Audible Signal Alert

For less than $20.00, you can improve your memory !

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.

TOOLS / MATERIALS:

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!

MAKE IT HAPPEN:

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).

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.

 



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!!

Mocc's Place


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