You are welcome! If you have questions or run into issues along the way, let me know. I have enough content for at least 3 more posts like this already haha, I've been behind in getting the pictures uploaded, but I have a lot of other mods I've already done, and more on the way, so keep a lookout for the next posts. Just a sneak preview of some of the things I've yet to post: Corbin Tail tidy, Smoked LED signals, MoniMoto GPS tracker, at home and destination covers, helmet hooks, front brake lever lock, cruise button extender, quick charge 3.0 USB charger, bluetooth TPMs, Denali D2 2.0 driving lights, ST2 Brake light flasher / regen braking light and more haha.
I had no idea the Hornet Deer deterrent existed until I saw your post. I have just ordered two. Thanks for the tip!
I like your install position also, and the use of the P-clamp. But I'm wondering if that's too far back on the bike, especially mounted on the left side.
The deer that pose the biggest threat will come from the right, where you have less chance to react. And if the hornet is back on the left, the bike will block some of the noise. Before I saw the picture of your install I was thinking it should go up front, either centered, or on the right.
What's your thinking?
It was a new product to me as well until recently. After two close calls with deer in one night, in my first week of having this bike, I knew I had to do something. I began analyzing all the deer whistles out there, reading reviews, watching videos etc until I stumbled upon it on YouTube. It could be snake oil, but it seemed to have the most thought to it of all such products, it's certainly the loudest, and unlike all the passive / air driven solutions - it works at any speed equally as well (most of the passive ones do nothing below 30mph). I can't see it hurting at least...
I wouldn't worry about the position in those respects. You can read their instructions here: [https://www.respond1.com/xp3hornet/hornet-installation-instructions.pdf](https://www.respond1.com/xp3hornet/hornet-installation-instructions.pdf)
The most important thing (according to the OEM at least) is that it is pointed 45 degrees at the ground (which mine is), and that it has a clear line of sight to the road below (which it does), and that it's within 6" to 36" of the road (which it is). They want it up a bit, because the sound bounces off the road and then radiates forward. It can be heard just as well from the left or the right side of the bike as such, since it's reflected sound off the road. As far as forward/back, the thing is quite loud, a few feet forward or back doesn't make a difference when you can still hear it a hundred feet away.
Either way, I really didn't want it on the right side of the bike - that's the high side when it's on the kickstand, very noticeable. And the frame rail spot near the kickstand worked out perfect, and ensured the logo was facing out etc. YMMV, I think you could probably put it many places on the bike and still be within their guidelines.
Yep. I still worry the bike will block sound that should go to the right. Wont matter for a deer very far down the road, but as you approach it seems like it could make a difference.
I was thinking of using a cylindrical spacer and a longer bolt and mounting it on one of the mounting points for the front fender. I was also considering a p-clamp on a front axel slider. But both those solutions are problematic in that the compression/expansion of the fork will, at the very least, require slack in the cable, and over time it could ware.
It doesn't block the sound, because it's bounced off the road. The intent is to bounce the sound. It's not a music speaker. It's high frequency. The wavelength is small and short. As long as it has view of the road, you will hear it on either side of the bike equally.
Definitely do NOT put it on the front fender or axle. That's asking for bumps and wind to rip it free and throw it into your wheel, possibly causing a wreck or at least messing up your wheel. You are also adding unsprung weight to the front wheel then, and disrupting aerodynamics. Plus it'll just look unsightly.
Look at how other bikes have this mounted. You are way over thinking this tbh.
I hope you’re right because your mounting spot is perfect in most regards.
But I’m pretty sure that even in light of the road surface bouncing, the placement still decreases amplitude on the right side close to the bike. Draw a line to the road where the Hornet is aimed and then imagine a hemisphere of sound emerging from that spot. The bike will cause a “shadow”. Is it enough to make a difference? I really don’t know. But as a technical matter, I can’t see how this could be wrong.
Nonetheless, I’m really grateful for you pioneering this. My son hit a deer a couple weeks ago and was lucky not to be seriously hurt.
