Really weird blinker problem

So, I read through the other blinker thread here but that didn't help.

I was out riding tonight and I realized that my left blinker blinks normally and my right blinker blinks super fast...

I guess it's not really a problem... but what caused this? As far as I know it only started tonight. :crazy:

 

Either one of your right blinkers is out or you managed to replace it with an LED (this is why I don't use LED's for blinkers, it's annoying).
If that's not it, some other resistance in that circuit has gone away...

 

mmm yes...check your bulb connections

 

Yup, this is a... start your bike, turn on blinker, get off bike, stand in front observe blinker, stand in back, observe blinker.... replace bulb.

 

I did the same looking at the bulb. Funny thing is it would work, then it didn't, then it did, then it didn't. Never did figure it out......................................

 

This is completely off the subject, sort of, but it is nice to know that VFR riders actually use their turn indicators.

One would think we should be entitled to an insurance discount, or something...

 

ROFL!!!!

Me too, I figured out mine though. Shoot, I must have changed that bulb over 300 times in an hr. I finally ended up figuring the green wire was the problem, so I took it out...

 

lmao. Yes, I do use turn signals. Both of them even!

So it's just the bulb then?

 

more than likely - one has a different wattage than the rest

 

It magically fixed itself last night, but I'm going to change the bulbs anyway. lol

 

Check your wire connectors and socket. Sounds like something is loosing contact intermittently.

 

IF you're using aftermarket lights made in Taiwan or China, expect your problems to be caused by poor workmanship ( bad solder joints) or poor materials. Like 99% of Chinese garbage, they're trash !

 

High resistance will make your flasher operate faster. Sloppy connection=more resistance. Higher wattage=more resistance.

 

6th Gen
Mine has a different problem
hit the switch & the blinker flicks (blinks one blink quickly) then sometimes it works, sometimes not
when it does work, it does flawlessly (continually)
sometimes it does not work at all even after hitting the switch several times
I just had a service done at the Honda dealer where they replaced the relay
and that did make it seem better, for the ride home
next day (in the morning) up to same old problem.

After writing this I found another post about blinkers not working when the weather is cold
someone else has had this problem & the recommendation is to use CRC in the blinker mechanism
see (Indicators don't work when its cold)
I will let you all know how this goes

 

Infrequently used handlebar switches (ie. over Winter, cold weather) can be subject to oxidation at the contacts inside the housing...or they can be sticky. I've found the best "fix" is to just operate the switch, repeatedly, consecutively...like a hundred times.

Over the years I've tried spraying various lubes and contact cleaners inside housings and have had mixed results at best. Sometimes it helps...sometimes it makes the problem worse. Disassembling and inspecting the switch itself is also "iffy" , time consuming, and frustrating (if you've ever had these tiny units apart I think you know what I mean).

Most times...if repeatedly operating the switch doesn't fix it...the best way to fix the problem and be done with it is to replace the handlebar housing.

 

6th Gen
Well the blinker problem I posted about before (hit the switch & the blinker flicks (blinks one blink quickly) then sometimes it works, sometimes not) seems to have righted itself,
in the mean time I have had another electrical related problem crop up
The Headlight which is always on whenever the ignition key is turned on, did not turn on one weekend. Fiddled around with fuses under the seat & near the handlebars but that did not help.
Then that problem went away also.
Everything has been working perfectly all the time for quite a while now
It has been too hot to ride, (a normal Australian summer!)
All I can put the above problems down to is I don't wash the bike as much now & it may have been a water in the mechanisms problem
& No I did not use CRC like i suggested I might
Has anyone else heard of this happening?

 

The nature of electrical problems is that they are intermittent.
Visualize this...... You have a battery and you have a blinker LIGHT. But before the 12v can go to the blinker light, it has to go through the blinker.
A soon as you hook a light to a blinker the light will blink on and off.
Each light that you add to the system slows down the blinking. EXAMPLE 1 light blinks very rapidly. Four lights much slower.
Now the only thing that will cause lights to not blink at the correct rate is that one of the grounds is bad ....OR a bulb has corrosion.
So if you sand all the bulbs and they are clean then the problem is a bad connection of a ground wire.

 

Actually the LOWER the resistance the faster the light blinks. If you do not believe me, unplug a blinker and watch how much faster the remaining lights blink.

But if you have two blinkers and one BURNS out then the remaining blinker is slower because of the resistance of the burned out bulb.

 

Yes...you can probably attribute this to a switch too...the starter button. There's actually two microswitches the starter button operates. Ones supplies positive voltage to the starter solenoid, the other cuts power to the headlight so it's shuts off when the starter is turning. It's not unheard of for the headlight switch to 'act out'. Again the first thing to try is simply pushing the starter button repeatedly to see if the headlight comes back on.

 

Dizzy is right on top of this one. Take apart the switch housing on the right bar and clean it. More than likely your problems will be resolved. If this doesn't do it, take it apart on the left side and clean the hi/low beam switch. Put it all back together and ride on.