'83 GS1100E Problem with Turn Signal Replacements not Flashing

[Guest]

I was a member here years ago and got out of bikes at my wife's urging until I recently came across a built '83 GS1100E that I couldn't resist. I am in the process of changing the headlight to a JW Speaker Evolution II LED, changing to aftermarket turn signals and adding a Mohawk Windscreen and I'm having a problem with the new turn signals not flashing. They are two-wire turn signals with incandescent bulbs and I thought that I could simply wire them to the turn signal ground and the flashing hot wire and be done; losing the running lights along the way. Well, that didn't work as they simply stay on solidly whether I connect them to the flashing hot wire or the hot wire. I know they probably don't draw as much power so I tried a load resistor flasher relay, thinking I'd lose the self cancelling function by doing so, and that didn't work. I tested a load equalizer on a front turn signal with the stock signals on the back and the stock one would flash when it was connected; the new one wouldn't. I'm at a loss as to why the new signals don't flash and looking for any help I can get to make them work. ~Gene

[swanny]

Are you sure they are incandescent and not LED? The loading on incandescent bulbs is all pretty much the same. Is the bulb burned out? Test it with an ohmmeter, it should read a few ohms.

BTW, I changed to the same JW Speaker headlight (blacked out) and it looks great.

[GS1100E]

Definitely incandescent; just a smaller bulb is all Swanny. The bulbs light up fine: i just can't get them to flash. I have the JW Speakers on my Jeep as well and love their look and light output. ~Gene

[swanny]

Definitely incandescent; just a smaller bulb is all Swanny. The bulbs light up fine: i just can't get them to flash. I have the JW Speakers on my Jeep as well and love their look and light output. ~Gene

I'm a retired electrical engineer, so let me explain the physics behind light bulbs and maybe that will help.

Incandescent light bulbs are thermal devices, that is why they are so inefficient. Most of the power dissipated is thermal heat, not light.

If you measure their initial resistance with an ohmmeter, it's pretty low as the filament is at a low temperature. Now, let's look at what happens when a blinker filament is activated. The initial current is high and the filament heats up rapidly and begins to glow. This is the thermal part and the resistance of the filament increases to a high value so that the current then decreases. The current is then removed and the filament begins to cool off and the light output decreases.

Pretty elementary. However, given the above you can see that there is a thermal time constant related to a blinker. The filament must be given enough time to cool off so that the process can begin again. This isn't a problem with bulbs that are meant to stay on, but it is a something that engineers must take into account for application specific areas.

Since your bulb lights up, but doesn't turn off, I suspect that possibly the bulb you have is not correct for your application. I could be wrong, but that is the one explanation that comes to mind.

[GS1100E]

Problem solved; it needed the load equalizers. I hooked it up wrong when I tested one. They bridge positive to negative and I had only hooked it up to the positive side. ~Gene

[swanny]

Problem solved; it needed the load equalizers. I hooked it up wrong when I tested one. They bridge positive to negative and I had only hooked it up to the positive side. ~Gene

Great! Ignore my long winded response. lol

[GS1100E]

Appreciate you taking the time; funny thing, my son is in his A School in the Navy on his way to becoming a Gas Turbine Systems Electrical Engineer. ~Gene

[swanny]

Appreciate you taking the time; funny thing, my son is in his A School in the Navy on his way to becoming a Gas Turbine Systems Electrical Engineer. ~Gene

Good for him. The Navy is a great career, and if he doesn't elect to stay he should have a bright future. As you probably know, the U.S, has a shortage of engineers and those with technical degrees.