Turn signal questions

[thumperjsa]

Hi all. I am new here as well as a new XS11 owner. The guy I bought the bike off of told me about this site and the good information I could get from it.

I just got this bike and did some and had some work done on it. Just had the clutch, intakes redone as well as carb rebuild and timing chain adjusted. It has 30k miles on it. Also, it had the wrong spark plugs in it so those were replaced too. Other minor problem have been repaired as well like shaking tach and speedo and oil leak at the hose connecting to the oil cooler.

I have some other work I need to do on it like repair slow leaking petcocks and replace the exhaust because one header pipe has a small hole in it near the top and another header pipe looks like it was crushed and welded back together.

On to my main question. Other things on the bike were not setup right like the wrong tail lamp bulbs. They were note 1157 bulbs. The turning signals will light up but they won't flash. I have read up on some things in the forums and I have a couple of questions.

Should the front and rear turning signals be using 1157 light bulbs as well. Both the front and rears have to contacts in them and it seems if I read right, that should not be the case. I am wondering if the previous owner bought a front set up signals to put on the back based on what I read earlier. Also the flasher may be bad because it rattles and I don't think that is good. At the local auto parts store they only have the older (ford) style flasher module and it has the same ratings. From what I read on this forum, I should be able to use the 2 connector flasher.

Another question, I can hear the signal canceler click when I turn on the flasher by the signal switch. I ssume this is normal and the canceller won't prevent the signals from flashing.

Sorry to be so long on my first post. It has been some time since my last bike and doing my own repairs on it. Any assistance would be appreciated.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there ThumperJSA,

Welcome and congrats on your new bike!! The turn signals on many only have the 1 central contact, and use a single element 1156 type bulb, but a few had the dual filament type for both running lights and turn signals!! If you've got 3 wires coming/going to your signals, 1 ground and one that is hot when the key is on=running lights, and 1 that is hot when the turn signal is switched, then, yes, you would need to use the 1157 type bulb IF you want to use/have extra running lights!.

BTW, there are many pages of threads besides what is showing on this main page, if you do a search for turn signals and such, you'll find lots of info about the self cancelling feature, a tech tip on removing/bypassing it! Check your ground connnections very well, they are usually wires connected to a ring connector that is over the mounting shaft of the turn signal, and rust gets on them or between them and the frame connection. Also check the connections of the the sockets, again corrosion being the main culprit. However, if the turn signals light, but don't blink, then the flasher is suspect, you can replace it with the 2 prong type, just loose your self cancelling feature, but much cheaper than the $60-80 Yamaha wants for the fancy flasher!!! I used the electronic type since I replaced all my bulbs with LED's, they didn't have enough current draw to actuate the THERMAL type flasher!!

You may be hearing the actual flasher relay clicking once, but not cycling, not the cancellor, I don't think there are any moving parts in the canceller?? I didn't check your profile before replying so I don't know what year you have. If it's an 80+, then you should also have emergency flasher, a slider switch on the bottom of the turn signal switch. If so, it is controlled by a separate flasher unit on a separate supply line. You can hit that and if all the bulbs flash, then that will also help to determine that your "TURN" signal flasher is shot!!!

HTH. T.C.

[xswilly]

on my bike with a brand new battery
with the bike off the turn signals sometimes click once and stay on
but with the bike running they work ok

so maybe in my case the flasher is getting old and needs more voltage to make it flash
try it with the bike running

mine has the stock flasher

[strom]

Just did the rear turn signals.. OK, the whole rear fender thingie.
1. This flasher unit is probbably OK. When I first engage the flashers, the unit buzzes, then works OK... tic tic tic... As the voltage drops (below 12V), the periods are getting longer (flashes slower), till it just stays on all the time. Might be at 10-11V.

If it only buzzes on one end, there is probbably a short, +12V to the ground somewhere. I'd check the turn signals themselves, sockets where the bulb is fitted. Also check beneath the fender, where the wires go. Insulation could be peeled off.

The auto canceling unit can be checked if you engage your turn signal, turn the key to off position, then on again. If the unit works, turn signal should stay off. (but I can hear a click in that case). The unit turns off turn signal after idontknowhowmany meters when the bike is moving. Or is it a time thing?

If your petcocks were leaking, check the oil for gas. Replace the oil and filter anyway. But after rebuilding petcocks.

Lots of luck.

LP

[chevy45412001]

me turn sig help too

Just read the thread. Wanted to put some of those new fangled very small turn lights on back. They go on and stay lit,will not flash.Went to parts store got electronic flasher now nothing at all.I don't have volt meter,what gives? tia.

