Beeeeep Button

phil yates · May 10, 2014

I hope I'm in the right forum this time.
Tell me Les if not so.

On my MkIII on the left handlebar there is a black button.
Riding around when passing pretty girls you can press it and you here a funny beeeeep sound.
It has no effect on the pretty girl but probably would if you were good looking, or on a Harley.
Anyway, when stopped, my beeeeeep button just won't work.
I have an electrician mate who said it runs off the battery.
But I'm pretty sure I have a battery, full to the top with electricity in fact.
There is a green and red light forward of the handlebars, for what reason, no idea.
But pressing the beeeeeep button when stopped makes them both go dim. Any connection here?
Riding around I can go beeeeeep, beeeeeep,beeeeeep all day long (and do) but only when the little red light is not shining.

Guys, please don't tell me the horn is hot wired to the alternator.
Neutral and alternator lights would not dim if it were. You'd be a lunatic to do it.
Not losing any sleep over this (yet).
But I was told by someone in here these MkIII's are too strange to think about.
He said they were not even a Commando, which cut me up pretty bad.

L.A.B. · May 11, 2014

phil yates said:
I hope I'm in the right forum this time.
Tell me Les if not so.

Come on, Phil you should know the score by now! :roll:
Topics with Commando content belong in the Commando section.
Topics without Commando content, do not.
'Simples'

phil yates said:
Anyway, when stopped, my beeeeeep button just won't work.
I have an electrician mate who said it runs off the battery.
But I'm pretty sure I have a battery, full to the top with electricity in fact.
There is a green and red light forward of the handlebars, for what reason, no idea.

An inoperative or weak sounding horn accompanied by dimming lights (headlamp also?) with engine not running is often a symptom of a discharged or failing battery, however if there is still sufficient electrical power to operate the electric start then that would be something of a MkIII conundrum.

If it has a 2MC Emg. starting capacitor (Blue thing on a spring next to battery) test with the 2MC earth/ground (Red) wire disconnected.

It could perhaps be a bad feed wire and/or connection causing a high resistance somewhere between battery neg. and the horn button?

Fuse holder? Check the current is actually passing along the fuse holder wires and contacts each side of the fuse and not along the spring!
Ignition switch? Dirty/corroded internal connections, test by bypassing it= Connect a jumper wire between the Brown/Blue and White switch wires)

phil yates · May 11, 2014

L.A.B. said:
phil yates said:

I hope I'm in the right forum this time.
Tell me Les if not so.

Click to expand...

Come on, Phil you should know the score by now! :roll:
Topics with Commando content belong in the Commando section.
Topics without Commando content, do not.
'Simples'

phil yates said:

Anyway, when stopped, my beeeeeep button just won't work.
I have an electrician mate who said it runs off the battery.
But I'm pretty sure I have a battery, full to the top with electricity in fact.
There is a green and red light forward of the handlebars, for what reason, no idea.

Click to expand...

An inoperative or weak sounding horn accompanied by dimming lights (headlamp also?) with engine not running is often a symptom of a discharged or failing battery, however if there is still sufficient electrical power to operate the electric start then that would be something of a MkIII conundrum.

If it has a 2MC Emg. starting capacitor (Blue thing on a spring next to battery) test with the 2MC earth/ground (Red) wire disconnected.

It could perhaps be a bad feed wire and/or connection causing a high resistance somewhere between battery neg. and the horn button?

Fuse holder? Check the current is actually passing along the fuse holder wires and contacts each side of the fuse and not along the spring!
Ignition switch? Dirty/corroded internal connections, test by bypassing it= Connect a jumper wire between the Brown/Blue and White switch wires)

Thanks Les
If I'm yet again in the wrong place, I guess I'm drawing on your leniency to put up with the bullshit I get away with.
I keep thinking, one day, one day, can't be far off and I'll be out on the street again.
Happened to me in the last forum I was in "A Study On The Psychology Of Bullshitting". They didn't believe I knew what I was talking about on that subject. Every one in here certainly does!
Called "testing the boundaries" in my other career as test pilot.

Battery is brand new and fully charged.
Horn (alternator correctly suppling battery) will blast rats clean out of street gutters as previously advertised.
"Rats" at Mittagong pub refers to drunks sleeping in the gutter outside. I can't beeeeep them when parked so park on them. Very soft to climb off bike onto.

Sounds like a wiring issue then, not an issue but it had me stuffed why it was happening.

Thanks Les
Phil

texasSlick · May 11, 2014

Sounds like a poor electrical connection to me. Where? Try working from the horn backwards towards the battery. Check the grounding of the horn.

Slick

phil yates · May 11, 2014

texasSlick said:
Sounds like a poor electrical connection to me. Where? Try working from the horn backwards towards the battery. Check the grounding of the horn.

Slick

Will do, thanks Tex.
I didn't think it could be normal.
Impossible to be normal in fact.
But then, it is a MkIII

texasSlick · May 11, 2014

I am not always right.
But I am nearly ALWAYS wrong.
Phil Yates

I was wrong once....I thought I made a mistake.
Slick

concours · May 11, 2014

Check the voltage at the horn (if you can get to it) A voltage drop across the thumb switch may allow 13.6V at battery while running to dip down to 12ish at the horn, but it still works. Engine off, 12.5V at the battery may dip to 10ish at the horn, and not work. A relay wired in would solve it, if it turns out to be that.

