Signal lights/oil levels

Roy

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I'll bet you're wondering how those two are connected. Actually, they aren't. I have a 1971 Yamaha xs1-b, almost pure stock, and I have two questions for all of the Yamaha wizards out there. First question. Somewhere on this site I read that the oil level should be maintained half way between the two marks on the dipstick. Why not just fill it all the way up to the full mark? Second question.My turn signals only work up to about 3500 RPM. At that point they start flashing really fast, and then at about 4000 RPM, they just shut off. Neither of these things make a darn bit of sense to me. Thanks for any help you can offer.
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The oil level is pretty easy to answer. Yamaha found out they set the original level too high and it caused some if not most of the engines to blow out a lot of oil out the breather. You can run it at the full mark if you want to won't hurt anything. But you may see a lot of oil spots under the breather tubes.
For your turn signal problem you need to post more info. What are you using for a flasher, what bulbs your using and what your charging system is doing at the different RPMs. Then someone can probably give you a place to start to fix the problem.
 
I'll bet you're wondering how those two are connected. Actually, they aren't. I have a 1971 Yamaha xs1-b, almost pure stock, and I have two questions for all of the Yamaha wizards out there. First question. Somewhere on this site I read that the oil level should be maintained half way between the two marks on the dipstick. Why not just fill it all the way up to the full mark? Second question.My turn signals only work up to about 3500 RPM. At that point they start flashing really fast, and then at about 4000 RPM, they just shut off. Neither of these things make a darn bit of sense to me. Thanks for any help you can offer.View attachment 343556

Gorgeous bike !!



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most likely culprit is a faulty turn signal flasher relay that is sensitive to the voltage fluctuations caused by engine speed, meaning its switching rate changes depending on the electrical load placed on the system at different RPMs, could potentially also be a bad ground wire but I’ll try a new flasher relay!
 
Had the same problem on my ‘76. I thought it was caused by the increased vibrations at higher rpm’s. But it could have been due to changes in voltage as well. Anyways, the cure was replacing the ancient flasher unit.
 
There have been many discussions on dip stick length for engine oil. Iirc @Jim had the best recommendation for dip stick reading. Drain the oil completely and add the amount you desire to the crankcase. In my case I fill with 2.5L. Stick the dipstick back in the hole. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a long or short one, screw it in or not, just note where the oil level is on the stick and that’s your full mark for the future. You could mark the stick at that full level by nicking the stick with a file.
 
There have been many discussions on dip stick length for engine oil. Iirc @Jim had the best recommendation for dip stick reading. Drain the oil completely and add the amount you desire to the crankcase. In my case I fill with 2.5L. Stick the dipstick back in the hole. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a long or short one, screw it in or not, just note where the oil level is on the stick and that’s your full mark for the future. You could mark the stick at that full level by nicking the stick with a file.
Oil level doesn't sound critical. Thanks.
 
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