Modern Vespa

Reading the DIY installations of louder horns for scooters. ...made me try to remember the last time I used my scooter's horn, except to toot "hello" to a friend spotted on the sidewalk.
I think I used it once about 3 yrs ago in a traffic situation....but I'm only out riding 4 or 5 times a week.
Strange to me, that people need louder scooter horns.
I think that horns antagonize people. Don't mind doing that to cell drivers while driving my big Chevy truck.
Not on a scooter.
O.S.

Now this is a "should I" thread. Let the opinions begin.

I don't use my loud horn much anymore. Now that I have a loud pipe

Content deleted by tenders. A forum where management/moderators repeatedly quash and delete well-intentioned, constructive concerns about governance issues raised by multiple users does not deserve my participation.

I have used my air horn twice to alert people (both in pickup trucks) not to continue to change lanes as I was right next to them. Glad I had it... Just don't think the OEM roadrunner horn would have done the trick.

I drowned my horn in good, quality 5W40 fully synthetic Motul oil.
Not that cheap cr@p Rotella T6 that I use in the engine....





Might as well, anyway, for all I use the horn.
Drive defensively, stay safe!

Two of my scoots have Stebel Nautilus air horns on them. The horns get used to say "hi" regularly. Only had to use them to warn drivers once.

I've basically got them on for "just in case" situations. Never hurts.

Commuting daily in West London means my horn gets used regularly - for example this morning THREE times as goons either were about to pull out on me or moved into my lane just as I was getting beside their car.

Time and other pressures are the only reason I haven't fitted a Nautilus or a Denali as yet. It will be done soon as some study work ends in a couple of weeks.

I use my stock horn pretty much every day. Normally just to emphasise my presence when a car is inching out of a side turning.

I ride back and forth across London each day but I can't remember the last time I used the horn deliberately. It's usually fairly obvious when and where people are likely to change lane so don't ride alongside cars at these points. I also make a point of never riding in peoples blind spots - can you see the other drivers eyes? Saying that though, I do use my horn accidentally, mainly because the horn & indicators on the Honda are in the opposite positions on the Enfield

Usually when I'm on a cars 8oclock, I can see them in their side view mirror looking down at their cell phone.

I've used my scooter horn a few times. I've been in a car's blind spot (not by choice but in NJ's almost bumper to bumper traffic) and the car has drifted toward me, starting to enter my lane and a blast of the horn wakes them up.

Everyone on NJ's roads seem to change lanes by entering your lane AND THEN putting on their turn signal.

On my Honda Forza I did angrily signal a left turn at a few idiots!

Never did get the hang of that scoot's goofy horn position.
O.S.

The advantage of the horn is it can be deployed with both hands on the grips.

Whereas, deploying the finger requires removing one's hand from the grip.

The finger is much quieter so it is best used in conjunction with a loud, verbal expletive.

We had a pillion riding girl friend on the Kymco forum who liked to flip off angry drivers when her boyfriend would jump his turn at 4-way stops.

Come to think of it, haven't heard from him since last year......

O.S.

"Horn not working- watch for finger"

I toot my Stebel Nautilus horn whenever someone is likely to turn into my lane and they aren't looking at me. I've rarely had any negative responses.

Best
Miguel

The only times I've truly wanted my horn I've been focusedperforming evasive maneuvers, and couldn't give the search for the horn button adequate attention.

That may be one of the advantages of using it often just to give a little toot-toot. I always know where it is and it has become instinctual to give it a short toot.

Best
Miguel

Being tall as I am, I suppose tooting it with my knee at inopportune and sometimes embarrassing times doesn't count, does it?

Correct! It doesn't count unless you do it intentionally.I can't reach the horn button w my knee.

Best, Miguel

I love the stock, "beep beep" horns that come on these scooters.

They are perfect for greeting friends and reminding traffic light texters to put their phones down and proceed through the light that turned green five seconds ago.

When a driver is about to move into my lane ot run into me in any way, I use my riding skills to avoid them. Never the horn. That would be rude.

Bill

deleted

I decided that I prefer to be cute with the 12 and under crowd..... hate to scare those Girl Scouts when I beep and wave! If I ever do find my horn button when I really need it, fingers crossed for that too.

It would seem to me that a very loud aftermarket horn is a manner of invitation to that next road rage driver out there?
I do remember when air horns were popular with the 60's sports car people in mostly, British cars.

Is there an actual decibel difference between a modern Vespa horn and a car horn? How much, if so?
I read one old MV post saying 15 decibels for Vespa, which I don't buy at all.