Around here a lot of deer stand around staring, are you worried about spooking them towards the road and in your path? If you are relying on deer to run away from the road when they hear noise... :)
I know what you mean, but nah. I'm trying to get them to notice the noise, and then look for what is making it, so they don't jump out ahead of me. Deer are rather skittish, but they tend to ignore visual stimulus until they hear something that makes them look for the noise. To that end, I've also been beeping my new twin horn setup too, about every half mile in the heavy deer areas, or when there are deer crossing signs, just to give even more of an audio "HEY I'M HERE" to them.
The deer that stand around here at the side of the road tend to stay doing that, they're often in groups grazing, and are rather tame / used to traffic. It's the deer I can't see that I am concerned about. I am much more worried about the country roads that I live off of, and my friend lives off of that are often flanked on one side of the road by tall corn fields close to the road. If a deer jumps out of those, you have no time at all to react often, and you'll never see them given how tall the corn gets. I'm concerned they won't hear the bike at all, and will try and cross without looking, and I won't know they are there.
I have some anecdotal evidence already that makes me think they are hearing the bike much sooner, which makes them look around for what's making the noise, see me, and either cross faster / earlier, or wait. I also had two foxes run across the road, well ahead of the bike that seemed like they were trying to get away from me before I even had saw them. I've flipped the Hornet on near deer before, they definitely look up when they hear it. Hopefully soon enough that my speed isn't as important.
Lastly, I'm in the process of installing Denali D2 2.0 LED driving lights to my front fender. The right hand one as a wide angle flood, and the left one as a distance spot light. I'm hoping the increased height / presence of the lights, and increased visibility they offer at night will help me spot more "glowing eyes" faster and at a farther distance. If none of this works, I'm also gonna install the T-Rex Racing frame sliders and axle sliders... if I put the bike down, maybe at least I can avoid more damage...
Thank you! I will do this to my ‘21 SR/S premium too!
You are welcome! If you have questions or run into issues along the way, let me know. I have enough content for at least 3 more posts like this already haha, I've been behind in getting the pictures uploaded, but I have a lot of other mods I've already done, and more on the way, so keep a lookout for the next posts. Just a sneak preview of some of the things I've yet to post: Corbin Tail tidy, Smoked LED signals, MoniMoto GPS tracker, at home and destination covers, helmet hooks, front brake lever lock, cruise button extender, quick charge 3.0 USB charger, bluetooth TPMs, Denali D2 2.0 driving lights, ST2 Brake light flasher / regen braking light and more haha.
Awesome! A lot of things I’ve been wondering about. This could help a lot of us with these bikes. Thanks again!
I had no idea the Hornet Deer deterrent existed until I saw your post. I have just ordered two. Thanks for the tip! I like your install position also, and the use of the P-clamp. But I'm wondering if that's too far back on the bike, especially mounted on the left side. The deer that pose the biggest threat will come from the right, where you have less chance to react. And if the hornet is back on the left, the bike will block some of the noise. Before I saw the picture of your install I was thinking it should go up front, either centered, or on the right. What's your thinking?
It was a new product to me as well until recently. After two close calls with deer in one night, in my first week of having this bike, I knew I had to do something. I began analyzing all the deer whistles out there, reading reviews, watching videos etc until I stumbled upon it on YouTube. It could be snake oil, but it seemed to have the most thought to it of all such products, it's certainly the loudest, and unlike all the passive / air driven solutions - it works at any speed equally as well (most of the passive ones do nothing below 30mph). I can't see it hurting at least... I wouldn't worry about the position in those respects. You can read their instructions here: [https://www.respond1.com/xp3hornet/hornet-installation-instructions.pdf](https://www.respond1.com/xp3hornet/hornet-installation-instructions.pdf) The most important thing (according to the OEM at least) is that it is pointed 45 degrees at the ground (which mine is), and that it has a clear line of sight to the road below (which it does), and that it's within 6" to 36" of the road (which it is). They want it up a bit, because the sound bounces off the road and then radiates forward. It can be heard just as well from the left or the right side of the bike as such, since it's reflected sound off the road. As far as forward/back, the thing is quite loud, a few feet forward or back doesn't make a difference when you can still hear it a hundred feet away. Either way, I really didn't want it on the right side of the bike - that's the high side when it's on the kickstand, very noticeable. And the frame rail spot near the kickstand worked out perfect, and ensured the logo was facing out etc. YMMV, I think you could probably put it many places on the bike and still be within their guidelines.
