Where's the Freakin' Horn Button?

[ShinySideUp]

Am I the only one that can't find the horn button? Now don't get me wrong: if the bike is parked, and the sun is shining, and I look carefully, I really CAN find it. (Never had this problem on my Hondas... dunno why)

But twice, when cars have pulled out suddenly from a side street and from a driveway, in a real-life urgent moment, I couldn't find the bleeping horn. Not at all good.

And after the first incident, I even practiced finding the button as I rode along, trying to build muscle memory. So the second time I really needed my horn, like NOW, I did much better: I succeeded in turning on my left turn signal. And a beautiful blinking light it was, but not terribly useful under the circumstances.

So I had enough. Not going to wait for the third strike, I found a big cheap horn button and mounted it on the left grip using a plastic cable tie.

Found it here for $4.59:

http://tinyurl.com/35bajj

It's great! It doesn't interfere with my gloved hands, but is very nearby. Since the side of my index finger rests against it, I'm always aware of its location. I can raise my left index finger, move it over slightly to the right, and rest it on the button in heavy traffic. I've actually had occasion to use it on the freeway, and found it instantly by just rolling my knuckle over on to it.

You can see it mounted here:

http://tinyurl.com/2w2zmn

So I'm offering this as a solution for any other button-challenged riders out there. And you know who you are!

[NCGS]

I normally use my horn when I'm trying to cancel a left turn signal..

The guys at the BMW shop in Raleigh call it the "Beep to cancel turn button".

[ShinySideUp]

I normally use my horn when I'm trying to cancel a left turn signal..

The guys at the BMW shop in Raleigh call it the "Beep to cancel turn button".

What a thoughtful feature from our German engineers: It's always important to notify other drivers that we've completed our turns! Personally, I find that I also warn other drivers when starting my left turns. Very polite.

[TAG-Caver]

Yes, the BMW switchgear leaves a lot to be desired. They use 3 buttons to accomplish what the Japanese can do with one. I love my R12, but this is one area they really need to swallow their pride and copy what works best. Hmm, maybe I can implant the turn signal switch from my DR650 into the R12!

[deilenberger]

Actually - after 15 years of riding them - it's really rare that I signal left for beep.. I've sorta gotten into the habit of keeping my thumb on the horn button whenever I'm riding... it becomes somewhat natural after a year or two.

And it's not time to change this design yet. John Simmons - former owner of Grassroots BMW explained why.. BMW is not being subborn Germans. They are being KIND Germans. If one of their engineers comes up with a boneheaded idea like wacky button layouts - they don't want to hurt his feelings by changing it while he's still there. So... you have to wait until the engineer retires - then they can make a change. Thank Dog the engineer who put the fuel filters inside the tank retired before the R1200R was designed...

[NeilS]

When I returned from my test ride and mentioned this flaw in German engineering to my salesman, he suggested the following: Rest your thumb between the two switches. To put on the turn signal, push FORWARD. To sound the horn or cancel the turn signal, push UP.

Still a lousy bit of engineering, but the technique does work.

FWIW.

[hipsabad]

Does anyone here know if any BMW owner has ever come up with a mechanical modification to convert the excessive 3-switch turn-signal system to an efficient single-switch system? It doesn't seem like it would be all that great a challenge - I wonder if anyone's ever tried.

[Caroanbill]

Hmmm. I much prefer the three-button system to the one-button on my F650CS. I've been using it for 20+ years - since I bought a new K100RT in 1985, through a K1100LT and an R1150RS to my new baby, with a couple of years off for good behaviour (R80 and F650) in between.

I think the good news is that you get used to it - though I realise that I started with it when Japanese and Italian indicator switches were hopeless - before push-to-cancel switches, a lot of riders indicated left (or right), then turned left (or right), then indicated left-right-left-right util they (yes, well, me too) finally hit the detente and successfully cancelled. The BMW system was a godsend then - the last thing you wanted was to have to concetrate on cancelling indicators instead of on surviving traffic!

But I do agree the horn is a bit tricky - had to re-learn it becasue it's all the way over to the RHs of the LHS switchblock, hardly right to hand (thumb).

I am curious - our system has the indicator cancel on the right switchblock, as I assume does yours. Have I been using this system so long ( and have a quick right thumb up-fick as a pavlovian response - sigh) that I've failed to notice you can push-to-cancel on the left indicator as well? (oh, the shame). I did stumble on the hazard function on day when I realised there was no hazard switch ... and intuited that maybe I could simply press both indicators together ...

BTW, the CS has a better horn button, and it's opposed by a left-index-finger high beam flash - so on that one you get into the habit of flashing lights as you hit the horn. Looks frenetic, but its gets me noticed!

[mad1150]

OK, someone's got to take the other side

Actually when I rode my Star, I hated that tiny signal switch. Pain in the @$$ with cold weather gloves!

