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**CatatonicBug** · 11-11-2011, 10:10 AM

Originally posted by jmacsuga View Post

man, is it FUN!!!

Id'nt it though!

You may need to take the left handlebar switch apart and clean all the contacts inside. They tend to get corroded over time, and the signals stop working. Lubricate it all with Dielectric grease, and make sure all the solder connections are solid (they get weak and let go).

**GLoweVA** · 11-11-2011, 10:24 AM

When I turn on the turn signals, nothing happens, and just turning on the ignition, all the turn signals lite up. ?????.....

I see from the pics that the fronts don't look stock.
The fronts should be 2 wire. One for running lights and the other for turn signal.
The rear ones should only be one wire (Flasher only)

If they are all lighting up then that just the running light circuit, but shouldn't be on in the rear.

Check your bulbs and sockets for the right types (2 vs 1 conductors) (27watts and 8watts)(1156/1157 types should work). I've heard stories that a single filament bulb in a dual socket might make all the bulbs light up upon using the turn signal. (basically you're shorting out the turn signal light circuit to the running light circuit thru the connection on the bulb)

One word of caution on those solder joints in the turn switch: Be careful. Those suckers are 30yrs old and if you have to resolder them.... better have a good soldering gun. (a little soldering iron won't produce enough heat to heat up the contacts to melt the solder for the wire to stick to the contact.)(spent an entire saturday with mine, man did that suck)

The stock flasher (behind the right side cover) is HUGE. (about 3" long) This works in concert with the auto canceling unit (Under seat just fwd of the TCI)
If you dont' have the stock flasher (instead some automotive one) that's ok for now. It should work just great. (you'll have to cancel your signals the old school way with the switch)

Troubleshooting turn signals/running lights can be daunting, but if you take a methodical approach and eliminate one thing at a time you'll get it.

I spent days trying to figure out why my right front turn signal wouldn't work on my fairing. Turned out it was a bad connection (in the fairing) that was dropping 3volts, so the bulb wasn't getting enough juice to light up.

I'll keep tabs on this thread if you need some more help on the lights.

**crazy steve** · 11-11-2011, 10:33 AM

One thing I'd suggest when troubleshooting the turns is to unplug the self-cancelling unit; bad connections or a defective unit can cause the turns not to work. It's not needed for manual operation, i.e. when checking them, so that will eliminate at least that as a problem. As was said, bad connections is almost always the main cause of them not working, so check everything to make sure they're good...

**GLoweVA** · 11-11-2011, 10:59 AM

I totally agree with the bad connections, but that's assuming that all the wiring is correct. As we all know, Previous Owners (POs) do all kinds of things to the wiring. (including putting the wrong bulbs in and/or non OEM parts like the flasher and different turn signals)

**tom clisham** · 11-11-2011, 06:35 PM

It was a steal!

A runner for that price! COOL!

**jmacsuga** · 11-12-2011, 09:00 AM

The flasher unit was bad.....

Well, since I have another bike, I took the flasher unit from there and put it on this one. I took the switch mechanism apart, cleaned all the contacts and made sure the connections were good and polished. I am now able to get the left and right turn signals to lite when I do the switch, and it returns to center, but the flasher will not work. Still trouble shooting. I will need to get another flasher unit, though. My son came over yesterday, and he wanted to ride the bike, so I let him. When he got back, he had only one comment: "Oh, C@#P that's fast...now I need to go home and change underwear!". Needless to say, he was impressed with my "parts bike", and said it was too big for him.

**DiverRay** · 11-12-2011, 01:07 PM

You WILL need the engine running to work the flashers, unless you have already gone through and cleaned ALL connections on the electrical system. This includes the grounds, the thing a lot of members miss.

**Danny Crawdad** · 11-12-2011, 02:12 PM

I had some really weird issues with my signals when I got this bike, and was about to start tearing into wiring when I decided to test with a normal unit first. The regular flasher made everything work like it should, minus the auto-cancel feature. Honestly it has never been an issue for me to cancel the flasher in the past, and isn't now, so I just left the stupid thing off.

The GROUNDS matter a LOT on these signals. Check your grounds, where the signals themselves ground into the frame, and the two grounding straps (one from the battery->frame, one from middle drive->frame under the battery tray).

These bikes are stupid fun. Yeah, there are "faster" bikes out there but I haven't ridden one yet that has the grunt at all points in the RPM range that these XS' do. They are also really FUN to work on (most of the time), and are shockingly reliable for being 30+ years old. My '81 has 13k original miles on it and starts at the first touch of the button, even with near-freezing temps.

**Ken Talbot** · 11-12-2011, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by jmacsuga View Post

... Cleaned the tank, cleaned the carbs, and took it for a short ride this week. WOW!!! I don't think I have ever driven a bike with this much power.

Wait till you really get the carbs clean, then get it sync'd and colortuned. It will feel like a whole different bike again.

BTDT...

**jmacsuga** · 11-16-2011, 08:51 AM

Well, the turn signals.....NOT!!!!

Hi, All: I started the bike, and turned on the signals, and no flashing. I will be taking apart the connections and checking all you have suggested. I posted a couple new photos at http://jimphoto.freeprohost.com/Yamaha78 (the last ones...) and you might get a kick out of the way I dried the tank after sitting with solvent in it for two days and emptying and rinsing stage was completed. I left it on there and it was BONE DRY after about 1 hour. Tank came out pretty clean with the Harbor Freight Cleaner.....EVAPO-RUST!!! Battery box was a mess, but now it is clean too!!!

**GLoweVA** · 11-16-2011, 09:18 AM

and you might get a kick out of the way I dried the tank

Is that a vaccuum?!?
I hope you weren't sucking flamable vapors out of the tank with that.
Most vacuums use a DC motor in them which have brushes and thus can (and will) spark as they run. Sparks and vapor are bad together.

The pics are nice to see the progress. I feel like I'm right there with you seeing the stages. All I'm missing is the beer in my hand and the small talk/conversation.

Your project is infectious. Makes me want to do more on mine.

Here's my thread: http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34446

**jwhughes3** · 11-16-2011, 09:28 AM

Blew

Fred the caption reads he BLEW the water out. Get your bifocals!

John

**fredintoon** · 11-16-2011, 09:33 AM

Originally posted by jmacsuga View Post

Hi, All: I started the bike, and turned on the signals, and no flashing. - - -

Hi Jim,
the photos show the green bike ain't got no rear flashers.
The XS11 signals need both flashers to give a load of (2 x 27W) = 54W or they just won't flash.

**jmacsuga** · 11-16-2011, 09:38 AM

Yes, It is a vacuum..shop vac...on blower!!!

Yes, that is a shop vac hose, and I put it on the blower side, and just let it sit for awhile. I had used the cleaner to get the rust out of the tank and then rinsed with water, and used this to get it dry. Worked OK!!! So, I have beer and since the winter is coming http://jimphoto.freeprohost.com/01_02_09_snow.JPG I will have LOTS of time to work on the bike and drink beer. Come on over!!! I have two bike projects going, and am excited for the spring to come!!!

Originally posted by GLoweVA View Post

Is that a vaccuum?!?
I hope you weren't sucking flamable vapors out of the tank with that.
Most vacuums use a DC motor in them which have brushes and thus can (and will) spark as they run. Sparks and vapor are bad together.

The pics are nice to see the progress. I feel like I'm right there with you seeing the stages. All I'm missing is the beer in my hand and the small talk/conversation.

Your project is infectious. Makes me want to do more on mine.

Here's my thread: http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34446

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1978 XS1100 First Ride.....WOW!!!!

1978 XS1100 First Ride.....WOW!!!!

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