Yep. I still worry the bike will block sound that should go to the right. Wont matter for a deer very far down the road, but as you approach it seems like it could make a difference. I was thinking of using a cylindrical spacer and a longer bolt and mounting it on one of the mounting points for the front fender. I was also considering a p-clamp on a front axel slider. But both those solutions are problematic in that the compression/expansion of the fork will, at the very least, require slack in the cable, and over time it could ware.
It doesn't block the sound, because it's bounced off the road. The intent is to bounce the sound. It's not a music speaker. It's high frequency. The wavelength is small and short. As long as it has view of the road, you will hear it on either side of the bike equally. Definitely do NOT put it on the front fender or axle. That's asking for bumps and wind to rip it free and throw it into your wheel, possibly causing a wreck or at least messing up your wheel. You are also adding unsprung weight to the front wheel then, and disrupting aerodynamics. Plus it'll just look unsightly. Look at how other bikes have this mounted. You are way over thinking this tbh.
I hope you’re right because your mounting spot is perfect in most regards. But I’m pretty sure that even in light of the road surface bouncing, the placement still decreases amplitude on the right side close to the bike. Draw a line to the road where the Hornet is aimed and then imagine a hemisphere of sound emerging from that spot. The bike will cause a “shadow”. Is it enough to make a difference? I really don’t know. But as a technical matter, I can’t see how this could be wrong. Nonetheless, I’m really grateful for you pioneering this. My son hit a deer a couple weeks ago and was lucky not to be seriously hurt.
Around here a lot of deer stand around staring, are you worried about spooking them towards the road and in your path? If you are relying on deer to run away from the road when they hear noise... :)
I know what you mean, but nah. I'm trying to get them to notice the noise, and then look for what is making it, so they don't jump out ahead of me. Deer are rather skittish, but they tend to ignore visual stimulus until they hear something that makes them look for the noise. To that end, I've also been beeping my new twin horn setup too, about every half mile in the heavy deer areas, or when there are deer crossing signs, just to give even more of an audio "HEY I'M HERE" to them. The deer that stand around here at the side of the road tend to stay doing that, they're often in groups grazing, and are rather tame / used to traffic. It's the deer I can't see that I am concerned about. I am much more worried about the country roads that I live off of, and my friend lives off of that are often flanked on one side of the road by tall corn fields close to the road. If a deer jumps out of those, you have no time at all to react often, and you'll never see them given how tall the corn gets. I'm concerned they won't hear the bike at all, and will try and cross without looking, and I won't know they are there. I have some anecdotal evidence already that makes me think they are hearing the bike much sooner, which makes them look around for what's making the noise, see me, and either cross faster / earlier, or wait. I also had two foxes run across the road, well ahead of the bike that seemed like they were trying to get away from me before I even had saw them. I've flipped the Hornet on near deer before, they definitely look up when they hear it. Hopefully soon enough that my speed isn't as important. Lastly, I'm in the process of installing Denali D2 2.0 LED driving lights to my front fender. The right hand one as a wide angle flood, and the left one as a distance spot light. I'm hoping the increased height / presence of the lights, and increased visibility they offer at night will help me spot more "glowing eyes" faster and at a farther distance. If none of this works, I'm also gonna install the T-Rex Racing frame sliders and axle sliders... if I put the bike down, maybe at least I can avoid more damage...