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DesertRider

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  1. DesertRider
    FINALLY......I located the problem. I used some needle-nose pliers to tighten up the large plastic tail-light / rear-signal connector, and the bullet connectors under the seat and my left signals started working. I had suspected the brown wire (left-signal) bullet connector because it had come apart once before, but hey, the 4-ways were working so I never looked any closer at it. Bottom line is the 4-ways will work on a connection that is not good enough for the turn-signal flasher to work on. Thanks for all the help bkuhr, it's been a good learning experience for me. Hunting for this was starting to wear me out !
  2. DesertRider
    Thanks again bkuhr. I'll check the bulbs this morning. For some reason I suspect the left-rear turn signal. The reason is that a while back I had to pull the gas tank out for fix a petcock leak. When I put it back in, I had no left signal. I pulled the seat off and found the ground wire to the left-rear signal unplugged. Plugged it in and it started working but a couple of days later, the problem I have now surfaced - I can't help but think that the two signal problems are related. I have since pulled the seat and went over that rear signal wiring pretty thoroughly but I didn't consider a weak bulb.
  3. DesertRider
    I picked up a switch & housing (turn / hi-low / horn ) with the wiring harness on ebay, finally got it today. Disconnected my turn-hi_low-horn wiring harness plugs behind the headlight and hooked up the new ebay one. The ebay one works exactly the same as mine - right flashers work good, and left flashers do not work. Removed the ebay switch and Re-connected my original. Since the 4-way flasher works and all 4 lights flash, can I assume that the extended wiring to each flasher light is good ? I'm thinking about wiring in a new seperate switch & flasher relay.
  4. DesertRider
    I finally got around to unplugging the turn-signal canceller - it is in the very bottom of the right top fairing cover, I had to pull the headlight out to unplug it. Short story is that unplugging the canceller and using a 2-prong flasher relay made no difference whatever except the two prong flasher doesn't buzz when the flasher doesn't work. I opened up my turn signal switch and cleaned it with contact cleaner again and now, the right-signal works every time, but the left one either does nothing or works - most of the time nothing, but occasionally works, maybe 1 out of 5 times it will work. With that little bit of difference, I plugged the canceller back in, and put my original flasher back in and the right signal still works every time, and the left either works or the original flasher relay buzzes - usually just buzzes and no flash. Anyway, now I am thinking that my turn-signal switch on the handle bar is bad, or maybe the wiring harness to it has a problem, but atleast I now have a right signal.
  5. DesertRider
    thanks Greg. I got another flasher relay in my ebay grab bag and I tried it and it does the exact same thing as my old one. I also got around to running new a wire from the 4-way flasher switch-power out wire (when off) to the flasher relay in (brown wire) - made no difference. Before I buttoned it up last night, I pulled the seat, trunk, wire-cover under the trunk, and side covers off and unplugged, cleaned and lubed every connector to everything on the bike that I could get to, including the turn-signal circuit all the way to the tail signals - made no difference. I think I'm stuck finding and unplugging the flash cancel relay, and since I have another cancel relay now, try it first before leaving it unplugged. Still hoping that will work. I also now have a spare 4-way flasher relay (2-prong type, the round one). I might try that in turn signal flasher plug once I get the cancel-relay located and unplugged. After 27 years about half of the connectors were incredibly cruddy and half were incredibly clean inside. Hope I get it soon - taking that fairing apart too often is kind of hard on some of those old plastic screw joints.
  6. DesertRider
    my ebay brown bag of 83' flashers, switches and relays came in today. The "new" flasher relay works the same as my old one. Looked for the flasher cancel again in the right fairing but it isn't there. I'll pull the headlight and instrument cluster out this weekend, it has to be under there somewhere. I think the flasher-cancel must be the relay in the top-right of the picture.
  7. DesertRider
    Thanks George. I was thinking it might be a switch on the clutch lever but I probably didn't clarify it very well, sorry. Neutral light works. When it's in gear (neutral light off) the bike will crank with the clutch lever fully extended. I used to have to pull the clutch lever all the way in if it's in gear before it would crank. bkuhr where do I disconnect the turn signal cancel ? Can I just bend one of the prongs out on my automotive flasher so only 2 prongs connect ? which one ? Thanks
  8. DesertRider
    Thanks everybody. I am running stock lights, no LED's. No burned out bulbs. I also tried running it directly from the battery. Even with the engine running and the ampmeter showing about 14 volts all it wanted to do was buzz. I just found a full set of used flashers and other relays off of another 83 venture for $24 so I bought them. I've buttoned it up for now and will try the other flasher when I get it. Since buttoning it up, now my neutral safety switch isn't working - that is to say that now it will start in gear without the clutch pulled in - what in the world could I have pulled loose when I was messing with that flasher relay ?
  9. DesertRider
    Read up on a few more past threads on this same problem and did a little more trouble shooting. I have about 12 volts at the brown wire lead into the flasher and about 12.4 at the 4-way switch where the juice come from. Cleaned the contacts and checked voltage and continuity on the 4-way and that all looks good. I also ran a temporary 12 volt lead directly from the battery to the flash lead (shows 12.4 at the flasher) but still the flasher works intermittently and mostly just buzzes. I tried a couple more automotive flashers, an old one I already had and a new one from NAPA and the flashers do nothing, no flash, no click, no buzz, nothing with an automotive flasher. I am almost convinced that my flasher is bad. Is there anything else I should check ? If not I'm going to button this puppy up and start looking for another flasher.
  10. DesertRider
    I put 404's on my 83 std. about a month ago. They may not last as long as the E2 or E3 tires but they're not bad tires, I'm pleased so far. It did take more weight to balance them than the E2's I'm used to.
