A motorcyclist’s definition of being between a “rock and a hard place is when you have an 18 wheeler on your left side and you are passing a car on your right that wanders into your lane as they are texting, tweeting, or succumbing to some such distraction on their smart phone. Then you sound your horn and it sounds more like the cartoon road runner’s “Meep Meep” than a finely crafted German engineered motorcycle…sound familiar?
Well I had finally decided if I was going to have a red horn button on my motorcycle then the horn should get someone’s attention. So I started researching my options and went in with the knowledge that many of the earlier airhorns had short lives and that the loudest pancake horn was still a little short in the decibels. I happened to be discussing my conundrum within earshot of Phil “the Mapman” Sulfstede and he simply stated, “Stop mulling, by a Denali Sound Bomb, Twisted Throttle is having a sale.” Then he turned and walked away (Phil’s equivalent to a microphone drop).
So I did a little research and what sold me on this unit was not only the solid track record from reviewers, but also there appeared to be an elegant mounting alternative to installing it on the outside of the engine crash guards. I had originally thought I would have to purchase a split unit where the compressor is mounted in one location and the horn assembly, connected by a tube, is located elsewhere. According to the forums this was the best you could do. So I studied the picture of the bracket on the Twisted Throttle site that promised a mounting capability under the instrument cluster, crossed my fingers, and checked out my cart on the Twisted Throttle site.
Upon receipt of the goods (pictured right), I did what any smart non-retired club member would do…I called Dave Leligdon and set up an appointment at Leligdon Motor Werks. Now Dave has seen it all with his fair share of “they promise you a quick and easy install and three days later with the bike still in too many pieces to count you are still trying to finagle that installation or fabricate a new bracket.” But I am happy to say that the bracket (which is manufacture-year dependent – be careful that you order the correct bracket for your year’s model!) and the harness made the installation quick and painless. The results were as expected: no more “Meep Meep” and a lot of “BaBoom BaBoom.” I have had occasion to use this horn three times since installation and each time it invoked the desired results of a sudden car swerve back into its proper lane and possibly some wet undies. Only the driver’s launderer will know for sure.
Anyhoo (channeling Bob), I highly recommend this horn, especially if you have a Wethead GSA as you can have a great sounding horn that is protected and tucked away smartly.
