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Thread: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

  1. #1
    Senior Member Aaron's Avatar
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    Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    There is only one reason to have a horn on a motorcycle, and that's if you live in an urban area where car's frequently don't go when the light turns green. Even then you'd be better off just going around them, or giving a quick throttle blip to help them remove head from anus.

    All of our driving lives, we've been trained to honk when someone does something that can, or nearly will, cause an accident. A car merges into your lane, you honk. Car turns left in front of you, you honk. You get the picture, but it's become second nature. And therein lies the problem.

    We naturally bring this muscle memory, this pre-determined automated threat response, to motorcycles. First problem is, your motorcycle horn sucks. It's fucking terrible, and cannot be hear at any speed above a dead stop. Even if they (cars) can hear your modified air horn, it will not improve your safety in the slightest. The most common cause of auto vs bike accidents occur either from a car failing to yield and turning in front of the bike, or the car rear-ending the bike. We'll focus on the first. A horn will do you no good. Even if the car does hear the horn, their first reaction is to hit the brakes. Can't crash at a standstill can you? Well this just makes it worse.

    The real trouble is, when you encounter a sudden situation that requires your response to avoid. Car suddenly turns in front of you, at a speed and distance where you cannot, or at least have a very slim chance of, avoiding it. Nothing you can do. And yet, in this sudden panic, we hit our horns, or we think about hitting our horns This takes a finger away from our controls, but more importantly, takes brain power away from doing something useful and allocates it to do something completely useless. Your first, and automatic reaction, should be avoidance maneuvers (Brakes, turns, throttle, or a combination).

    The horn should never even be a possibility. Remove it, take that distracting and useless feature off, don't even give it the chance to take your reaction time. Save the 1-2 pounds, and throw it at the next car that turns in front of you. It'll be more effective then.

    I've been riding on the street all my life save for a break in college. Starting with my SV1000S 8 years ago, my first mod is removing the horn. I haven't had a functional horn on any bike since then. So when a car turns in front of me, merges into my lane, or anything else, the horn is never even a consideration.

    One of these days I plan on working the switch to control my garage door opener. Have it do something useful for once.

  2. #2
    Senior Member FZRguy's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    My horn is the last thing I'm thinking about when a car pulls out in front of me. The brakes on our sporty bikes are very powerful, and will save your life if used correctly. Practice, practice, practice!
    John
    KTM Duke 690

  3. #3
    Senior Member Ricky's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Last time I checked, the horn button isn't anywhere near any of the braking controls. Brakes on the right, horn on the left. An experienced rider can pull a clutch lever and push the horn button at the same time. Priority goes to avoidance first, and horn second. If you can't handle that without physically removing your horn, reconsideration of whether or not you should be operating a motor vehicle of any kind should be your next thought.
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    Senior Member matt2778's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    I use my horn to honk at hot chicks I see.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Aaron's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Quote Originally Posted by FZRguy View Post
    My horn is the last thing I'm thinking about when a car pulls out in front of me. The brakes on our sporty bikes are very powerful, and will save your life if used correctly. Practice, practice, practice!
    While you are absolutely correct that it should be the last thing on your mind, in a panic stop things happen automatically, and your brain goes to what it knows. And if you've trained yourself to honk and then slow speed a little, in a panic your reaction is going to be horn, then slamming the brakes. Bad new all around. But you couldn't be more right about practice, and that's where the track is so beneficial.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ricky View Post
    Last time I checked, the horn button isn't anywhere near any of the braking controls. Brakes on the right, horn on the left. An experienced rider can pull a clutch lever and push the horn button at the same time. Priority goes to avoidance first, and horn second. If you can't handle that without physically removing your horn, reconsideration of whether or not you should be operating a motor vehicle of any kind should be your next thought.
    Their location is irrelevant, I'm not talking about physical interference. But even so, any track rider here knows there is an incredible amount of force on your arms and wrist under max braking. No matter what, your horn should never be used. It isn't loud enough, takes away from effective solutions, and if by chance (However unlikely) that a car does actually hear you, their response is going to be stopping. That's even worse.

  6. #6
    Member Owen_R6's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    I've only hit my horn once and it was to show a friend how weak it was...

    i never hit a horn - ever - not on my bike, not in a cage, not ever. React first - honk at them after if ya want.
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  7. #7
    Senior Member Zanatos's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Having a horn has been useful on several occasions when I've been in heavy traffic and someone started drifting into my lane - and once when a car decided to change lanes in the middle of a two-lane turn.

  8. #8
    Gold Member madvlad's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Hella horns ftmfw
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    Member Jim_Vess's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Before you tell everyone to remove their horns, you may want to look at the Colorado Roadworthy Motorcycle Checklist (https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sit...les/DR2686.pdf). In order for a motorcycle to be considered street legal in Colorado it must have a horn.
    Last edited by Jim_Vess; Fri Mar 31st, 2017 at 10:38 PM.
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    Gold Member asp_125's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    I never use my horn to execute an evasive maneuver. I generally seem to use it after the fact to show I'm pissed off. I also use it to wake up the idiot in front who doesn't notice that the light's turned green for the past second. Denali Soundbomb FTW.
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  11. #11
    Gold Member Bueller's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    My horn speaks many languages


  12. #12
    Senior Member Moderator Gramps's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bueller View Post
    My horn speaks many languages
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  13. #13
    Senior Member j0ker's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    I'm horny on my bike all the time. It's pretty loud.

  14. #14
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    plus nothing says fuck you like a three minute Long Horn blast at a stop light or just cruising down the street.

  15. #15
    Gold Member bulldog's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Heck I always preferred a upgraded horn that was loud as shit. My 600RR had a air horn that was so loud it was impossible to not hear not matter what. Awe the memories of how many people it startled.



    I get your point though Aaron. Not sure I'd ever remove mine, but I agree and much better to get used to not using it as the first defense in a situation.
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  16. #16
    Senior Member j0ker's Avatar
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    Re: Article: You need to remove your horn, and remove it now.

    Quote Originally Posted by #1Townie View Post
    plus nothing says fuck you like a three minute Long Horn blast at a stop light or just cruising down the street.
    With the finger extended

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