Horns and signal devices

[Chris Crew]

Any of you using the white wire to blow a horn?

I bought a 3-18v DC buzzer (supposed to be 90 db) at Radio Shack and wired the red to the white and touched the black to the tail pipe but only got a tiny response.

The plan was to use the kill switch for a horn button, but looks like I still need a horn.

Anyone know how many watts or amps are coming out of the white one?

Anyone know of a source for a small 6v horn? The googles come up with a 12# monster for a Model A Ford, which would be awesome,but bigger than the motor. (and way under-powered would be my guess) I also find some things in China, but no source in the new world.

[Scotchmo]

A horn of sufficient db will require more power than the white wire can directly provide. I use a diode on the white wire to keep a 6v battery charged. The battery powers the electrical system including the horn and lights. You can use components from an older Honda 50, 70, 90, or 100 since they all used 6v components. They have decent horns. You can get them off eBay if you don’t want to pay new Honda prices. Other small motorcycles and mopeds also had 6v systems. Use the same sources for small 6v batteries. Or you may be able to use a small sealed lead acid battery.

[Chris Crew]

so not enough watts? Will adding a diode to the curcuit make it work?

[Scotchmo]

so not enough watts? Will adding a diode to the curcuit make it work?

No. The battery is what makes the horn work. The diode rectifies the white wire ouput and keeps the battery charged. A diode without the battery will not power the horn.

Fot details on hooking up a 6v battery go to:
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=21814