Hey folks, how's it going?

Have a couple questions here....

1. If the rear turn signal is disconnected, will the front blink faster? (I hope so, else I screwed something up when I was working on the instrument cluster and headlight)

2. As I was disconnecting the instrument cluster to change the bulbs I decided to disconnect the headlight to replace the bezel ring.   I will leave those questions until the time comes.... but for now, I was left over with one of those metal ties that is hooked on via a bolt (they have em down on the stock airbox too, for example).  They're used to keep cables etc together. Only problem is, I don't know what bolt it was connected to.  It was either the headlight bolt or one of the bolts I disconnected when I removed the instrument cluster....  Could someone please check and let me know what bolt it belongs to, and what it was doing to the wires and cables?


Thanks!

hey there fellow los angelino:
1. yes it will blink faster. i removed my front blinkers (added a acerbis blitz front fairing/headlight) and the rears blink faster.
2. the little metal bracket/cable holder thingy mounts to the headlight bolt. there should be one on either side.
hope this helps.
-brian-

Brian.... you're the man.

Where abouts are you in LA?   My local group typically does a ride every weekend, let me know if you're interested.

Hmmmm. My tests show that if one bulb is disconnected, the remaining bulb will not blink at all but just stay on. The turn signal relay is current dependent. That means with less current, i.e. fewer bulbs, the cycle time is longer. More current, a shorter cycle time.

Sounds to me you have much more current being drawn than normal, i.e. the wiring is incorrect.

What year is your GS?
Edit: It doesn't matter what year you have. Since 90, all the circuits are the same (for USA models).

I just varified my test setup, again. The more current you run through the turn signal relay, the faster it blinks. You must have a bulb shorted somewhere. Does the indicator on the front panel blink? You mentioned working in the head light/instrument gauge area. Double check your wiring there.

Do you have a schematic or a service manual?

Edit again: Ok dude. Here's the simplified turn signal schematic. I have included the wire colors to make it easier.

Pay close attention to the turn indicator on the instrument cluster. It gets connected to the 12V via the turn signal switch on the handlebar BUT it gets the return (negative side of the battery) via the unswitched set of lamps!  This surprised me after studying it for a while.
That's all I got for today!

Thanks for all the info doug

I won't try and explain it.... but I just hooked up the new rears and the signals blink fine....  maybe there's a built in warning system that the lights will blink extra fast as a notice one of them is out    :dunno:

Just thought I'd throw this into the mix.

The other day I disconnected my rt rear turn signal and it made no discernable difference in the blink rate. I assume I have the stock relay, I'll check the relay later.:dunno:



edit: The right front light blinked at the normal blink rate.

i also have the stock relay im assuming.  but mine blinks faster when only one is connected.

well, i was just going by personal experience. but if i remember correctly when i was changing out the bulbs on my cage (chrysler 300) the manual said that if one bulb goes out (turn signal) the others would blink faster as an indicator that a bulb has burnt out. maybe it's the same for gs's. i dunno.

Ahh! Another electrical mystery for the GS.

It would be nice to know what vendor Suzuki used for the TSR on the different year bikes. I guess this goes to show that different component manufacturers do the same thing differently.  The faster blink rate with an open bulb is normal for automobiles and is actually a useful feature.

John's result just leaves me puzzled.
More bench testing revealed:
1- My test battery is about dead. The benched blinker circuit wouldn't work below 2.5 A.
2- The turn signal indicator works as advertised by obtaining its return via the unswitched set of turn signal lamps.
3- A Turn Signal FAQ would be a good thing since this is about the 4th discussion on signals I have seen this year.  :lol:

Flashers work by only sending out current after enough has been built up.  If you have less bulbs then less energy is taken from the flasher, causing it to need less time to reach that point where energy is sent out.

Here is a very simple schematic of the turn relay circuit, minus the turn indicator lamp.


1- The turn signal relay (TSR) is normally closed when the power is applied to the circuit. [No turn signal is on]
2- When power is applied the relay energizes. Cap current is very high initially (though this is countered somewhat by the series inductance of the relay coil and the series resistor). [Still, no turn signal]
3- The TSR contact remains open until the capacitor discharges through the large wire wrapped around the coil body. [Still, no turn signal]
4- Once the cap charge drops below the hold current of the relay coil, the coil de-energizes closing the contacts, lighting the lamps, allowing current to rush into the cap again, continuing the cycle.

I am currently (pun not intended) recharging my GS battery to test this (again). This TSR is a NipponDenso FZ249SD. It would be interesting to know if all stock GSs have this relay.

In my tests, when I added four lamps to the circuit, the relay flashed faster. Lamps in parallel have less equivalent resistance and draw more current.

Here's some photos of a naked TSR:


I repaired poor connections in the two TSRs I have.

OK, I still can't figure out where these metal ties go.  I also think I lost one.  Are these really a critial piece?  Or can I forego these?


They dont seem to fit on the headlight bolts so im kind of confused.

Quote from: JCHOK, I still can't figure out where these metal ties go.  I also think I lost one.  Are these really a critial piece?  Or can I forego these?They dont seem to fit on the headlight bolts so im kind of confused.

Well if you leave them off, you run the risk of catching/pulling a cable while turning the bike. So, here's a link to a gif of the cable routing page from my Suzuki service manual - click here. I have circled the front view of the area in question. Notice it mentions clamps for the wiring coming off the handle bars. What you really need is someone to take a pic of a completed wiring job.

If you can't see it very well, I could email it to you directly.

Ahhh, thanks Doug.... it looks like it might be the bolt that runs just underneath the dash.....  if anyone has a picture to confirm that would be great.


Thats a very nifty diagram

Quote from: starwaltAhh! Another electrical mystery for the GS.

It would be nice to know what vendor Suzuki used for the TSR on the different year bikes. I guess this goes to show that different component manufacturers do the same thing differently.  The faster blink rate with an open bulb is normal for automobiles and is actually a useful feature.

John's result just leaves me puzzled.
..............................

I checked my TSR today and it is a Wagner 552, 12V.  It blinks at nearly the same rate for one bulb (1.5 amps) or two bulbs (3 amps). If anything, a tiny bit faster with two bulbs.