Easy Stebel horn mount for 900 with Cobra crash bars

[slicktech]

Since it was requested I will post the way I mounted my compact Stebel horn without needing to fabricate a special bracket. It sounds like other people have done this as well, so I doubt I am the first.

On the 900 the factory horn mounts to a small metal plate which then attaches to a mount point on the frame. To install the Cobra Crash/Highway/Freeway bars you must remove the horn from its original mount and the metal plate, then mount the horn directly to the crash bars. This will leave you with the metal plate and an extra screw. Not to mention a muted horn. Throw the screw at someone (no, not really), but keep the plate as it can come in handy for mounting a Stebel in the future.

Parts needed:
Stebel (or other horn you want to mount this way)
Crash bars (Cobra, don't know about others)
OEM horn bracket plate
Stebel "mount" (nut, screw, and plastic block)
Drill to slightly enlarge hole on OEM horn bracket

As you can see in the pics below the metal plate can be bolted to one of the upper mounts for the crash bars. The larger hole with the notches will go on the crash bar mount side and the Stebel mount will go on the side with the smaller hole. The smaller hole will need to be drilled out a bit for the bolt that came with the Stebel to fit through it. I used some channel locks to hold the plate to my work bench while drilling out the hole which resulted in the scratches you can see near the upper hole in the pics. The horn is mounted close enough to the bike that I can't even see it when sitting on top. I don't see any problems with stability of the mount either. At this point I am sort of wishing I had bought the chrome Stebel though, oh well. Let me know if there is something wrong with my method.

From afar (bad pic):


Closer from the front:


Up close from the front:


Close from the back:

[jimbo-vn900]

Hey, thanks for putting up the pics. I am going to be putting mine on tomorrow. Finally!

[CheriAnn]

AWESOME!!!!!
Thank you for such a nice detailed report and pictures!!!
Can't stand the tiny sounding 900 horn, but hated to change it when I read others had problems. Looks like an easy fix!!!!

[CheriAnn]

Can I ask which Stebel horn model most are buying and where?

Thanks!!!

[slicktech]

It is the Stebel Nautilus Compact. I bought mine from these guys BikerHiway but I don't think they sell the chrome one. From them it comes with a wiring kit and instructions, most other places it doesn't. I was able to use all of the wiring they sent except for the positive lead from the relay to the horn. I used about 6 feet of 14ga wire for that. With shipping it was cheaper than other places I had looked anyways.

[NJRider]

Originally Posted by slicktech

It is the Stebel Nautilus Compact. I bought mine from these guys BikerHiway but I don't think they sell the chrome one. From them it comes with a wiring kit and instructions, most other places it doesn't. I was able to use all of the wiring they sent except for the positive lead from the relay to the horn. I used about 6 feet of 14ga wire for that. With shipping it was cheaper than other places I had looked anyways.

I just ordered mine this morning because of your post. Thank you!!!!!!!

[CheriAnn]

Originally Posted by NJRider

I just ordered mine this morning because of your post. Thank you!!!!!!!

And I'm heading over there now to order mine!!!!
Thank you!

[rogue arachnid]

I want a new Horn on my bike, these Italian Stebels seem to be popular, but I was wondering if anyone put a Truck Horn on there motorcycle?

[MTNFSH]

I installed the Stebel air horn on my Cobra engine guard of Vulcan 900 and it all went very smoothly. I appreciate the tips on your posting and especially the photos. I did tweak my installation a bit. First I put some paper over the OEM horn bracket plate when I clamped it down to the work bench to drill out a larger hole - thanks for showing how easy the bracket can scratch. I also installed the bracket plate on the inside of the cobra guard bolt and tightened the nut against the plate so the horn is just a bit more flush with the bike. The wiring was a breeze with the instructions and wiring that came with the horn from BikerHighway.com, although I did go out and buy some black 14 gauge wire and L shape connectors since the positive wire to the relay supplied by BikerHighway was red and would have stood out like a sore thumb. Anyway, thanks again for your great original posting.

[Rainbow]

Have been enjoying the various opinions and experiences in this thread.

I have narrowed my possible choice of horn down to two models from Stebel. They are the Nautilus Compact and the Stebel TM80 Magnum. The Nautilus Compact has been discussed a lot in this thread. Is there anyone out there who has seen/heard the Magnum and made any comparison with the Nautilus Compact? The Stebel site says the the Compact has a sound pressure dB rating of 139 dB at 4 inches from the source and the Magnum has a rating of 136 dB at 4 inches from the source.

