CHP Motorcycle Equipment

[ZedR]

Hello,


Restoring an original CHP 1976 KZ900 motorcycle, and I need some help on equipment.


What type of siren controller was used? (I suppose CHiPs had the siren sound correct?)


What type of siren speaker was used?


What type of flasher unit would be period correct for the front Par 46 and the Rear Ambers?


Anyone know what type of radio antenna was used?


Attached is a picture of the bike that the CHP restored for the Smithsonian.


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[luckyducky]

The front PAR46 were Ge4001R bulbs one steady burn, and one with ?357? flasher. The back lights were the turn signal lights with Code 3 mode with hazard flash. I think they had a two mode switch with one mode for rear only, and other mode for all lights Code 3.

 

[Wailer]

What type of siren controller was used? (I suppose CHiPs had the siren sound correct?)

The CHiPs siren sound rises almost instantly to the high note and then falls slowly. Of the sirens currently in production, the Unitrol 80K is the only one I've heard that has a wail tone that rises and falls like that, and it can be used for motorcycles.


The problem with the Unitrol 80K is that it is a high-pitched siren, and it screams something horrible. :twisted:


The CHiPs siren is a low-pitched siren.


Now it is quite possible that Unitrol could have made a low-pitched motorcycle siren back in the 1970s. I'm just guessing.

 

[rick h.]

Attached is a picture of the bike that the CHP restored for the Smithsonian.


I have the same picture of the Bike from 2006 when I visited the Smithsonian .The Bike reminded me of California when I lived out there in the 80's. Would love to have a CHP Kawasaki. Good luck with restoring your bike .

 

[dustymedic]

I seem to remember that the CHP KZ900s had a black & white tank, the KZ1000 tanks were white with black pin stripes like in the picture...

 

[ZedR]

I seem to remember that the CHP KZ900s had a black & white tank, the KZ1000 tanks were white with black pin stripes like in the picture...

Yes.


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And thanks for the replies everyone! Any more help is greatly appreciated....still in the very early stages of the teardown.

 

[MPD 818]

You can find a lot of good information on CHP going all the way back to the 1930 at this website. There are several different pages, just browse around and see if it can help.


http://www.wb6nvh.com/chpradio.htm

 

[Dr. Dennis Stouffer]

I believe the siren was a "Stewart" made by B & M. Stewart was a motor cop with Arcadia PD. He designed and made the sirens, and B & M had a close association with him. When he died, B & M made the siren. The original tone generator had wail only, and it was mechanically produced with electronic amplification. I saw one disassembled for repair around 1972 at B & M. At some point, the siren became full electronic, and produced wail and yelp. A model was offered that with one amp box, could produce two simultaneous tones, eg., wail+yelp. A few of these were exported to Algeria to the National Police with 3 tones, wail, yelp and Hi-Lo, with Hi-Lo+Yelp as the two linked tones. The multi-tone capability predated Unitrol, and unlike Unitrol, did not use 2 amps in separate boxes. The Stewart-B & M was very robust, using a standard 58 watt or 100 watt siren speaker driver, and a very HD amp, mounted in a black aluminum box. B & M ceased production when both Federal and Unitrol or Whelen offered a cycle siren. The Stewart was superior, but B & M couldn't compete in marketing. I don't think B & M ever advertised, yet the siren was used throughout Southern California.

 

[cmb56]

Dennis,


I will think that you helped a person here in Sweden to get one in the '70s.


He's name is Jan Wall if you remember him.


I have not spoked with him in over 30 years but I remember him to say that the Stewart Electric siren had a high build quality that he said was bettre than that of Federal.

 

[Dr. Dennis Stouffer]

cmb56: Yes, you are correct, and I visited Jan at his home in 1976. I believe his Stewart siren produced wail + yelp. I think I met Jan through our mutual friend Carl Dalin. I have fond memories of Sweden and my stay with the Malmo Fire Brigade, a visit arranged by Carl. I was also able to visit Hesselmann Bil-Aero in Stockholm where I bought a couple of Sonabel BOF P2 air horns. Do you know if Hesselmann is still in business? The Stewart was almost indestructible relative to vibration. It was very well made. I wish I had one. Thanks for the contact.

 

[cmb56]

Hesselman was bought up by Huzells in 1988 and the only things of the warning equipment that stayed in that company where Klaxon Sonabel, CEV Marchal and Pintsch Bamag.


Federal Signal and Sarco went to Nanopuls.


Auteroch went to the newly started company HBA.


They took the initials from Hesselman Bil-Aero because the company was started by two former employees of Hesselman. One of these persons also was involved in the starting of the company Nanopuls.

 

[Wailer]

I believe the siren was a "Stewart" made by B & M.

That would make sense, because the movie and TV studio sound technicians used recordings of older sirens in the 1970s. And the CHiPs siren sounds more mechanical than electronic.

 

[dustymedic]

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The 900's had metal saddle bags when they started production, but got changed to fiberglass late in production. A lot of bikes in service got changed to the fiberglass boxes because the seals in the metal ones didn't hold up and were too hard to replace..

 

[Dr. Dennis Stouffer]

cmb56: Is the Klaxon Sonabel still made, or sold in Sweden? If yes, do you know the cost. The Fiamm is now around USD 400. in Germany, so I would guess the Sonabel might be 800-1,000. if still made. I know the manufacturer is now SCE Sonabel, owned by Fiamm, but I've found nothing more. I no longer have the correct trumpets used in Sweden, but I have 2 compressors. The Sonabel was almost as heavy duty as the Martin compressors. Thanks.

 

[cmb56]

To my knowledge Klaxon Sonabel is no more existing.


The siren is nowadays only used by older fire vehicles. It was the most used siren in the '60s and '70s here in Sweden.


The police where using it into the '80s until they started to use the Finnish Sarco electronic siren. Today they use the Swedish Standby electronic siren.


There are not to many manufacturers making air horn sirens no longer. You have the German Martin Horn, the Italian Fiamm and Stebel.


Stockholm Fire Department and some special police vehicles in Stockholm are using the Martin siren.

 

[Dr. Dennis Stouffer]

Thanks cmb56. That's what I thought.