Indicator Light Speculation

Okay, simply put, I'm having issues with my indicator lights, and I
was hoping the learned people of aus.motorcycles can possibly point me
in the right direction of a cure before I get annoyed and break
something.

I noticed on the way to work last night, in the rain (yay), that my
indicator lights weren't functioning. Stopping, I checked the bike
over, and found that all other electrical issues seemed to be fully
functional (headlight, brake light, active brake light, and dashboard
LEDs).

Not really having an option, I continued to work, and at times, the
light would work fully correct, at other times, not at all, and at
other times, having a slow and/or weak effect.

Not being real familiar with bike mechanisms or electrical systems,
I'm at a loss to explain why that would happen.

A blown fuse/short wouldn't allow it to work it all.
A loose connection might account for the working/not working, but
would it affect the speed and/or luminosity?
All the remaining lights seem to show no lacking in quality, so I
can't see how the battery is an issue.

So, given I've had the bike back from the mechanics a week (blew a
crank case when the bearings went), I really am curious as to what it
could be.

Morgan Vening

 

Yeah, generally you can substitute a standard car-type unit, although
you have to work out how to mount it and which wires go where.

-----sharks

 

Would be good if you could get access to a similar type bike and try the
flasher can from it to see if there is a difference. On the Suzi's that I'm
involved with, they are just a plug in small box type affair.
Recently on one bike they stopped working completely. Cost me $20 from a
wreckers for a similar unit. With that, the lights came on on both sides
without flashing. Seemed to be on the right track anyway.
Purchased an after-market, tin can affair from my local shop for < $10 and
problem solved. Wrecker wasn't interested in buying his faulty unit back.
Rockit

 

What do you mean slow and or weak?
Dull lights? Slow flashing? Were both sides the same?

If both sides (left/right) and front/read behave the same then there are
the following possibilities.

* Bad battery. If there is enought juice to power the headlight and horn
when the engine isn't running you can probably rule this out.

* Bad ground wire or bad flasher can. If the indicators all light up
brightly but don't flash try shorting the ground side of the indicator
can to the frame. If it starts flashing then it's a bad ground wire. If
it doesn't, replace the can.

* A bad positive wire from the battery to the indicator switch - this
will usually cause symmetrical dull indicators.


If the different sides behave differently and only one side is bad then
the wire going to from the switch to the indicators is probably bad.

If a globe is busted it should be pretty obvious, so I've presumed this
isn't the case.

The other possibility is a switch problem. I had intermittant indicators
recently (wouldn't always turn on). Pulled the switch apart and found it
was full of dead bugs (making the indicators 'buggy').

 

It was raining, right?

I'd be thinking there was moisture in the switch. If it's a little bit
dodgy/worn then a bit of moisture can make it go off. My LH indicator
is sometimes tempramental in the wet.

Moike

 

I was thinking "It's a Ducati, right?"

GB

 

Does the Superbike have K-style controls, or similar
three-pushbuttons-and-an-Enigma-machine gizmo? Or is this something BMW
decided to do just to shit _me_?

How's the new heads treating you?

-----sharks

 

It has a quite conventional three-position indicator switch on the left
switchblock

Lovely.

Now I need a couple of tyres before the unaugural.

I assume you're coming up?

If the little one is truly your daughter, she should just about be up to
foraging for herself by now.

Moike

 

Some addenum. I've done some physical testing, and I've found that the
intermitency/failure seems to occur only when the brakes are applied.
Further testing indicates that either brake, applied sufficiently to
slow the bike down, is sufficient to cause the indicaters to lose both
intensity and flicker speed.

Most people based on the initial symptoms, have indicated that this
would most likely be a bad 'flasher can'. Do these further symptoms
concur with that result?

Morgan Vening
- VTR250

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 03 Apr 2006 04:52:39 +1000

Flasher cans are cheap enough, given the symptoms though I'm thinking
bad earth.

Clean and tighten all the electrical connections, see if that helps.

If not, then buy an electronic can from Repco or Supercheap, I think
even Woolies have 'em.

The electronic ones cope a lot better with electrical problems than
the mechanical ones.

Zebee

 

Unlike mine, which has a weird Beemer three-position up-and-down indicator switch on the right
switchblock. Moike and I have debated swapping controls before now, but I worry that we'd have
to swap wiring looms as well...

Gary (who has never gotten over how simple, durable & effective /5 controls were)