Rejected inspection: front turn signals

[bwader]

Yep that is correct. The signals just flash alternating, weaker on the unselected side. Leaving soon for the HD shop, I feel like I might get the run around because I don't have a Harley. I don't know I'm going to say aren't too many motorcycle mechanics around here. There is a BMW motorcycle I'd feel even more uncomfortable going there.

[alantf]

I've done you a simplified drawing of the turn signal circuit. Forget about the marker lights for the moment, because they are fed from the lighting circuit, and just use the same ground as the turn signal filament of the bulb. I've put in some arrows to show what happens when the switch is pushed one way. The current flows through the switch, then to the front & rear bulb (in this case, the bulbs at the bottom of the drawing) The current carries on to one side of the warning light, and returns by passing through the front & rear bulbs of the opposite side signals. When the switch is put the other way, the current flows to the other bulbs, and flows in the opposite direction through the warning light. This is why it's essential to get the correct wattage bulbs, so that everything works in harmony. Also, all grounds must be perfect, to allow the current to flow in the correct path.[attachment=0:5wkzhaqg]img003.jpg[/attachment:5wkzhaqg]

[bwader]

Well it was worth a try going to that Harley shop. Even though they are a Certified Inspection Station with that sign and all they DO NOT WORK on IMPORTS. At least the guy was nice about it and told me another place nearby I could go.

Walking outside there was an old man about 70-80 and was standing there looking at my bike and shook my hand.

He helped me and took off the headlight and checked all the connections. Checked all over the bike taking some panels off and looking for that bad ground.

Must have spent 45min to an hour checking stuff. And told me of a good place to go and how to get there. I thanked him multiple times. And started up bike and rode down the rode about a mile or so and.....

Engine died I must have been in too high of gear and downshifted but fail and ended up pushing it to the nearest gas station.

Asked people if they had jumper cables and nobody did. Called my girlfriend who came by with my jumper cables I know work. And no luck at all. I had ignition on POS to POS and NEG to NEG. Then remembered that one of them negatives got to go to the frame. Still no luck.

So I'm cooling off at home with my bike at a gas station, going to drive back there and try again with my car. And move my bike so it doesn't get towed. I don't know how old the battery is but to be sure I'm buying a new battery for it, I'm not messing around. If the one on there now is good after charging I'll have a spare.

Then I can try ONCE AGAIN at a different SHOP!

[alantf]

Just remember........... When jump starting the bike, THE CAR ENGINE MUST NOT BE RUNNING. The high charging current of a car with the engine running will fry a bike battery. As for the jump leads, one goes to battery +ve, and one to battery -ve. The reason being that the battery -ve is connected to ground.

BTW, if you tried to start the bike with jump leads, from a non running car, and you connected pos to pos, and neg to neg, and the bike wouldn't start, it doesn't sound like it's the battery at fault. If that was the case, the boost from the car battery should have started the bike. If you tried it with the car running, you may have have fried something, or, with luck, blown a fuse (possibly the 20A main fuse). your first step should be to ckeck the fuses.

[bwader]

Its been a VERY long day. I went to advance auto they had one at another, went there they looked for a half hour with 4 people looking for it.

I went to O Reilly they had one, it ended up being the wrong battery too big. That wasted 3 hours filling that battery with acid waiting and then charging for 2 hours at 1.5amps.

I tried jumpstarting again no luck- original battery, though the big battery I jerry rigged with a bungee cord to hold it in place and that turned over. I found that I had what I think was a vacuum line off of the "on,prime,reserve" petcock.

I went to a autozone they had the RIGHT one I made sure brought the original one with me to compare.
It was and this time I got home, read directions put in the acid in this battery and waited a half hour didn't even charge it. And it started up. I was glad I got the right size battery and I have it on the charger now that I got the bike safely home.

Now I get to go to work tomorrow I'm going to try this other place that is a block away that I didn't know they fixed bikes, its more of a design place. But they mainly fix dirt bikes Suzuki,yamaha,kawasaki,honda and ATVs.

Hopefully somebody can take my bike and find this bad ground that has lead to being the one of the biggest frustrations for me. :??:
Then take that $75 wrong battery and see if I can at least get store credit since its used now.

I wanted a new battery anyhow but damn this was definitely the harder way. I check online for stuff before I go places but its pretty bad when they say they have it online and don't really have it, then they say they have it at another location then they don't have it. :roll:

I'll start calling around places and checking before I drive there now, but sometimes don't have their phone number and its not too bad to just drive there.

They old man said that its a bad ground for the front turn signals, since the rear turn signals don't do it.

[bwader]

I got out the volt meter and tested the turn signal sockets without the bulbs with the key off.

LEFT: readings jump around from 11 to 99 pretty much double digits under 200 omms horseshoe symbol

RIGHT: readings are 1.0 , 1.3, 1.4, to 2.0 and in between omms

I tried it both ways came out the same using positive or negative tester leads.

Hope this helps someone help me

I have the battery charging disconnected to the bike or else I would have tried with the key in on position and running.

[5th_bike]

Originally Posted by bwader

I don't know where to readily find that 2 filament split bulb.

It's probably clear to you by now, - they don't exist, i.e. not available commercially - actually the "2 filament split bulb" really doesn't exist, because:

The ones in the videos are made out of 2 white LEDs and a resistor, soldered on the base of an old bulb(you will have to crack and remove the hollow glass part, and the filament and the little glass ball under it) and then solder 2 LEDs in parallel (but opposite polarity) with a resistor (forgot how many ohms, like 500, see 2nd video) in series onto the two leftover bulb wires. An hour or so of tinkering. A little piece of thin cardboard in between them takes care of the left/right half of the lens being lit.

The two LEDS set up this way take advantage of the current going opposite ways when left vs. right turn signals are activated. For beginners, LED = Light Emitting Diode, where Diode = electric one-way valve.

[bwader]

When I watched that 2nd video where the guy tells how to do it I thought they got made and he just liked making them or wanted to show how to make one. But its clear now nobody makes them.

[bwader]

my supervisor at work told me I should just make a ground, just splice the ground into the current one and to a bolt to the frame.

I'm going to try this

[bwader]

I went to another shop the guy told me it would be $55 a signal and he couldn't get to it until Monday.

$110 :roll: Yeah right like I'm paying that. I'd pay that to replace the rear tire including cost of the tire and inner tube, but not this. Going to try making my own ground wire off the ground wires on the signals. Just a strip the original ground wire and wrap the new ground wire to that and find a good spot on the frame for it like a bolt.