Turn Signal Question

[Greg Good]

Hello,
I've got a 79 XS1100. I just put some after market turn signals on it and they are blinking very slow now or not at all. At an idle, they come on and stay on. Anybody got any ideas on how I could get the "blinking" speed to go a little faster?
Thank you,
Greg G

[DiverRay]

The problem is at idle, the XS1100 does not put out the voltage needed to work the turn signals, with everything else on. Try it at about 1500 or 2000 RPM, and see if it works properly.
The more lights you have on the bike, ie extra lights, the slower the turn signals will blink. I would try replacing some of the clearance and tail lamp bulbs with LED bulbs. This will cut down the current draw at low RPM, and should help.
If you use the LED bulbs for the turn signals, you will have to replace the stock flasher with an electronic one. You will lose the "self cancel" feature when you do.

[prometheus578]

Must be lights of a lower power draw. The way that your blinkie works is: There's a bi-metal strip inside the housing that the light's current flows through. When you turn on the signal, current flows through the strip heating it up. One side of the strip expands faster than the other side, and the strip then bends away from the contacts, interupting the current flow. Signal turns off. Strip cools, re-makes contact, lights go on again. Continuously, this make flashing.
If your new lights don't draw as much current as the stock ones, it takes longer for the strip to heat up, hence the slow flashing.
This is why when switching to LED lights, an electronic flasher unit must be used as the LEDs don't draw enough power to get the thing to flash once!
You need an extra load on the light circuit. Wire in another light bulb somewhere and that should make it flash faster.
Or, if one of the electrical gurus cares to chime in... he might suggest wiring in a resister or some other electic component to provide the draw. (resister, capacitor, diode,... they're all the same to me!)
Be mindful of the weak charging systems that these bikes have. I wired in lights on a cargo trunk and didn't have enough juice left to recharge the battery. Got to the point were if I used the signal, the bike would die.

[prometheus578]

The more lights you have on the bike, ie extra lights, the slower the turn signals will blink

Diver Ray,
I would think that the more lights, the faster. Such as when you hook a trailer up to your truck, the draw from the extra lights make the flasher go crazy. But then again, with the XS not putting out as much current as a truck, I 'spose there isn't enough available current to flash rapidly.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
(why not, everyone else does!)

[DiverRay]

The big thing is, without the current, the bimetal strip won't heat up, and no flash. It's all physics, Ohms, and Votas...
Ray

[DiverRay]

oops, Voltas not Votas...

[e.z.nightrider]

The big question is do your turn signals self-cancel, or if they were before can you live without the self-cencel feature.

If you can live without it replace flasher with a new 2 spade ELECTRONIC auto flasher. You may have to try it a couple of times (the original is 3 spade but made special for yamaha for the self-cancel feature) to get the spades in the right slots. Cost about $10.

Or if you can't live without the self-cancel you can order part #2NV-83355-00-00. It's the new 3 spade from Yamaha and it's electronic Not bi-metal I've been told. Search for the best price, but expect $50-$70.

[xs650mike]

First make sure your bulbs are the stock wattages and if not, replace. Then go to Lowes or another building supply place and buy a product called Ox-Gard in the electrical department. This is a highly conductive grease which you can use on all of your connectors and switch contacts (after burnishing them) which will cut the resistance dramatically to the point that all of your lights will be brighter. I just heard about this product on the Micapeak Yamaha 650 list where it caused a minor sensation. Supposed to save pulling 'em apart and cleaning 'em every so often. I'm going to use it on all my old treasures.

[chevy45412001]

bulbs

i had simmilar prob. i put on those tiny little lights from a crotch rocket on back,as diver ray said you will need to get an electronic flasher,i got the two prong and had to put it on a few times to get the correct slots .(as stated the bike has three prongs and the flasher has only two)

[Parr8hed]

can't replace with a 2 spade flasher, must be a 3 spade auto flasher. electronic. just rotate the flasher around the 2 yammaha prongs until it works.

[thumperjsa]

I use an automotive $1.99 2 prong flasher in mine and many others have as well. Only issue is lose self cancelling for the flashers.

I have bought a few used 3 prongers off E-bay for the XS11 and have not had a single one of them make my lights go blink-blink.

With a two spade, I don't remember the correct color wires but if you put it on one pair and it doesn't work, then go to the other pair.

[LoserShoes]

Nobody mentioned this, but the first thing you do is make sure your grounds are clean, can make a dramatic difference. If your headlight dims at idle you need to clean all your grounds.

Steve

[Parr8hed]

wow, 2 prong would not work for mine. Topcat told me to get a 3 prong and it has worked every since then.

[xs650mike]

Mine didn't even flash when I got the bike but they did after I cleaned the contacts on the flasher plug. Then I replaced the 2 prong flasher with a 3 prong from an XS650 and now they self cancel as well.

[Parr8hed]

I had cleaned the connections already and mine still only worked when I beat on the flasher with the handle of a screwdriver. That is why I thought that the flasher unit was bad. Kinda impractical to drive down the road at 70 and take off the sidecover and beat the flasher with a screwdriver though.



When in doubt beat it with a screwdriver.