helen has intermittent turn signals

[revrev]

Helen is the name I gave to my GS1100e. She was born in May 1980 and is gray. As I watched Mt. St. Helen's erupt on May 18, 1980 and finish the day covered in gray ash, I thought it fitting that the bike be named "Helen".

The turn signal issue... I know the turn signals are supposed to be intermittent, but Helen's are intermittent in a bad way. When I turn the key to the "on" position, the turn signals work. But after I start the engine, they disappear. Any ideas?



BTW, Helen has been busy. I bought her right at a year ago this week. Although the odometer gave up along the way, based on my weekly commute, I put between 19K and 21K on her in the past year.



Richard

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. revrev,

Just a few thoughts...

Do the turn signals work if you rev up the motor to 4000 rpm or so? Are you using all stock bulbs? The stock electrical system is pretty particular about the total load of the blinker bulbs. My bike uses 1073 bulbs, 12.8v and 23 watts, and not the standard 1156 bulbs. If you replace your stock flasher unit with a standard aftermarket electronic flasher, then you can use just about any bulb or LED you like.

Have you gone through the Stator Papers to test your charging system? Is your battery in good shape? Have you cleaned all the electrical connections and grounds? Corroded connections, sockets, and grounds add resistance.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[revrev]

Thanks for the ideas. I have been working on getting the electrical system back in order all year. Every time I have a section of the wiring exposed I clean as many connections as I can. I haven't tried the high RPM check yet. Based on the headlight brightness, it seems that as the voltage RISES after the engine starts the turn signals cut out, which has me confused.

Thanks for all the info on your website. It is my first place to go whenever I begin a new project on Helen.

Richard

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. revrev,

Thank you for the kind words. My little website has turned into quite a community effort with many contributors. We like to share.

Your manual should describe a troubleshooting procedure to test the turn signal relay. (Mine went out and I replaced it with an off-the-shelf electronic flasher, as described on my site.) I can't tell you whether the turn signal relay unit is bad or if it's a voltage problem. If there is a charging issue, there may not be enough voltage to drive the coils, headlight, and blinkers, etc. Keep us informed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[chef1366]

If it turns out to be the self cancel black box I have a couple of extras.
I also have a mint chrome luggage rack for that same bike.

[revrev]

What are you asking for both? I use the bike daily, and have been looking unsuccessfully for a luggage rack for the year that I have had her.

When I was in college (back in the 80's) I had a GS550E. The luggage rack was quite handy.