LED Flasher unit swap-a-roo?

[Delta869]

Simple hook up on my '75: Remove the old Flasher Relay, connect the Red wire from the Electronic Relay to the Solid Brown, the Black wire to the Brown/White (disregard all else). Slipped the elect. unit into the old boot and slipped the boot right back on the frame tab.

$11.94 delivered, this is so simple it's almost scary LOL

 

[pregrid]

Cool, glad it worked out for you!

 

[EvenmoreXS]

If Im doing LED turn signals front and brake/signal combo in the rear, would I need only 1? or 2 of them?

Also led tag lights that double as extra brake lights. All from custom dynamics.

I need to know what flasher unit and if any resistors are needed.

You guys are awesome.

Liking the idea of the superbrights unit.

 

[EvenmoreXS]

Here ya go. This is what you need

http://www.superbrightleds.com/more...versal-motorcycle-electronic-flasher/787/842/

This sounds like its " The One " Gonna order one now. It wont be in until next week which sucks, but I should have thought if it on monday when I ordered everything else.

 

[barelycompetent]

Im late to this thread but I have to chime in and ask a few questions. I have an 81 special that I am currently cafe'ing. I am going to be using two wire LED turn signals front and back. I believe I have located my stock flasher relay by the coil. I really like the idea of using the relay from Dime City this one to be exact, http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vinta...ersal-dot-approved-flasher-relay-24-0005.html but I am wondering, someone mentioned this in a previous post, it was plug and play and let you keep the auto cancelling feature, which I really like the idea of doing. Is this the part from Dime city that took you all of two minutes to swap out and make work? Also will it fit in the stock location? I am also going to be using an LED catseye tail light, is there anything special in the wiring of that, that needs to be done? On the tail light, it is three wire, and the stock plug in the back has 6 wires. Which ones on the stock plug will I need on the LED brake light? Thanks for any replies and info.

 

[XSLeo]

On the later bikes they used two tail/brake light bulbs in one tail light. Thus 6 wires. You only need 3 of the wires. The black for ground, the blue for the tail light, the yellow for brake light.
Just get wire ends that plug right into the stock tail light plug.
You only need one flasher. It wires in before the turn switch. After the switch you can run as many lights as you want. The Super Bright flasher will flash just one LED bulb, I tested it before I used it, or up to 150 watts of any combination of LED and incandescent bulbs.
Leo

 

[barelycompetent]

Gotcha on the tail lights, thanks Leo. So on the superbrights flasher it eliminates the auto cancelling feature? Is there any 3 prong flasher relay that would keep that feature? Besides the one from DCC, cause Im not sure thats the one that was mentioned earlier in this post. I guess if I have to eliminate the auto cancelling feature its not that big of a deal as my 81 Honda, and custom chopper dont have it. It was just kind of convenient having it, kind of wanted to keep it lol.

 

[retiredgentleman]

Gotcha on the tail lights, thanks Leo. So on the superbrights flasher it eliminates the auto cancelling feature? Is there any 3 prong flasher relay that would keep that feature? Besides the one from DCC, cause Im not sure thats the one that was mentioned earlier in this post. I guess if I have to eliminate the auto cancelling feature its not that big of a deal as my 81 Honda, and custom chopper dont have it. It was just kind of convenient having it, kind of wanted to keep it lol.

You don't want to keep the auto cancel feature. They are quite unreliable as to when they cancel the signals. When I had the auto cancel, it would cancel while sitting at an intersection, which is dangerous. Its much safer to do your own cancelling.

 

[barelycompetent]

You don't want to keep the auto cancel feature. They are quite unreliable as to when they cancel the signals. When I had the auto cancel, it would cancel while sitting at an intersection, which is dangerous. Its much safer to do your own cancelling.

Yeah I kind of figured that. I ordered up one of the superbright flashers so I will see how it goes when it gets here. Like I said, its no big deal, my two other rides dont have it, but it was convenient, and mine worked properly lol.

 

[XSLeo]

On my Harley the auto cancel work good still. On my 81 XS650 it still functions ok. A lot of these 30+ year old self cancelers don't. They shut off when ever they decide to, not the way they were designed.
On the 81 when you are stopped they stay blinki9ng as long as your stopped. Once moving they shut off after 13 blinks. Above that they blink 12 times before shut off.
I think that's pretty close to the design. They used a reed switch in the speedo to get a distance and speed reading, and a clock in the self canceler unit.
They were supposed to shut off after a certain time and distance. I think they used speed to determine how many blinks before shutting off. No speed reading and they just keep blinking.
Now I think the self canceler unit is failing and causes the unreliable shut off times. Best to shut them off your self.
Leo

 

[barelycompetent]

On my Harley the auto cancel work good still. On my 81 XS650 it still functions ok. A lot of these 30+ year old self cancelers don't. They shut off when ever they decide to, not the way they were designed.
On the 81 when you are stopped they stay blinki9ng as long as your stopped. Once moving they shut off after 13 blinks. Above that they blink 12 times before shut off.
I think that's pretty close to the design. They used a reed switch in the speedo to get a distance and speed reading, and a clock in the self canceler unit.
They were supposed to shut off after a certain time and distance. I think they used speed to determine how many blinks before shutting off. No speed reading and they just keep blinking.
Now I think the self canceler unit is failing and causes the unreliable shut off times. Best to shut them off your self.
Leo

Yup seems like thats the easiest option here, so thats what Im going to go with! Hopefully I will have my flasher by mid week next week and if the temps get out of the single digits here I can get in the garage and get them wired up.

