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Denali Split Sound Bomb horn upgrade

  • <i class="fa--xf fal fa-check "><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" role="img" aria-hidden="true" ><use href="/data/local/icons/light.svg?v=1789222567#check"></use></svg></i> Discussion starter Discussion starter Larry77
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Larry77

Larry77

Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2026
Messages
48
Location
Houston
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Bike
R18 Transcontinental, BMW R NineT
Installed the split version of the Denali Sound Bomb horn. I have had it for years on my R Nine T and loved it, easy decision to add one to the R18. I love how loud it is and it really gets the attention of cagers on the freeways in Houston if needed. I'm happy with the horn side but the pump side, I am still going to do some work to clean it up a bit. The air pump doesn't have holes for zip ties which makes mounting a bit more challenging. The wiring is pretty simple as long as you are good with getting to the battery and hiding wires appropriately. I used the Denali wiring kit which is really high quality with an inline fuse and all the connectors you need prewired (also have to run a wire to the old horn location). Highly recommended upgrade and much louder than any of the direct bolt on upgrades that are discussed a lot on here.


Denali Split Sound Bomb



Horn 1a.jpegHorn 2b.jpeg
 
Matt, were you able to wire the Mini with only Denali's BMW horn wiring adapter, or did you also need their full Plug & Play wiring harness?

Manhattan Matte said:
I have the Denali Soundbomb Mini on both my R18 and R9T. Good and plenty loud. The Mini version does not have the air pump component, which makes install simpler.
Click to expand...
 
Cu Dubh, I have a HEX ezCAN controller on both my R18 and R9T to manage the Denali Soundbomb Mini horn, Denali D7 auxiliary lights, and B6 brake lights. I used the same mounting location of the OEM horn to install the Soundbomb Mini on the R18. It's been a long time since I installed the Denali components, but I do think I remember that the Soundbomb can connect directly to the BMW wiring harness with the Denali wiring adapter. I see that Twisted Throttle has the Denali Soundbomb Mini and Denali BMW Wiring Adapter priced together for $56.68 USD. That's a pretty good deal, I think.
 
Thank you, Matte. I was looking at the Denali site and decided to check with you before buying the parts. I'll shoot them a query.
And yes, I think that's a very good price!
 
Hello amcbride9, I'm in Fayetteville - a little town halfway between Austin and Houston. I've never seen another R18 in the area, either. There's a small Houston BMW club that rides to Fayetteville on some Sundays to have breakfast at Orsaks Cafe on the Square. Mostly GS riders and maybe a couple of RTs. I do everything I can to avoid the interstate highways around here myself, so most of my riding is just local or longer rides out on country two-lanes. By the way, related to the Denali horn replacement - we've had some rainy, windy weather here recently, so I took a couple days to install a new engine cover. Gave me a chance to throughly clean and go over the bike to make sure all the screws and bolts were torqued properly. I found a couple of upper fork clamp screws were a little loose, as well as the single screw that holds the horn in place on the lower frame truss. As you know, these bikes shake like crazy so it's a good idea to keep a check on everything, especially if you do your own service work.
 
I found the stock horn on my Model B to be pretty loud; any before & after comparisons?

Also, I've read a few post where folks used an older K1600 stock dual frequency horn that sounded like that worked pretty well..
 
I have yet to see another R18 on the road or even at the Bikes and Coffee meets, I live on the west side of Houston...
 
Wanted to post this image of a Denali Soundbomb Mini on my R18, if anyone's interested. Located on the original horn bracket, beneath the left-hand valve cover on the lower engine truss in front of the side stand. Mine's connected through a HEX ezCAN controller which links the Denali auxiliary D7 lights and B6 rear brake light. If I remember correctly, the controller is the one that's listed for the BMW K1600.

Horn.jpg
 
I installed a 100 decibel horn from Hornig. Much better than the feep feep stock horn on the R18 base. Im thinking the model B and TC have the larger horn from the factory.
 
Manhattan Matte said:
Hello amcbride9, I'm in Fayetteville - a little town halfway between Austin and Houston. I've never seen another R18 in the area, either. There's a small Houston BMW club that rides to Fayetteville on some Sundays to have breakfast at Orsaks Cafe on the Square. Mostly GS riders and maybe a couple of RTs. I do everything I can to avoid the interstate highways around here myself, so most of my riding is just local or longer rides out on country two-lanes. By the way, related to the Denali horn replacement - we've had some rainy, windy weather here recently, so I took a couple days to install a new engine cover. Gave me a chance to throughly clean and go over the bike to make sure all the screws and bolts were torqued properly. I found a couple of upper fork clamp screws were a little loose, as well as the single screw that holds the horn in place on the lower frame truss. As you know, these bikes shake like crazy so it's a good idea to keep a check on everything, especially if you do your own service work.
Click to expand...
Awesome. I also try to avoid highways, and ride out to the three sisters in Hill country when I get time.
 
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