Four lights that should blink but don't

[JET Improvements]

Like many newbies on this site, I have owned many bikes over the years but have never had to do more than basic required maintenance as they were all relatively newer bikes. I have a build threat started, please feel free to check it out and comment. I posed the following question there, but thought I might have better luck here. Background: I purchased a 1980 XS650SG (Canadian bike) a few months ago that had been sitting in a shed for many years before the person I bought it from got it in a multi-bike deal. He did nothing with it and it sat for another year. I started with the basics: engine oil and filter upgrade, fork oil, rebuild calipers and bled, though the rear piston and master were apparently too far gone for a simple rebuild (rear was completely frozen when I bought it, made loading into my trailer in the snow real interesting), pod filters, Kreem'd the tank (rusty and very old gas), new fuel lines and fuel filters, needle swing arm bearings (still had the plastic), rear wheel bearings, H4 headlight, LED front turns, and combo LED rear. Here in lies the problem. The original owner had stripped the turns and put running lights on the fairing. When I was mocking up the rear light I hit the signal switch and all four signals came on with no blinking. I have been through the schematic several times and am confident that the wiring is straight so I am thinking relay. Anyone with similar issues or an idea if I am on the right track with the relay? Or might the LEDs potentially the issue?

 

[jims428]

That's a common problem with the LED signals. Search will get you multiple threads on this topic.
Here's one about a new flasher you would need if you had an older model with separate left / right flasher indicators on the instrument cluster.
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7959&highlight=led+blinkers
But this won't work with the newer models that have the single flasher indicator in the instrument cluster. With these both sides will blink at once because the new flasher does not separate the left / right circuits like the stock flashers did. The new flashers tie the left / right circuits together through the single flasher indicator in the instrument cluster. There are work arounds for this you can find through search.
Myself, I gave up on using LED's in my flashers on my 82 because of this. In my opinion the work arounds seemed to add more chances of failure in the circuit so it did not seem worth it to me. YMMV.

 

[XSLeo]

I might start by taking the bulb out of the indicater. This will seperate the left and right signals. If this works then you can just leave the bulb out or try some of the work arounds.
Leo