
included a basic Relay Diagram to help with installation (Night_Wolf)
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Figs. 6 and 7 show the horn in the frame from the right perspective. Note the ground connection in Fig. 6, leading from the head, looping right, and going into the bottom of the horn's compressor. The hot lead from the relay to the compressor is also visible. Fig. 7 highlights the relay connections. The relay terminals are numbered (80) on top, (85) on the left, (86) on the right, and (87) on the bottom. On the left and right are the wires that used to supply the stock horn. I'm not sure if the polarity matters, but I put the black (hot) wire on relay terminal (86) and the dark green (connected to negative bus through the horn button) on (85), again as interpreted from the cryptogram that came in the packaging.
Using a long piece of the red wire, I put a spade connector on one end and hooked it up to relay terminal (85), then routed it along the wire harness to the fuse box behind the left side panel beneath the seat. Fig. 8 shows my finger pointing to the "Power Source" connection to which I hooked this wire's ring terminal.
Fig.
8 |
Notes:
I did look at the hot lead wire that supplies the fuse box (just behind my red
wire in Fig. 8), and it looked to be about as beefy
as the #12 AWG wire that I'm using here. On the other hand, the negative wire
going to the fuse box is much thinner, and that is why I didn't run the horn's
negative lead back to the fuse box.
The "Power Source" is not switched: the red wire I installed is always hot, no matter what the ignition switch position. The only thing preventing the use of the horn when the ignition is off is that the power that normally powers the stock horn is switched through the ignition switch, and so will not power the coil of the air horn relay unless the key switch is in the on position.
I replaced the 10 amp stock fuse with a 25 amp fuse in the "Power Source" position of the fuse box.
Stebel
Nautilus compact twin air horn operational review:
First, the bad: The documentation was inadequate to say the most. The same little scrap of paper that serves as the label inside the blister pack also unfolds to serve as multilingual hieroglyphic installation instructions. Get out your reading glasses. I think they tell you not to locate the horn where it'll get mud splashed into it, and they give four different circuit hookup options. They also want you to mount it within 25 degrees of a certain orientation. They don't say why, nor is there anything like a temperature spec. This is a concern, since I've mounted mine right above the front cylinder. They do let you know that the horn is supposed to draw less than 18 amps.
Now, the good: The first words out of my mouth after testing it with a split second blast in the driveway were, "Jesus Christ!" I knew it was going to be loud, I had hoped it was going to be really loud, and it turned out to be louder than that. When my wife pulled into the driveway, I greeted her with an evil grin. She should have known something was up and asked me. If she had, I'd have warned her. Instead, as she turned around I gave her another half second blast. The first words out of her mouth were, "Holy $hit!"
I've seen people write about
this horn in terms like, "139 dB of derailed freight train." I'm here
to tell you that it doesn't sound anything like a freight train horn. To me,
it sounds just like the horn on my mom's 1965 Ford Custom 500. Only louder.
This tip courtesy of DCon from the Cafe
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Note:
"VS" Intruders & "S" series Boulevards
I started gathering this information in 2002
Some of it has been collected since 1985
Some information (parts & part numbers/suppliers etc...)
are no longer
available or have Changed. The Information contained in these pages,
should be considered to be a
GUIDE, on where to start YOUR search if
information has Changed
If You Attempt Modifications & Ruin Your Motorcycle
It Is Your Problem.
If You Are Not Mechanically Inclined,
Get Help From Someone Who Is
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Tricks
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