Aftermarket Turn Signal Woes

[chadlnc]

Bought a 2008 TE510 used. The original owner had installed MOTRAX DinkyWinkaz turn signals. After my first test ride I noticed the front turn signals were not working, upon closer inspection it was because they were not hooked up. When I hooked them up the rear turn signals died. I took the rear apart and noticed the polarity of the rear signals was reversed. When I corrected that all turn signals stopped working. After a lot of testing here is what I have discovered:

All turn signals installed on the bike:

Correct polarity on all - no signals work

Correct polarity on the front, reversed on rear - front signals work

Rear reversed polarity, front unplugged - rear signals work

Rear turn signals removed from the bike (hanging off):

Correct polarity - all signals work

Reversed polarity - no signals work

Correct polarity with stem of rear turn signal held against the frame - no signals work (and there are small sparks that jump when contact is made with the frame)

It looks like ultimately the problem is a ground in the stem of the signals making contact with the frame on both the front and rear signals. Any clue why this would be and how to fix it?

[K7MDL]

Measure the voltage to a good ground point on each wire for your turn signals. Measure and/or trace the turn signal (bike side) wires to ensure you know which one is really positive voltage and ground. Maybe you have a wiring mishap in the harness someplace.

Measure the resistance from each turn signal wire to the turn signal metal parts. Maybe there is a wire shorted inside one of the turn signals.

The reversed rear is probably just keeping the short (or fault) away from the frame ground. Since the front is in parallel with the rear on each side, reversing one probably removes (isolates) the fault from the circuit, and allows the remaining correctly connected light to get proper voltage.

You can disconnect the flasher and manually jumper ground and power to the signals. Connect one signal at a time and measure the resistance (bike/power removed) at the flasher connector (signal side wire). This is most useful for bulb type signals vs. LED types. They should all be the same in any case. If you can measure the current even better for each signal, one at a time, then compare them hooked up as a pair on each side, and between sides.

Basically validate the wire is good from the flasher to each signal, realizing the front and rear on each side is in parallel.