Horn installation question

Hi there,

I've just gotten back home after some work travel and I'm back to work on the Norton. Last evening I wired up my horn and put it back into position... well sort of. I can install it with the horn opening towards the drive side of the bike, or towards the timing side, and there are some issues with either position.

With the horn opening towards the timing side the horn comes into contact with one of the oil lines, which makes me nervous. With the horn oriented towards the other side the opening is towards the chain, so I expect it will ingest more dirt than normal. The other thing with the horn opening towards the chain is that it is quite a bit closer to the swing arm, and I think it would come into contact with the swing arm any time I hit any decent bumps. There is maybe a 1/4 inch of clearance there.

I know I could mount the horn somewhere else on the bike, but I would like to keep it in this area. This is where I took it from, and I'm pretty sure it was touching the oil line when I took it off. The bolts come through a lot straighter and easier for getting my rear fender on if I point the horn opening at the chain.

With all this in mind, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for which of the two options might be a better way to go.

Thanks!!

My horn opening faces towards the timing side. Yes, there is little to no clearance in this area for the oil line. Sliding a length
of metal armored tubing over the oil line in this area would provide peace of mind.

My '71 Commando has a wire "loop" that holds the oil line clear of the horn "mouth"
Doug

Thanks folks! Super helpful as per usual .

Douglass Harroun said:

My '71 Commando has a wire "loop" that holds the oil line clear of the horn "mouth"

Click to expand...

A standard '71 model wouldn't have the spin-on oil filter so both oil lines normally run directly to/from the oil tank and both are on the outside of the cradle plate well away from the horn.
It's the return line that passes through the cradle to the filter that runs close to the horn and should have the 063367 metal protector sleeve (also the filter to tank line).


https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-details/16069/protector-sleeve-oil-pipes

Thanks LAB! The oil line in question on my 72 could have a metal protector sleeve over it - the line in that area has a cloth cover, and the whole thing is much thicker in the horn contact area than the exposed line that goes into the oil tank just above the cloth covered section.