Turn signal issues

[gnarly96]

I bought an 1977 xs650 about a week ago and i can't get the turn signals to work. I cant get power to the signals at all. An issue i found is that in my flasher unit i have a yellow/green, brown/white, and brown wire going to it. All the diagrams that i looked at for xs650d have y/g, br/w and black. Why do i have a brown instead of black, also the brown wire has constant power.
What type of flasher would i need because the stock one is broke, i tried a 552 and when i turn the signal on it pops a fuse.

Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[retiredgentleman]

The wiring diagrams have numerous errors in them. With the flasher unit, they mistakenly show a black, but it is actually brown, so your bike has the correct wiring. Yes brown brings 13 volts + power from the ignition switch.
The most likely cause for blowing the 20 amp fuse, is a short circuit in one of the turn signal bulbs. Remove each bulb and check for dirt/debris etc. in the bulb socket. Bulbs can sometimes short out internally. Check that the base of each bulb is clean. Water/rust may also have made its way into the sockets.

The turn signal switch itself can have corrosion/debris etc. Take it apart and see what you find. Be careful small parts don't fall out and get lost. A short circuit could occur if the insulation becomes worn and a bare wire is exposed where the wire passes through the turn signal stalk.

A good replacement is the Tridon HD 12 flasher. Unlike the stock unit, it will flash over a wide voltage range, even down to 11 volts, which makes it much safer.

 

[gnarly96]

The wiring diagrams have numerous errors in them. With the flasher unit, they mistakenly show a black, but it is actually brown, so your bike has the correct wiring. Yes brown brings 13 volts + power from the ignition switch.
The most likely cause for blowing the 20 amp fuse, is a short circuit in one of the turn signal bulbs. Remove each bulb and check for dirt/debris etc. in the bulb socket. Bulbs can sometimes short out internally. Check that the base of each bulb is clean. Water/rust may also have made its way into the sockets.

The turn signal switch itself can have corrosion/debris etc. Take it apart and see what you find. Be careful small parts don't fall out and get lost. A short circuit could occur if the insulation becomes worn and a bare wire is exposed where the wire passes through the turn signal stalk.

A good replacement is the Tridon HD 12 flasher. Unlike the stock unit, it will flash over a wide voltage range, even down to 11 volts, which makes it much safer.

Ok thank you for clarifying that. My main issue is that i'm not getting power to the brown/green wires that are for the signals on the front or rear. The bulbs all work but not while they're on the bike because i'm not getting power. My turn signal cancel unit is broke so i removed it, do i need that for the signals to work or is that irrelevant to them working? Also the alternator is not working, do i need the charge system to be fully working for the turn signals to work? My headlight/taillight work fine without the alternator.

 

[retiredgentleman]

The self cancel unit is not required, and its best not used. If you are still blowing the 20 amp fuse, you have to do some trouble shooting..............looking for bare wires, maybe the turn signal switch is defective/falling apart. The turn signals flasher unit needs a minimum amount of current for the flasher to operate. If you have low voltage, meaning less that 13.0 volts, there may not be enough current flow for the flasher to work.

When these bikes idle at 1200 rpm, the alternator may only generate 12.8 or 12.9 volts , resulting in signals that don't flash. Sometimes they just light up, but don't flash. So do you need the charging system to work
fully............................yes you do.

Repair your charging system (many threads on this site), and buy yourself a Tridon HD12 flasher unit.