1971 Yamaha XS1B - Fixed one thing and broke another

[Michael Bothner]

I was have some issues with my horn. I took the handlebar horn/signal/headlight assemble apart and cleaned the contacts for the horn button and adjusted the nut on the horn and now it works fine. Unfortunately now the turn signals both stopped blinking. Now when turned on, they just stay on. At first, it was only the right signal but after messing with it a bit more both signals both stay on solid. Does anyone have an idea what I did wrong?

 

[650Skull]

Check battery charge, charge the battery.
Check the roter has at least 5 Ohms between slip rings

 

[JJames]

Check battery charge, charge the battery.
Check the roter has at least 5 Ohms between slip rings

The horn and signals act as a kind of a low voltage warning as they won't work properly or at all below specified voltage.

 

[650Skull]

The horn and signals act as a kind of a low voltage warning as they won't work properly or at all below specified voltage.

Thats why I said what I said.

@Michael Bothner
even if the battery is fully charged you can get slow or non blinking indicates due to poor voltage in the loom. Lost through the ignition switch, and connecters or broken wires.

 

[Wagner73]

So, I think the advice is to check your charging system, and as an aside to that, your battery voltage. As has been said, all systems on this bike are very susceptible to low voltage.

It's actually a little bit funny (to me at least) , I had an XS-2 and an XS650-B back in the day and neither gave me the slightest problem re. battery voltage aso.

 

[650Skull]

When I put a secondhand loom on my bike, (to many messed with joins, electrical tape, and broken/nicked wires in the bucket), all bullet connecters were filthy, (more dirt than corrosion), and some of the connecters were disintegrating.
Replaced dodgy connectors. Took all of them apart and sanded/cleaned both male and female ends. Cleaned every single bullet connecter, using a ball end bit with my Dremel drill. Then WD40 on a cotton bud to clean the female and 1200 grit wet and dry soaked in WD40 to polish the male conecter.
Took both handle bar switches apart, cleaned and polished contacts, regreased with white lithium grease, fixed any loose or damaged wires.
Continuity tested every wire between any connecter before and after cleaning. Tested as I reconnected any connecter or up a switch and after a switch then on the wires from the last connecter either side and tested through each switch.

Removed, all earth/ground connections, cleaned and where they touched the frame

With a full charged battery and no running engine indicators flashed fast, strong and bright.

The only way, IMHO, to do to an older bike that you have recently got. Any bike it wouldn't hurt to do this to, as a 10 year maintenance procedure.

https://www.xs650.com/threads/continuity-testing-made-easy.49917/