[strom]

The question is, what gives not. Resistance. Or the lack thereof.
These flasher relay thingies need some resistance for them to work properly. Less resistance, the faster they will flash, more resistance, slower pace (or is it the other way around).
Anyhoo... put a resistor or something in the circuit somewhere. Don't know how many ohms tho. Take a reading of old bulbs, new bulbs and work something out. It will work, don't give up hope. Yet.
Try an automotive flasher thingie... there are 2 and 3 contact variants. The 3rd one (one of the side ones) is ground. So if you have one too many on your unit, wire one to the frame. And the other way around. But try with resistors first, since I don't know how the auto canceling unit works and an extra resistor won't interfere with it.

LP

[TopCatGr58]

Re: me turn sig help too

Originally posted by chevy45412001
Just read the thread. Wanted to put some of those new fangled very small turn lights on back. They go on and stay lit,will not flash.Went to parts store got electronic flasher now nothing at all.I don't have volt meter,what gives? tia.

Strom, I'm sorry but you're wrong with regards to the Electronic flashers, they don't need any load. I'm running LED's on all four turn signals with total of .6amp load per side vs. 4.5 OEM and NO resistor, and have had no problems with it flashing at all, and a constant speed no matter what the engine revs!

Chevy, IIRC, when I helped a friend get his XJ flashers working, I thought I noticed that the wires going to the flasher unit weren't in the same layout as on my 81 and the 2 prong flasher wouldn't work just plugging it into the plug, either way, and I had to switch the center wire with one of the side ones, sorry, it's been awhile, can't remember which side!!! Use a very small screwdriver to push down the little tab that holds the connector pin inside the flasher plug so that you can actually pull the wires from the flasher, pull the middle wire, then plug one free end of the flasher into one of the side slots of the plug, then touch the loose wire to the other free terminal and try the flasher, if it doesn't work, then try the other terminal of the flasher in that same slot, then the other side slot if still nothing, but you should be able to find a combination that will work, then you'll know what wire needs to mate with which plug on the flasher unit, and then just switch the wires in the plug to match!!!

[strom]

Topcat, I ment only below 12V... at 12V or more, flashing should be normal.
Bout the resistors... worked on other flasher units, didn't try it on yamaha one... no need yet.

LP

[chevy45412001]

got her working

Thanks for your all's help. I used electronic type two prong flasher.Did not need to do anything but plug it in.Flashes great with bike not even running.whhheeewww, thanks again.

[Jerry]

IWIW, I use a 2-prong flasher on my XJ when towing my trailer, did not have to move any wires, just plug it in. I swap back and forth between the 2-and 3- wire units quite often. (Not sure if the OEM flasher will handle the extra load of trailer lights over the long term.)

The XJ auto canceling signals can be temporarily defeatd by hitting the turn button twice. For example, left turn, slide turn button to left, it will return to center. About a second later slide it to the left again, 2 'hits' within a few seconds and the auto-cancel is off.

[thumperjsa]

I played and worked through schematics and tested and played and finally... got it all working.

Some things I noted.
1) What the F**K happened to the fuse box and who decided to remove it and hotwire the turn signal wires to the headlight and ignition together. DOH!

2) Better yet, lets put a 2 wire flasher on a one wire bike and put one wire to hot and the other to ground. DOH!

3) If you use duct tape to use a bolt instead of a stocks and you wrap enough duct tape around the bolt to hold the flasher in place, you sort of insulate the grounding of the flasher and you get no circuit, of course except the hot wiring through the bulb directly to ground. DOH!

So I managed to unwrap the duct tape, figure a temp way to use the bolt to attach the front flashers to the forks, replace the burnt out flasher unit, put in line fuses and pair the wires properly and now the flashers work fine.

Good thing I don't do this for a living or I would be pulling out my hair.

Next on to repairing the leaking petcocks and replace the mirrors, put on the new mac 4 -1 exhaust and replace the front brake pads.

This is getting to be an expensive hobby.

-Jonathan

[Jerry]

This is getting to be an expensive hobby.

Were you under the mistaken idea that motorcycles are cheap transportaion?


Many of us have more in these bikes than we paid for them. Bringing it home is the least expensive part of ownership!

One time I did a break-even analysis, and it turns out I have to put a minimum of 7K on my bike that would otherwise gone on my commuter cage, and the 7K doesn't include recreational riding, just to break even. Below that ownership is a net loss. I figure it is my recreation money at work.....

[thumperjsa]

I bought it relatively cheap knowing I would be putting money into it.

I just couldn't believe the abuse it was taking. poor gal.

The hardest part is digging up money to put into it without the wife noticing it otherwise I would really make it shine.