I've only had my R for 1.5 years and already find it very easy to use the signals all the time. One problem I do have is occasionally turning the right signal back on after a cancel, my glove will hit the right signal button as I move it off the cancel button.

But I do find it funny that they incorporated the start switch with the kill switch and yet use 3 switches for the turn signals - crazy germans.

Do some of the Harleys have an odd turn signal switch arrangement too?

[Dan-A]

I normally use my horn when I'm trying to cancel a left turn signal..

The guys at the BMW shop in Raleigh call it the "Beep to cancel turn button".

I took my Gold Wing out this weekend for the first time in months, been riding the Beemer.

Every time I hit the left turn signal, someone honks at me!

[Dan-A]

Do some of the Harleys have an odd turn signal switch arrangement too?

The Harley is similar to the BMW, but only 2 buttons. Left button, left signal, right button, right signal. The difference, no cancel button, you hit it again to cancel. This has a drawback too, if the signal has already self cancelled, you end up turning it on again when you don't want it on.

Because I wear a full face helmet, on my Road King, where the indicator is below my field of view on the tank, it takes extra effort to make sure I do not inadvertently indicate a turn, and have some dim bulb driver turn in front of me.

[Klink]

Well well.

Last year I posted what I thought was a gentle criticism of the BMW indicator switching arrangement on the Roadbike section of AdvRider and was promptly flamed for my presumption by the board's BMW fascists.

Apparently one should ride defensively so that one has no need to hit the horn in a hurry. Desiring an easily available horn button is indicative of weakmindedness, poor riding habits and a lack of moral fibre.

Basically, I agree with you lot: A quick horn prod can save your life. Anything that gets in the way of that is stupid.

[NCGS]

The one thing that I do not like about the horn button's placement is that in order to use it - especially in a panic situation - you have to release the left grip with your thumb in order to activate the horn button. That leaves the four fingers on top of your hand to do the "driving" - not good.

In my 44 years of riding motorcycles, personal experiences in situations where I needed to do an evasive maneuver to avoid whacking something or getting whacked, the last thing I wanted to do is release my grip on either one of the handlebar grips.

With the European's in general, and especially our friends in Das Faderland's emphasis on technology and safety, putting the horn button in a location that requires one to release a portion of his/her hand from the bar to push the horn button doesn't make much sense to this knuckledragger.

[mechanic savant]

As the horn is such an anemic piece of guano the location of the button is almost a moot point!!! That said once a nautilus horn is installed then worry
ps after 25yrs w/this switch set-up I have trouble w/other systems ..

[ErikM]

A fellow I know rewired the BMW switches as such:

The the right directional becomes cancel, left directional becomes horn, right side cancel becomes right directional , left horn becomes left directional. Think about it this arrangment makes perfect sense.

[Klink]

A fellow I know rewired the BMW switches as such:

The the right directional becomes cancel, left directional becomes horn, right side cancel becomes right directional , left horn becomes left directional. Think about it this arrangment makes perfect sense.

It makes better sense than the std set up, because the critical stuff is easier to hit. But it's still not as good as a typical Japanese set up, with the horn under your left thumb, and a single right/left/cancel switch above it.

[hass]

After riding a BMW for 4 years and then swapping to an Aprilia I can say that I hated the single-switch setup. The BMW setup is much easier to use with gloves on and, at least for me, much more logical. I am very happy to be back on a BMW!!!

I must in all fairness add that the Aprilia had the stupidest layout ever where the horn and signal buttons are reversed (horn over the signal) which caused me many an embarrasing moment where I hit the horn instead of the blinker on a turn!

Previously to owning my first BMW I owned a Honda and have also ridden Suzuki, Yamaha and Triumph bikes. I vastly prefer the BMW setup to any other.

I can understand people having trouble adjusting after using the more conventional single button setup but once used to it most people I have spoken to prefer the BMW system.

[NeilS]

I don't have a problem with one system or the other--it's the going between the two. For example, after riding the Honda for a few days, I'll get on the BMW and do some stupid stuff for the first few turns. And vice-versa. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think there's some basic human-factors issue at work here.

If I were the god of vehicle safety, I'd probably make it that only one system would be installed on all bikes.

[Klink]

I don't have a problem with one system or the other--it's the going between the two. For example, after riding the Honda for a few days, I'll get on the BMW and do some stupid stuff for the first few turns. And vice-versa. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think there's some basic human-factors issue at work here.

If I were the god of vehicle safety, I'd probably make it that only one system would be installed on all bikes.

...and isn't it amazing one has to be a deity to enforce common sense?

I agree with you 100%.

[Dan-A]

I must in all fairness add that the Aprilia had the stupidest layout ever where the horn and signal buttons are reversed (horn over the signal) which caused me many an embarrasing moment where I hit the horn instead of the blinker on a turn!

Now that's Italian! (former Aprilia owner too!)