techical imfo

[savy453]

i have a 1979 gs 850. my blinkers don;t work.. fuses good .. any alternitives in rewiring it to something newer

[snark]

Don't laugh at this...check for a burned out bulb. They won't flash if a bulb is bad. Could also be the flasher relay.

...I'm asuming that you took the switch apart and cleaned all of the contacts already.

[savy453]

imfo

no i didn't but nothing lights up im getting power on both sides of the relay

[snark]

Clean your contacts and see if that helps.

[rudy]

The flasher relay comes before the switch in the circuit. If you have voltage at both sides of the relay, problem is your switch or bulbs. If the relay was bad, the lights would likely just come on, but not blink. Check that everything is connected up as well. Never know what a PO did.

[SqDancerLynn1]

the 78-79 was a troublesome system, most end up converting to manual signals. I did it to my 850 4 years ago. Regular $3 auto flasher works fine

[psyguy]

most often, the problem is at the blinkers' ground connections

but, as noted, can be your switch too

(it wouldnt be a burnt bulb though, as the other side would still work)

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!

Hi Mr. savy453,

Please click here to receive your mega-welcome, chock full of suggestions and links to lots of vendors and information. Then stop by my little BikeCliff website for lots of GS850G lovin'. You'll find manuals, diagrams, how-to's, and lots of other stuff I've been collecting from all the smart people here.

I always recommend cleaning every electrical connection and ground on the entire bike, from headlight bucket to the tail light, fuse box, relays, etc. Replace bad bullet connectors with new blade connectors where necessary. Don't forget that the stock blinker relay needs to see a certain amount of resistance in order to operate properly. If you have too much resistance (caused by corrosion or bad connections), or if you have too little resistance (if you've replaced your incandescents with LEDs), the relay will not operate properly.

Like Ms. SqDancerLynn, I replaced my stock turn signal relay with a generic electronic flasher part from the auto store. Read about it here. Now it makes little difference what kind of bulbs I use.

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

P.S. We like pictures. Of your bike, not you.

[bmt]

I spent hours getting my turn signals working on my 550 and think you've got some great advice from other members already. given the bulbs and fuse are good:

1) check all of the connections, especially inside the headlight, i found one that had been disconnected by taking headlight in and out. while you are checking or replacing them spray with electronics cleaner and coat with dialectric grease (both available at auto parts stores).

2) eliminate the relay as a cause. you can remove the relay and jump the connection with a piece of wire or little resistor (i used a paperclip). when you turn on the switch you should get the lights to turn on, but not blink. then you know the relay is bad. you can replace with any automotive relay that uses the same prong type. should be less than $10. shorting the relay for a few seconds won't damage anything.

3) check the voltage at the relay. most relays have a minimum operating voltage so even if you put a new relay in that has an operating range of 12-15volts, but you are say only getting 11 volts at the relay it will never blink. (this is also why turn signals on some motorcycles only operate while engine is running, and charging).

4) if your relay, bulbs, connections all check out then you have to either disassemble and clean the switch, or rig a manual replacement switch. because of the age of the bike and the relatively simple electronics a generic toggle switch should do the trick. again i picked up one at the auto parts store. refer to wiring diagram in the service manual for proper switch routing. i think some GS members have these online somewhere.

In my case I had to do all of the above, and it helped me discover a failing charging circuit so new stator/regulator/rectifier to boot but now they blink. when i replaced my relay i opted for a 'loud' type flasher so i never forget to turn my signals off.