Audible
Signal Alert
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For less
than $20.00, you can improve your memory
!
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How embarrassing!! You're laid back cruising style
gets really bent out of shape when some dude pulls up to
you at a stop light and says "Hey Dufus! You're
signal's been on for half an hour!!"
Yeah, yeah,..well...maybe it RUNS BETTER with the signal
on, Buddy!! HAHA!!
A twenty dollar bill, a trip to radio Shack, and Auto Pep
Boys, and a few tools can help avoid that scene in the
future.
Go to Radio
Shack, or a similar electronics store and ask for
a pair of 12 volt Piezo Buzzers (about $6 each),
then stop by Auto Zone or Pep Boys or similar
auto store and ask for a couple of packs of 16-14 guage "T-Taps" (about $2 ea.) a wire
crimping tool ($6) and a roll of 16 guage primary
wire. Then stop and spend the rest of the twenty
on beer!
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Cut a strip of flat aluminum or steel stock (available
from your local hardware store), and drill it to accept a
few pop rivets, and a mounting bolt at the end. Rivet the
two piezo buzzers to the bracket as shown above, with the
two black wires fastened under one of the rivets. This
will provide an automatic ground circuit for the buzzers
when mounted to the metal frame screw.
You can then solder a length of primary wire to the ends
of the red wires, (which will be used to tap into the
turn signal wires) or use other type of wire joining
methods.
I used an existing frame bolt which was located just
under the right air box cover to mount the bracket, then
removed some of the foam that was glued to the underside
of that cover to allow clearance for the buzzers. I wired
the buzzers to the wires that feed the turn signal
indicator at the speedometer, by tapping into the harness
wires up near the frame neck (see photo).
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| Bracket mounted to
frame bolt (circled) |
"T-Taps" (only
two are for the buzzers) |
To tap into the speedo harness, for access to the turn
signal wires, you will need to separate the wire wrap
just enough to work the T-taps into and around each wire.
Mint Green is right signal. Black is left signal.
Wire one buzzer to each wire, and protect the new wiring
with some plastic wire wrap or electrical tape wrap. You
can route it up alongside the right frame member and
secure it with wire ties.
| As an alternative mounting
procedure, you can save some time and effort by simply attaching
the two buzzers to your rear fender behind the fuel tank. This
can be done with foam adhesive tape. Then just tap them into the
rear turn signal wires in the loom that crosses over the bike at
the rear of the fuel tank. You can see the two buzzers here
attached to the plastic fender guard, and you can see the wire
taps on the lower right, just beneath the buzzer. Since they are
behind you, and under the seat, they may not have quite the
volume as under the metal air box covers, but your ears will
train themselves to hear them. For an easy ground, you can tap
into the fuel gauge ground wire. Its the bare terminal wire that
you see on the extreme lower right side of the photo. |
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I initially thought that the buzzers would annoy me while
sitting at traffic stops, so I wired them with shut off
relays from the brake light, so that when I was sitting
with the brakes on, the buzzers would be silent, but
would start as soon as I released the brakes. This worked
fine, but was completely unnecessary, as the buzzers are
not all that loud, and certainly are NOT an annoyance. In
fact, if others around me can hear the buzzers, then
that's even better, because they know something's going
on! So, I removed the relays, and do not consider them
worth the extra expense or trouble.
With a full face helmet, and my Roadhouse pipes, I can
just barely hear the buzzers, but after a while, your
ears become more keen to the sound, and you are more
aware of its presence.
Timed signal devices have a distinct disadvantage, as
they cannot think for you, and will leave you with the
need to re-up the signal once in a while, among other
issues, and physical disconnects as are on some bikes,
just don't work when you are doing easy lane changes.
Audible alerts not only give you unlimited time frames,
but alert others around you as well.
Be safe, not embarrassed!! HAHA!!
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