Slow left blinker

[mrossotto]

Hello to all, I have a 80 xs1100SG, the left blinker is slow and sometimes doesn't work until after the bike has ran for a while. I have checked the ground wires,plug connections,bulbs and sockets. And I followed a schematic in my repair manual to check all wires to the blinker and switch. I found nothing. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? I'm sure I missed something, not sure what.

[motoman]

Hello to all, I have a 80 xs1100SG, the left blinker is slow and sometimes doesn't work until after the bike has ran for a while. I have checked the ground wires,plug connections,bulbs and sockets. And I followed a schematic in my repair manual to check all wires to the blinker and switch. I found nothing. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? I'm sure I missed something, not sure what.

Self canceler under seat is notorius for causing this, and especially the left side function.....or lack of.....BTDT.

[bikerphil]

Mike, if you don't mind losing the self cancelling feature, you can replace your flasher with a standard automotive 2 prong unit, should make them blink much faster. They run about $4 at any auto parts store.

[Elwood2]

mine blinked slow when the bike was running and didn't blink at all when the motor was off. I was checking the flasher and when i would tap on it, it would start to flash again. Like others said I replaced it with a 2 prong automotive flasher for less then 4 bucks. Lost the self canceling but they flash great now.

[mrossotto]

Removal of flasher canceling unit

Other then removing the unit. What is the procedure on changing it to a automotive flasher. (wiring)

[bikerphil]

Unplug the stock flasher unit from under the right hand side plastic side cover. Plug the new 2 prong unit into the stock plug the only way it will fit, the 3rd plug in the harness is no longer needed. Super easy. Just don't buy a 3 prong auto flasher, it will not work, buy the 2 prong.

[mrossotto]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Sounds like a easy fix. Thanks again.

[CaptonZap]

If you want to get rid of the stock blinker, I am interested. Let me know.

CZ

[Cobia]

Lazy eye syndrome. Just cover the right one and make the left one work harder !!!!

[mrossotto]

Lazy eye syndrome

Will a standard eye patch work or should I use duct tape for that application. ?? Lol. Have a good day.

[Vinnie48]

Hello to all, I have a 80 xs1100SG, the left blinker is slow and sometimes doesn't work until after the bike has ran for a while. I have checked the ground wires,plug connections,bulbs and sockets. And I followed a schematic in my repair manual to check all wires to the blinker and switch. I found nothing. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts? I'm sure I missed something, not sure what.

Hi...I have exactly the same problem on my 80 SG... I replaced the flasher relay with a new OEM part last night and it blinks faster now...also I found out after I charged the battery for a couple of hrs the left blinker works fine.

[Majortomxx]

I had a similar problem with my 80 SG. I filed off the corrosion on the blinker prongs and put some no-ox on them, then ran them in and out of the socket a few times, cleaned them and the socket, applied fresh no-ox and my blinker works fine. A little slow as usual but no more sticking on.

I also found that it worked better when I squeezed the top and bottom and wrapped some electrical tape around it. This fixed the problem until the cleaning mentioned above.

[GLoweVA]

Alright boys and girls, it's electrical lesson time, let's all take a seat and learn something new about our XS's:


The stock flasher requires a certain amount of load to operate properly.
(that's why we've got to use the correct wattage bulbs and not LEDs)
When there are connections that are dirty/corroded and/or the battery voltage is a little low, the load on the flasher is higher or the voltage is lower thus the flasher has to work harder (ie takes a little longer for the capacitors in there to charge) and thus they blink slower or not at all.
Most people see this when their batteries are low, but it goes away when the bike is running (the alternator putting out more voltage).

An aftermarket flasher doesn't care what load is on the system, so it'll work just fine.

[Barnfresh]

Self cancel is an important safety feature on a motorcycle. Sending a false signal to other drivers that you are about to turn could prove fatal. There are many threads here - especially Cy's mod - to change to 2-prong flasher and keep self cancel. Please be safe.

[skids]

I don't have self cancel on 3 of my 4 bikes. Believe me, you get used to manually cancelling. I have NEVER left mine on (yeah right! =8-)