Hobot · May 11, 2014

Sometimes the horn goes out of tune adjustment as well as become loose on mount to lower current flow when not rattling along but also stifles the solid back up the horn needs to sound at least like an 'angry' bee under a bonnet. Competent and caring owner would take horn off to clean out and tune while held in a vice and put back just tight enough not to distort the casting throwing tune out yet not come loose again. Some folks end up loners if not socialized enough d/t biological &or psychological reasons.

phil yates · May 11, 2014

texasSlick said:
I am not always right.
But I am nearly ALWAYS wrong.
Phil Yates

I was wrong once....I thought I made a mistake.
Slick

You made a mistake tex.
I used to think like you, right thing to do but induces wrong results.

phil yates · May 11, 2014

hobot said:
Sometimes the horn goes out of tune adjustment as well as become loose on mount to lower current flow when not rattling along but also stifles the solid back up the horn needs to sound at least like an 'angry' bee under a bonnet. Competent and caring owner would take horn off to clean out and tune while held in a vice and put back just tight enough not to distort the casting throwing tune out yet not come loose again. Some folks end up loners if not socialized enough d/t biological &or psychological reasons.

Hobot
Horn is seriously loud, blowing rats and scares the shit out of police. So no issue there.
Biological and psychological problems? None that I know of.
Commando chats frequently to other motorcycles, even Jap crap.
But I refuse to chat with their riders.
White trash!!

When can I make an appointment with you?

texasSlick · May 12, 2014

phil yates said:
texasSlick said:

I am not always right.
But I am nearly ALWAYS wrong.
Phil Yates

I was wrong once....I thought I made a mistake.
Slick

Click to expand...

You made a mistake tex.
I used to think like you, right thing to do but induces wrong results.

I'm just being facetious ....actually, one of my most used tools is an Eberhard-Faber eraser!

Cheers

Slick

Hobot · May 12, 2014

Say WhAT!!!, Oh oh anyone not knowing about Commando's famous variety of wet sump issues and claims the Norton horn is loud enough to startle even small animals is either pulling our collective legs or far worse.

Diablouph · May 12, 2014

Funny, when I'm on my Commando and I push the red button, I hear " Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.

Notice how I slipped the word "Commando" in to keep this thread in the Commando section.

texasSlick · May 12, 2014

Diablouph said:
Funny, when I'm on my Commando and I push the red button, I hear " Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.

Notice how I slipped the word "Commando" in to keep this thread in the Commando section.

Hey! That reminds me of the time I parked my Atlas ( pre Commando...(for the editor police)) on a street corner in Winslow, AZ (remember the Eagles "Take It Easy").... and nothing happened!

Slick

jaydee75 · May 13, 2014

If your horn is that loud, I bet it is aftermarket. May be drawing so much current that your Commando wiring and battery cannot support it with engine off.
Jaydee

phil yates · May 14, 2014

texasSlick said:
phil yates said:

texasSlick said:

I am not always right.
But I am nearly ALWAYS wrong.
Phil Yates

I was wrong once....I thought I made a mistake.
Slick

Click to expand...

You made a mistake tex.
I used to think like you, right thing to do but induces wrong results.

Click to expand...

I'm just being facetious ....actually, one of my most used tools is an Eberhard-Faber eraser!

Cheers

Slick

I was just being facetious too Rob.
Text communication makes it so difficult to convey joke/serious attitude.
Even adding smileys etc can be construed as sarcasm.
Or "have a nice day" may be intended to mean the opposite.
Only resolution is an all out brawl at the pub.
Forget intentions, just hit the first guy in the door, all in fun of course.

phil yates · May 14, 2014

jaydee75 said:
If your horn is that loud, I bet it is aftermarket. May be drawing so much current that your Commando wiring and battery cannot support it with engine off.
Jaydee

Certainly could be possible jaydee. It is definitely LOUD, big time.
If that is the case, I'll leave as is. I like the way it makes pedestrians jump sideways when riding home from the pub on the sidewalk.

phil yates · May 14, 2014

hobot said:
Say WhAT!!!, Oh oh anyone not knowing about Commando's famous variety of wet sump issues and claims the Norton horn is loud enough to startle even small animals is either pulling our collective legs or far worse.

I know all about wet sump issues, there are very few, none in fact if you ride your machine, as was the intention in the first place. I just can't think of what could be worse than pulling the collective's legs.
Frog's legs perhaps?

phil yates · May 14, 2014

Diablouph said:
Funny, when I'm on my Commando and I push the red button, I hear " Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.

Notice how I slipped the word "Commando" in to keep this thread in the Commando section.

I hear Peter, Paul and Mary,
"Go tell it on a mountain"

Followed by Led Zeplin
Doors
Janice Joplin

Then a message from the pope.

phil yates · May 14, 2014

texasSlick said:
Diablouph said:

Funny, when I'm on my Commando and I push the red button, I hear " Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.

Notice how I slipped the word "Commando" in to keep this thread in the Commando section.

Click to expand...

Hey! That reminds me of the time I parked my Atlas ( pre Commando...(for the editor police)) on a street corner in Winslow, AZ (remember the Eagles "Take It Easy").... and nothing happened!

Slick

If you get off the bike Slick, and walk away, crowds will come flocking. I'm not suggesting you are perhaps somewhat threatening,
just far from good looking! Same happens for me, but I'm seriously threatening, apparently.
Joke/Serious??

Beeeeep Button

phil yates

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