Have You Ever Used the Horn on Your Harley?
The horn on most Harley bikes has a bit of a reputation for being weak and hard to reach. But do you still use yours regularly?
Depending on where you live, you may or may not be one of those people that constantly lays on the horn. In places like New York City, it’s simply a way of communicating with other drivers. In the sticks, it’s a great way to say hello to your neighbors. And in other parts of the world, it’s used as more of a replacement for expletives we can’t mention here. But on a Harley, the horn isn’t used quite as much. Perhaps because, as Ron750 points out in this post, it isn’t exactly in a convenient location.
“I usually rap my pipes if I see someone inching out at a stop sign, or a smidgen when I’m approaching an intersection, because I usually can’t find the horn in time.
Today I was passing a pickup that was in the left lane, I was in the right. I wasn’t hanging out in his blind spot. I was going 5-10 mph faster. All of a sudden (no signal of course) he comes into my lane. I was kind of tired (wife snoring, granddaughter up early) and my brain froze. I didn’t rap the pipes or hit the horn. I yelled “Hey!” Luckily, he had his window down and heard me, maybe my pipes, and he swung back in his lane.
Anybody ever coolly reach over to the horn button when they need it and not just turn on their left directional?”
Dynamick uses the horn on his Harley, but he’s had to practice quite a bit to acquire that muscle memory.
“I’ve made a habit now of ‘pre-moving’ my thumb to the horn button when I feel there’s a chance somebody might try to invade my space. Needless to say, my thumb spends a lot of time on the horn button.”
Several members note that aside from poor location, their horns don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of those in their path.
“Unfortunately, the horn on 2016’s is so anemic that it would only result in a laugh, if heard at all,” said NORTY FLATZ.
“Actually, yes I have,” adds ElectraJim. “Fortunately, it worked and the guy pulling over on top of me heard it and pulled back over into his own lane. The sad part is, this was the first time I ever used it and it sounded so damned pathetic. The next time, if there is a next time, I’m going to pray like hell, let off the throttle and slow down. I need to get an air horn or something that sounds a bit more manly.”
Considering how hot this topic is, we might’ve stumbled onto something here. Perhaps it’s time that Harley rethink their ergonomics? Regardless, we want to know what you think. So head on over here and let us know if using your horn is second nature, or a useless waste of time!
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