New Horns--finally

[maxtog]

Bacon?

Gross!  No, we were not talking about eating pig (or cow)...

[Conrad]

Gross!  No, we were not talking about eating pig (or cow)...

That must have been another thread, my bad.   

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=49.msg201579#msg201579

[VirginiaJim]

Too many threads with bacon in them.  I understand your confusion.  Why just this morning I cooked bacon.  It had been in the freezer for way too long, expired back in 9/13, so I decided to cook it up.  I thought I was going to vomit from the smell.   Just hit me wrong today.  Usually doesn't do that.  The taste was fine, nothing wrong with it, but I just couldn't hack the cooking smell.  I wanted to cook up a whole packet as I was going to use it this week in Paninis.  Strange about certain smells.  For instance, my wife can't stand the frying chicken smell.  Makes her ill.  She can eat it, but she just can't smell it cooking.   Consequently I don't get much fried chicken at home.  Also did pancakes.  They didn't come out as well as I would like but they tasted ok.  Now I have to clean up the kitchen.  I'm not terribly neat when I cook which is why I tend to cook outside.  Better for everyone actually.

Oh yeah, horns.  I've got one on the bike.

[Son of Pappy]

Too many threads with bacon in them.  I understand your confusion.  Why just this morning I cooked bacon.  It had been in the freezer for way too long, expired back in 9/13, so I decided to cook it up.  I thought I was going to vomit from the smell.   Just hit me wrong today.  Usually doesn't do that.  The taste was fine, nothing wrong with it, but I just couldn't hack the cooking smell.  I wanted to cook up a whole packet as I was going to use it this week in Paninis.  Strange about certain smells.  For instance, my wife can't stand the frying chicken smell.  Makes her ill.  She can eat it, but she just can't smell it cooking.   Consequently I don't get much fried chicken at home.  Also did pancakes.  They didn't come out as well as I would like but they tasted ok.  Now I have to clean up the kitchen.  I'm not terribly neat when I cook which is why I tend to cook outside.  Better for everyone actually.

Oh yeah, horns.  I've got one on the bike.

What!!!!  You need to quit drinking, messing with your sense of smell (that horn between your eyes and pie hole).

[VirginiaJim]

 

[maxtog]

I thought I was going to vomit from the smell.

Yep, that pretty much describes it for me

[maxtog]

Exactly.  There are occasions there is plenty of time and I will horn first while ready to evade if necessary.  Sometimes I will do both simultaneously.  If there is no time, I will skip the horn, sometimes saving it for afterwards just to show them I am pissed. 

I will often cover the horn button when I detect something might happen (after again checking what is around me).

Not to beat a dead horse, but I just did this again today.  Nowhere for me to accelerate but  I "knew" a car was going to change lanes into me without looking (normally I avoid ever being in a car's blind spot when at all possible or appropriate).  I already had my hand on the horn and the break.  The millisecond he starting moving over (and, of course, without a turn signal), I blasted him and started breaking and since he did not snap back instantly, I held it continuously while braking and he did move back into his lane.

* There was 100% no problem avoiding more if I needed (braking harder)
* Using the horn did not interfere with my reaction in any way
* He did stop what he was doing, although not as rapidly as most people do
* He probably felt like an idiot for doing the wrong thing (I certainly would have)
* He MIGHT learn something, making the road a safer place for everyone (we can only hope)
* The horn puts other people on alert also, forcing them to pay more attention, which would be useful if I had to avoid more (for example, someone behind me, although in this case, there was nobody).

Horns can be a useful tool even if they are not a replacement for avoidance.

[Conrad]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I just did this again today.  Nowhere for me to accelerate but  I "knew" a car was going to change lanes into me without looking (normally I avoid ever being in a car's blind spot when at all possible or appropriate).  I already had my hand on the horn and the break.  The millisecond he starting moving over (and, of course, without a turn signal), I blasted him and started breaking and since he did not snap back instantly, I held it continuously while braking and he did move back into his lane.

* There was 100% no problem avoiding more if I needed (braking harder)
* Using the horn did not interfere with my reaction in any way
* He did stop what he was doing, although not as rapidly as most people do
* He probably felt like an idiot for doing the wrong thing (I certainly would have)
* He MIGHT learn something, making the road a safer place for everyone (we can only hope)
* The horn puts other people on alert also, forcing them to pay more attention, which would be useful if I had to avoid more (for example, someone behind me, although in this case, there was nobody).

Horns can be a useful tool even if they are not a replacement for avoidance.

Could you tell if the other driver was chewing gum? Were you? 

[gPink]

 

[firehawk618]

I put a pair of fairly loud horns + relay on my bike right after I got it.  Just like the OP I couldn't hear it at highway speeds at all.

I do not regret this one bit.  I have used it several times and the cagers certainly DO hear it.

[just gone]

WTF? Why oh why does everyone assume that you can't do both?

+1

Seems I said that about three times so far...

Said what?

That you can use a horn at the same time as evading or without it delaying other responses.  Perhaps not in a total panic where caught completely off guard, at which case it is certainly a lower priority (at least it is for me... and should be for anyone).

I think this forum needs a louder horn. One that goes off when someone pulls another's chain on purpose, just so the second party knows that their chain is being pulled 

Nice one 'Pinkie, a fun trick you've honed sharp in the arena no doubt? 

[gPink]

  Marty, I had to chase that one way back to put it in context. There's a stick poking smiley that would be appropriate. 

[Son of Pappy]

Hmmmm, 2 weeks, 5000 miles, WA, OR, CA, AZ, UT and ID on a fully loaded ADV Bike.  Never once touched the horn.  Must be lucky to be alive...   I did however use it during the Desert100 to get them pesky skinny bikes off the trail/out of my way, scared them so bad they pee'd themselves

[just gone]

There's a stick poking smiley that would be appropriate. 

Yeah I searched for that, it's on the other forum. Speaking of that (since I'm already off topic, what the heck), ya know about this two forum thing, they both have an obvious different feel to them (I know, WELL DUH MARTY!, patience grasshopper, I'm getting there), but if you were to just look at the smileys available on each, you'd think that you were on the other forum. I've tried to figure that out and here is what I came up with. Emoticons (aka smileys) were developed to enhance communication online so that people don't take a joke as an insult and get all huffy etc etc (yeah, that works  NOT!). Perhaps having all those extra emoticons is just too touchy-feely for here. "Got your feelings hurt? Get over it, I used a smiley, figure it out!"  So, how did I do? ..is that about it?....anyway...

gPink, sorry to make you do all that research, my post could have been more timely, but somehow I missed this thread earlier. I enjoyed it so much that I just couldn't leave
your poke lying there seemingly unappreciated.

...now returning to the thread subject matter

Hmmmm, 2 weeks, 5000 miles, WA, OR, CA, AZ, UT and ID on a fully loaded ADV Bike.  Never once touched the horn.  Must be lucky to be alive...   I did however use it during the Desert100 to get them pesky skinny bikes off the trail/out of my way, scared them so bad they pee'd themselves

Regardless of whether one can both honk and maneuver out of a situation, or just the latter, I think we can all agree: For them "pesky skinny bikes", and perhaps 50% of the dumb animals (4 legged) on the road, loud horns can be an effective tool in our safety toolbox.    <---touchy-feely stuff.

[gPink]

I think you nailed it on the touchy feely thing. I've got most of the smilies turned off on the other side.