  11. DesertRider
    R & S Yamaha in Albuquerque is the cheapest place to buy Dunlop tires that I've ever seen, even online. I am not sure if they sell outside the local market or not but it might be worth a call to ask.
  12. DesertRider
    OK, getting back to my flasher problem. I opened up the top-left fairing and traced the buzzing noise to my flasher. I took the flasher out and rapped it a couple of times on my bench top and plugged it back in. It worked fine for about a minute then started buzzing again. Went to AutoZone and bought a heavy duty automotive flahser (Blazer FL36) plugged it in and nothing - no blink, no click no buzz, nothing. Plugged my old one back in and it still works occasionally but mostly just buzzes. Is there an automotive type flasher that will work in this thing ? I haven't looked at the partshark yet. I was thinking since it's just a flasher the may be an automotive type that will work. Here's a picture of the flasher. The emergency flasher work just fine but they are on a different flasher, a round type. Ouch ! Just looked on partshark. If I'm looking right, the flasher is $91 there. Hope there are other options but I guess there is always old-fashioned hand signals. FLASHER RELAY ASSY 2NV-83350-00-00 (replaces 4E6-83350-70-00) $91.57
  13. DesertRider
    Thanks for all the replies everybody. Today the left one worked but not the right. The night before this started we had a hard rain and the bike was uncovered so maybe it's moisture related or dirty contact points. I'll try the WD40 first and see if that helps or not. Mike
  14. DesertRider
    The past couple of days my turn signals would sometimes work when the button was pushed left or right, other times it wouldn't work but if I toyed with the switch a few times they usually would work. Today riding home from work, they wouldn't work and nothing I did could get either one to flash. When I got home, I killed the engine with the kill switch and with the ignition switch still on. When the motor stopped running, I could hear a light buzzing noise somewhere near the front of the bike - at first I thought the fan might be running but it wasn't. It took me a minute to figure out that it's related to the turn signals. When I push down on the turn-signal switch or move it to center, the buzzing stops. When I push it left or right for one of the turn signals, the buzzing starts again but no turn signal. Slice the button the other way a little and the buzzing stops again. I guess it's more like a fast repeating click than a buzz. What could be causing the noise and the turn signal problem ?
  15. DesertRider
    I used to have Geico which is pretty cheap. I switched to Bikeline (Markel) about 5 years ago which is even cheaper, $50 a year total for me. I only have the state required liability, nothing else so I have a no frills policy for that $50. They specialize in motorcycle & boat insurance.
  16. DesertRider
    Hi Sportzage. I could get 17k miles out of a rear E2 and the front would start to crack with age before the tread wore out, and they were pretty smooth tires too so I will probably miss the E2's but am looking forward to trying a set of E3's next time around.
  17. DesertRider
    the rivcoproducts-dot-com site has that filter adapter marked down right now for $59.xx - that's about, or maybe less than, what I paid for mine in 2003.
  18. DesertRider
    I worked a start-up at a nitrate production plant in Nevada some 20+ years (and 75 pounds) ago. The prill tower platform was at 330' and had to be climbed three times every 12-hour shift. The first 80' was part elevator and part man-lift, then stairs to about 160', then the rest was ladder. I never gave it a second thought back then. 330' is a LOOONG way up - 1786' must feel like being in an airplane.
  19. DesertRider
    Dave, I've had the Rivco setup on my 83' since 2003 and would never go back to the old way of changing filters. I'm not even sure if I could find my old filter housing cover any more. The Fram 3950 filter for it is $3.29 at walmart and you can find them literally anywhere.
  20. DesertRider
    Nice job, I like the looks. How much to paint mine ?
  21. DesertRider
    thanks for all the comments everybody. I'll probably give the E3's a try when the time comes, kind of wish I had done it this time. One thing about my new 404's too is that it took quite a bit of weight to balance them, especially the rear, something I never had to do with the E2's. It makes me kind of wonder too if the 404's are really enough tire for these big bikes ? But since they're not too bad a tire, and I've already spent the money on them, I'll go ahead and run them out and know better next time.
  22. DesertRider
    I recently replace my old Dunlop E2 tires with 404's. I'm not unhappy with the 404's but I can tell they are less tire than the E2's were and I'll probably look for some more robust tires when these wear out. Can you get anywhere the same miles out of E3's that you could the E2's ? I could run the E2's forever. I know Metzler and Michelin, Avon etc... make some great tires too but I had such good luck with the E2's I'll probably stick with Dunlop since most of my riding these days is old-geezer style anyway. The E2's are hard to find now and are too pricey so I'm wondering how people who have had them like the E3's and if people that have previously ran E2's also like the E3's ?
  23. DesertRider
    Hi Brian, I don't think there's any adjustment in the clutch but maybe somebody else here knows better than I about that.
  24. DesertRider
    Hi Bob, I've had the same silver star bulb in mine since 2004 with no problems. I wonder if you just got a bad bulb .
  25. DesertRider
    Yea Jeff, it's been quite a while since I could squeeze in at 250 myself, I must have been talking about somebody else there - ! One thing about guys like us is we don't have any trouble holding up these big bikes & our passengers at stop signs. - About the tire ratings, Ya know how some tires might come with a max load rating of like 770 lb. or whatever for the rear tire and 580 lb. or whatever for the front tire, again just speaking in general terms and not the actual rating of any specific tires. I know most the weight is on the back tire but I was curious what they use for a ratio for weight front / rear or how you would know without scales. Then again, I suppose weight distribution is probably figured in when they rate those tires and maybe the only thing we need to think about is those two numbers added together vs the total weight of the bike with luggage + rider(s). You can see I have a lot of important things to worry about today.
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