 

[retiredgentleman]

Its rush hour and the traffic is very heavy. Everyone is rushing to get home at the end of the day. The light is green and you're making a left hand turn. There should be enough time to make the turn before that uncoming truck comes into the intersection. He will see my signals and slow down a little to let me make the turn. OOOPS...............my signals quite flashing just as I start into the intersection, and that trucker is coming at me really fast now

If your auto cancelling unit cancels early,even 1 time out of 100, that could be the time that causes bad things to happen.

 

[barelycompetent]

Got my flasher unit from superbright yesterday, stuck it in and bang I have flashing, problem is I have all four signals flashing at once lol. I knew what the issue was so I removed the single indicator light in my control cluster for turn signals, and now they all flash as they are supposed to. My question now is, is there a bulb, or an led that people use in the control cluster so that the turn signal indicator light works with this flasher unit? I would really like to have that idiot light back, now that the auto cancelling unit has been deleted, I would like to have the light to tell me they are on lol, cant stand riding down the street for miles being "that guy" lol. Thanks for all the advice and help, this forum is great!

 

[retiredgentleman]

Got my flasher unit from superbright yesterday, stuck it in and bang I have flashing, problem is I have all four signals flashing at once lol. I knew what the issue was so I removed the single indicator light in my control cluster for turn signals, and now they all flash as they are supposed to. My question now is, is there a bulb, or an led that people use in the control cluster so that the turn signal indicator light works with this flasher unit? I would really like to have that idiot light back, now that the auto cancelling unit has been deleted, I would like to have the light to tell me they are on lol, cant stand riding down the street for miles being "that guy" lol. Thanks for all the advice and help, this forum is great!

You would need a couple of inexpensive diodes. The stock 3.5 watt indicator bulb should work, or an LED indicator could also work.This was covered just a few days ago.
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32623

 

[barelycompetent]

You would need a couple of inexpensive diodes. The stock 3.5 watt indicator bulb should work, or an LED indicator could also work.This was covered just a few days ago.
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32623

Appreciate the reply but sadly that link just confused me more lol. Ok I put the stock indicator light back in, and wire a diode in from the green wire, and one in from the brown wire? Is that all there is too it? Any pics of this done would greatly help out as well, Im more of a visual learner lol. Thank you for the help, it is appreciated.

 

[retiredgentleman]

Appreciate the reply but sadly that link just confused me more lol. Ok I put the stock indicator light back in, and wire a diode in from the green wire, and one in from the brown wire? Is that all there is too it? Any pics of this done would greatly help out as well, Im more of a visual learner lol. Thank you for the help, it is appreciated.

There is a drawing in the linked thread. Replace the 2 question marks with 2 diodes. The junction of the 2 diodes connects to one side of the indicator bulb. The other side of the indicator bulb connects to ground.

The diodes have a silver "band" at one end. The "band end" is the end that connects to the common junction point (2 diodes and one side of the indicator bulb).

 

[barelycompetent]

There is a drawing in the linked thread. Replace the 2 question marks with 2 diodes. The junction of the 2 diodes connects to one side of the indicator bulb. The other side of the indicator bulb connects to ground.

The diodes have a silver "band" at one end. The "band end" is the end that connects to the common junction point (2 diodes and one side of the indicator bulb).

Ok I think I have it, kind of hard to visualize when you arent sitting there looking at the bike. If it warms up here enough in the next couple of days Im going to try and get out in the garage and give that a shot. Thanks for the replies, and I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[retiredgentleman]

Ok I think I have it, kind of hard to visualize when you arent sitting there looking at the bike. If it warms up here enough in the next couple of days Im going to try and get out in the garage and give that a shot. Thanks for the replies, and I'll let you know how it turns out.

Its easier to visualize if you draw a diagram on a piece of paper. Sketch a diagram similar to the diagram that is in the other linked thread. Draw in the diodes with the bands at the correct end. The actual wiring can be done inside the headlight bucket.

 

[XSLeo]

As mentioned the stock indicator has a green and brown wire to the socket. You need cut these wires or find a place to unplug them. Now add a diode each of these wires coming from the bike.
On the other end of the diodes you hook them together and hook them to one of the wires to the bulb. Either wire will work. Now hook the other wire from the bulb to ground.
Easy mod.
Leo

 

[barelycompetent]

Thanks Leo, that explanation made it all click in my pea sized brain! Same thing RG said, but I still wasnt connecting the dots lol, thanks to both for the posts and I will give that a shot!