I will by gum fix this stock '81 kz550 horn

I have a kz550, 1981 A2 model, with a stock horn. My voltmeter shows me that the horn switch is correctly switching 12volts to the horn when the button is pushed. Horn is quiet like Gaddafi in a spider hole somewhere trying to avoid being Saddam'd. This kz550 horn is not working, it is silent.

I am going get it working. All of us have been through this -- you get a near-stock vintage machine that you have whipped into shape and the vintage horn is silent. I have boiled vintage horns in hot water and malt vineger. Did that on my kz650 CSR. It makes a quiet murmur, no more.

The dang motorcyle horn is a simple beast. There just isn't much to it. What is the secret.
I am dead set against buying a replacement. I am determined to keep this vintage machine
100% original except for tires oil and gas, air and oil filter.

Bike only has 14k miles and the gas tank and side covers and seat look almost brand new.

What can I do to keep this bike original and revive the horn? I have messed with the little nut on other bike horns and that was not successful. What is the trick, what form of mechanical/fluids/cleaning agents/hexes/etc. might succeed here?

I do not want to alter this bike, it is a piece of history that deserves the honor of being kept original.

Does the horn have a good ground? Tried powering it by putting the Negative power to the case and 12 volts to the terminal?

MFolks wrote: Does the horn have a good ground? Tried powering it by putting the Negative power to the case and 12 volts to the terminal?

I will try that 1st thing tomorrow morning, it has 2 terminals, 2 wires leading to the horn -- one for ground, one for power -- does it matter which terminal I put the + 12volts to, or do I need to worry about the wiring diagram? I always figured, perhaps wrong I don't know, that you could attach either wire to either terminal and a bike horn should work.

Looking at my bikes wiring diagram, I don't think it matters as to where the + and - go.

MFolks wrote: Looking at my bikes wiring diagram, I don't think it matters as to where the + and - go.

I don't recall ever seeing the horn being fuse protected, though I'm no electrical expert, they probably pull so little current that it's not needed, I may just disassemble and clean it if it's all wired okay, but there is nothing on a horn to go bad -- no rubber bits, no moving parts -- gotta figure this out once and for all. Putting a new horn on a vintage bike, I refuse to do that anymore.

Horns pull very large current. That is why they are almost never fused.

The horn is likely toast, or there is a bad ground, as mentioned already.

The original Kawasaki part #27003-1014 for your horn has been discontinued, so if you want to stay original, check out this Ebay horn.

Ebay horn

loudhvx wrote: Horns pull very large current. That is why they are almost never fused.

The horn is likely toast, or there is a bad ground, as mentioned already.

Thanks loud, question for you, what part of the horn goes south? When I have taken them apart before there is just a nut, washer, sometimes a large washer, and on the back side there is a small nut but beyond that, no moving parts that I have seen -- are there internal parts on these horns that fail?

I thought that the big washer vibrates on the large metal disc to make the sound.

There should be a coil and a couple contacts. I think either the coil burns out, or the contacts get corroded, but I haven't taken them apart to inspect.

Post a picture! I might have one.
The original 72-73Z1's horn had screws, instead of rivets to hold the body together.
You could unscrew the body and file the contancts, like ignition points.
Try and find an original Z1, screwed together horn. Nowadays. They bring big dollars on ebay.

Take your body apart, grind off the rivets, look inside.

I'd have to go and dig for them, but I've got two I removed from my 1982 GPz1100 to upgrade to a set of Fiamm highway horns. Let me know if you want them. They have the normal 2 push on contacts for power.

and I have 2 as well removed from a KZ J bike.Urs for the asking.bj