I am looking for a loud horn to replace the stock and I share the opinion that the stock one is pretty much useless out there in traffic as people in cars just don't hear it.

Anyone out there with any thoughts on the two models in comparison? I would appreciate it. Thanks.

URL: http://www.stebel.it/stebel/index2006.htm

[VulcanRev]

Nice mod and simple. Let me know the next time you need to hog-out a hole, come-on over and we'll put 'er in the milling machine -- no scratches.

[Easyrider32]

I am going to wait for the Chrome one. Still waiting for my Cobra highway bar so I hope they get a Chrome Stebel soon. Wow those are louder than my car horn!

Here is a Chrome one on Ebay but no free wiring kit. Looks better in Chrome.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/STEBEL-NAUTILUS-C...ayphotohosting

[NJRider]

I asked bikerhiway.com if I could get a chrome cover for my horn. They replied saying they will start carrying chrome covers for the Nautilus Compact in the next couple of months.

[Easyrider32]

Do not order the Chrome one from Ebay I looked at the picture and think its a fake. First of all Stebel has not even released the Chrome version but they do have a picture. The Ebay Chrome version does not have the Stebel logo on it. Its only 39.95 on ebay yet the expected price is upwards of $199. I think this ebay one may be a fake or modified??
http://cgi.ebay.ca/STEBEL-NAUTILUS-C...ayphotohosting

What do you guys think??

"Thank you for visiting BikerHiway.

How long will it be before the Chrome version of the Stebel Nautilus Compact horn is available?
We are still waiting to hear from Stebel about an exact date they will be available. The earliest it will be will be the beginning of May. We have not been given exact pricing yet, but we expect them to be around $169-$199. It is the first true automotive chrome horn developed by Stebel, and is being developed for custom applications.

If you would like to see the new chrome horn (it is really beautiful), please follow these instructions:

Go to http://www.stebel.it

1 - After the intro animation, click on the red NEWS button at the top
2 - Click on the red arrow to the left of the first News Item, CUSTOM AND TUNING SECTION
3 - Click the red button on the left titled NAUTILUS COMPACT TUNING

The new black version and chrome version of the horn will display.

If you would like to be notified when we add new products, including the chrome horn, please sign up for our newsletter by going to http://www.bikerhiway.com and entering your email address in the Newsletter box on the right side of the page.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at info@bikerhiway.com, or toll-free, 1-866-496-3184, Mon. - Fri., 9am - 5pm. We look forward to serving you in the future!

Sincerely,
Michael D'Elia
Customer Service Associate
BikerHiway"

[Mycruiser]

I installed my stebel on the original horn mount at the front of the radiator! The horn faces front for optimal sound! I did purchase it from Biker Highway!

http://www.bikerhiway.com/index.php?...ducts _id=134

This one would look nice on a Kawi V-Twin!

[MTNFSH]

I hope this is working okay for you. I have heard from others who put an air horn on original mount that the horn is at risk of hitting your front fender when your front forks move down on a quick stop. They reported front fenders being dinged. You might test it by having someone watch the fender while you put weight on the front forks.

[djh3]

Well I posted elsewhere here that I got mine yesterday. After reading MTNFSH's post about clearence problems I went searching. I ended up mounting on the right side forward of the front cyl.
http://f9g.yahoofs.com/groups/g_1739...Yo3OGBQCEfN_BK
http://f9g.yahoofs.com/groups/g_1739...Yo3OGBJ9KRWjHa
http://f9g.yahoofs.com/groups/g_1739...Yo3OGB43V3X1fQ
Anybody else have any trick places to install??
Oh yea and they are LOUD !!!!

[gstrong1]

Mounted the chrome/plastic Stebel Nautilus on my 07 Classic LT, & it looks & sounds great. Got it off e-bay & I'm completely satisfied. Thanks for the mounting tips. Worked like a charm.

[converted]

If you dont overtighten the hold on nut it will not mute the horn with the cobra crash bars.

[JOHNDEERE]

I just got my Stebel horn and think I have your mounting instructions figured out except that I didn't get the plastic block that you talk about. Did you put your bolt through the slot on the horn and not the hole on top. If I mount it solid will it work ok or will it be muted without the plastic block.