I just googled for info and DOT says 100-110 decibels for car horns.
CA regs on MC's seems to drive the state laws that exist in some places with a variety of decibels ranging from ~80 up to 88 depending on year of mfg..
I have bought the AP's box store, loud red horns from O'reillys AP's(cheaper on ebay) when I was building wrecked cars, most commonly hit in front and horn was damaged. They are DOT illegal but might work in a noisy urban environment on my scoot.

I use it all the time like and and in the same boat as the other urban warriors here. Mostly just to signal the light is now green so put your phone down and warning other drivers that just maybe there is someone next to them when they are drifting in to the lane next to them. Then of course there are the cabbies and now Uber which adds to the fun. Sure you can use your riding skills if someone is cutting on to your lane but it's not hard to do so while using the horn.

I use it about as much as I use the cage's horn, not often but when I need to get someone's attention on the road. Mainly to let them know I'm there and be alert.

I believe people should communicate more. Using your horn is a form of communication.

Stock horns on my two Vespas.

My wife and I ride together, each on our own scoot. I am a retired boat captain - we used sound signals to indicate intentions, operating in fog, etc. The horns on our scoots get used to signal...

One short: turn off your turn signal, dumas

Two short: I have something to tell you

It works for us. Like others here, I have used the horn to let drivers know I am there (inattention or stupidity on their part), but the last hard maneuver I had to make to avoid a left-turner didn't give me time to find the horn button.

The Stebel saves me at least once or twice a season. If you commute in a big city with multiple lanes of heavy traffic I think it's essential.

For those that don't have to use their horns good for you, maybe you have drivers that pay attention.
In my area you damn well better cover your horn like you do your brake' be cause no one looks before switching lanes, use stop signs as suggestions and run red lights if they haven't been red for more than a few minutes.
We have so many tourists that don't have a clue where they are going and Arlington, Va. was rated with the worse drivers in the country last year.

I bought a 110db horn n a push switch .... wired it all up to a battery off a cordless drill as I have no dc on me scoot .... hid most of it in the toolbox on me t5 murderöné ..... now I've just gotta get used to a new loud horn under me left thumb near me indicators. ... still have the duck quack on the right too

Yes, good for waking up drivers at stop lights that turned green 10 seconds ago. But the stock horn works fine for that.

Last time I used it in traffic, a woman wanted to merge into my lane, while I was using it. I honked (stock horn), she looked over right at me, then came over anyway.

We seem to have a lot of drivers that feel that the function of a turn signal when changing lanes is to alert other drivers that they ARE changing lanes and get out of the way.

So the survivable tactic seems to be avoiding situations where you need a horn. It isn't that drivers don't know you are there. They just don't care.

+1

I had a Stebel installed a few years ago, recently found it had rusted up due to the lack of use. Defensive riding works for me! I can quite often predict other people's crazy manouvres before they happen and put a lot of thought into my position in the road.

i installed a loud horn on my vespa for safety purposes as I did not think the stock horn would do anything if needed. The only time I remember using it was when I was driving on a nice road by my house, twisty, one lane each way, by the lake, but has lots of houses with driveways and people do have a tendency to pull out of the driveway without looking. I ended up in a line of motorcycles and someone started shooting out of his driveway at us, I used the horn, it got the cagers attention and they stopped, but all the motorcycle riders tuned to look at me as if saying, where did that sound come from, they could not believe it came from a vespa, that sort of gave me a laugh. I do think though if you need it it is nice to have a louder horn. I tend to try and avoid situations that I would need it, but it is nice to know it is there if I need it. Again this is just mu opinion.


larry

I like this solution. You have a "Meep" for when you're just politely trying to get someone's attention, and a "HONK!" for when you're too busy taking evasive action to render the proper salute to the inattentive idiot who forced you to take evasive action in the first place.

Trailering my scooter back from AV this summer going around Chicago, a car began merging into my lane. With my car and trailer, I couldn't have been too hard to miss. I simultaneously laid on the horn AND moved over. The other car just kept coming as if I wasn't there. Must have been some good tunes on as my car horn is far above Vespa stock. +1

This is the only caveat I have about installing a louder, particularly lower-pitched, horn on a scooter. Drivers hear the horn and look, expecting to see a large vehicle, and just don't see a scooter.

Problem with that is "muscle memory".
If you are use to going to one button to hit your horn, you are going to have to think to use the non standard button to sound the louder horn or freeze thinking about with one to use and get hit.

It's like drawing a weapon, once you have the muscle memory down (practice every day) you don't have to even think about it, it's just automatic. If you have to think about it your reactions are much slower.