83 1100E -- rear blinker question

[dpep]

I am replacing some dinky after market turn signals with stock ones on my 83 1100E. I would appreciate it if someone who has stock blinkers would check and tell me if the rear ones function as running lights in addition to signaling. In other words do they burn all the time? The front ones do I know.

[mriddle]

Rears do not Don.

In fact, I think I recall reading somewhere on here that most places .. it may be illegal to have steady on amber lights in the rear.

[Baatfam]

Rears do not Don.

In fact, I think I recall reading somewhere on here that most places .. it may be illegal to have steady on amber lights in the rear.

Yes...we just had this discussion not to long ago and it is illegal to have the ambers burning full time in the rear...

But someone posted a link to an aftermarket source that had a combo red/amber led bulb that burned red all the time and had amber directionals...
If I remember right, it looked pretty good, but wasn't inexpensive.

Sorry, I don't have the link...

[dpep]

Thanks, guys. Now that you brought it up I do recall that thread sometime back. I think what threw me off is that the rear signals on there now DO burn all the time as amber running lights. I guess I have been running illegal all along.

The more I get into what had to be this simplest of tasks the more confused I get. I got my front signals from someone parting out; he threw them in with an exhaust system I bought. I notice that they only have two wires, but they have a dual filament bulb in them and the socket has two contact points in the bottom. An 1156 (single filament) bulb would not work as it only has one contact point in the middle. However only one of the two filaments lights up. It then flashes off to signal the turn. So it is a two filament bulb functioning as a single filament bulb. Does that make sense? The Haynes wiring manual I have shows a single filament bulb and two wires.

And that is with pieces supposedly taken directly from my year and model bike. For the rear I have a half dozen signals that Griffin rummaged for me at CRC2 that look like the 1100E signals but don't have the right wire colors so probably came off a different model(s). Three have a single contact point in the bottom indicating singe filamet bulb and three have two contact points in the bottom indicating two filament bulb. All have only two wires. I can't get any of them to function as expected on the rear (or the front for that matter).

Could you guys tell me what kind of bulb you are running front and rear? I don't know if it has any direct bearing on my problem, but I need to have the engine on for the signals to blink, not enough juice otherwise. The battery is a new gel one I just put a couple of months ago; the headlights is bright and the starter is strong--punch and start--so I have to guess it is some sort of resistance in that particular circuit.

[Jeremiah]

My front signals look identical from the outside but one is factory and the other has been replaced. My stock signal has a single filament bulb socket with two wires. One of these is the blinker signal and one is ground. My replacement has a bulb socket with two contacts and has three wires. One wire is blinker signal, one is ground, and the other would be for constantly running the other filament as a running light.

[dpep]

Thanks again to everyone for your input. After several hours spent yesterday evening I finally have all four stock blinkers attached and working as they should. A big THUMBS UP to Joe (joenardy) for spending a bunch of time on the phone with me comparing his guaranteed stock 1100ED (he purchased it new) with my bike and with the wiring diagram for the model. A big THUMBS DOWN to Suzuki for publishing a wiring diagram that does not match what is actually on the bike. Both Joe's Suzuki manual and the Haynes manual I have show the 1100ED with only two wires to the front blinkers powering single filament bulbs (blinkers only). His bike has dual filament bulbs with running lights. In my Haynes manual that configuration is actually show for the 1100ESD model.

I am wondering if all 1100Es actually have running lignts or if there was a switch at some point(s) based on the blinkers (one contact or two contact) that happened to be in inventory when the bike was assembled. The only actual difference in wiring is that the dual filament blinkers are grounded by the metal part of the turn signal stem itself, not a wire coming out of the stem. Instead there is a washer that fits around the stem that has a wire attached that goes into the ground connection inside the headlight. That little "washer with a wire" was what I was missing from my signals. I hit radio shack for some bayonet connectors and fashioned a set of my own.

I don't know what I would do without the help of the good people on GSR to keep my beloved old GSs running and right.

[dpep]

My front signals look identical from the outside but one is factory and the other has been replaced. My stock signal has a single filament bulb socket with two wires. One of these is the blinker signal and one is ground. My replacement has a bulb socket with two contacts and has three wires. One wire is blinker signal, one is ground, and the other would be for constantly running the other filament as a running light.

So you only have a running light on one side?

[Jeremiah]

So you only have a running light on one side?

I don't have the second lead connected but, yes, I could have one running light
Glad you got things all cleared up.

[Rudeman]

I am replacing some dinky after market turn signals with stock ones on my 83 1100E. I would appreciate it if someone who has stock blinkers would check and tell me if the rear ones function as running lights in addition to signaling. In other words do they burn all the time? The front ones do I know.

They do not function as runners.

[katman]

Now that you have it sorted out tell me.

My katana harnesses have extra wires that can connect for running lights. The kats do not have running lights though just signal lights with two wire leads. YOu can however use the three wire lead signal design and use them as runners with the extra wires in the harness.

for stock use they are black/white tracer for ground, Left signal is solid black wire (+) and green (+) right signal.

Is it the same with the 1100E harness?

[dpep]

Now that you have it sorted out tell me.

My katana harnesses have extra wires that can connect for running lights. The kats do not have running lights though just signal lights with two wire leads. YOu can however use the three wire lead signal design and use them as runners with the extra wires in the harness.

for stock use they are black/white tracer for ground, Left signal is solid black wire (+) and green (+) right signal.

Is it the same with the 1100E harness?

Yes, the the black/white is the ground. If you are using the running light blinker (two bulb contacts in the bottom of the socket) it is the one you connect into from the washer around the stem. The left blinker filament connects to light green; and the right blinker filament connects to black.

The running lights go into a dual connector that shows on the diagram as Grey. And that is what Joe reported on his. On mine though it was another black wire with a dual connector.

P.S. It could be different for Canadian models. My Haynes only shows U.S. and U.K., nothing specifically for Canada.
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