Turn signal problems...

[Sicarii]

I have an 89 gs500, which I just bought a little while ago.  Recently, the right side turn signal is acting screwy.  Left is fine but when you switch on the right side, you can hear the blinker rapidly clicking and no lights come on.  I thought this was just a bulb but I replaced them and no luck.  Sometimes, they will work ok, but then I come out the next day to ride it and it won't work again.  Could it be the flasher itself?  I don't know why it would work on one side but not the other.  Thanks in advance for your help!

[LimaXray]

Yeah I'd say it's the flasher.  If your bulbs are all ok, screwy usually means it's the flasher.

[l3uddha]

check the wiring. on my 04 there is a "plug" or connector that splits the wires about halfway between the battery and the light itself which can sometimes come loose. the wiring should run along the inside of the tail section. Just make sure that the plug is connecting the two ends of the wires correctly. it may look connected but actually be loose.

one of my taillights did the same thing & I narrowed it down to that plug jiggling itself loose. it was pretty cramped & I couldnt get my fingers in into reconnect it from the top. I had to do it from underneathe the bike and burned my arm on the exhaust 

[starwalt]

Ah yes, another turn signal problem. At least you are not asking for help after installing LED signals. This usually leads us to dealing with the stock signal setup that, in this case, is your original question.

Use the link HERE for a thorough analysis of the older GS turn signal circuit. It has my simplified drawing of the circuit with wire colors labeled.

After chewing on that, let us know how you are doing.

I suspect wiring, socket, or a bulb related problem.


You don't have LEDs in there do you??