Hi Guys

I've had my XT600x for nearly a week now and absolutely loving it. Only problem being is that the indicators have a problem, which is quite strange, but im hoping someone has had this in the past and knows the fix!

Stationary, the bike will indicate fine, left and right, also hazards, no problem. However once im riding, if i apply the indicators, they wont come on. What i have to do it get them working is to apply them, then cancel immediately, and then apply again. This way they work, but as im sure you can all understand, quite annoying!

Any help appreciated,

Thanks

Have you tried cleaning out the switch gear yet? i've found a spiders nest in one before.

Could be bad condition on one of them, the bike started and moving causing a break, should be easy to get the bullets apart and check for corrosion

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Ive already had a play around with the switch, everything seems A'okay with that. I dont think it is a wiring problem anyway, as they come on everytime, aslong as i cancel and re-apply, if it was a faulty connection or the likes it wouldnt be so reliable.

Anyway, i have had a little look around the bike today and found, what i assume to be the culprit, a faulty flasher unit. I found the unit and disconnected it, then shorted the two wires (live & earth) going into the unit which simply turned the indicators on constant, and the indicators came on no quibbles when riding, so im going to order one to see if this solves that!

Thanks for the help guys!

The plot thickens.

To my disappointment it turns out it wasn't the relay at fault, replacement turned up today and fitted, however problem still exists. Which is annoying.

Does anyone have any idea's what the cause of this could be? The switch is good and solid, tested with a multi meter today just to be sure and all is good with the switch. Relay is in good working order.

Another this is that i've noticed the indicators will work as normal at low speed (I.E under 10/15mph) if this helps at all.

Very bizarre?

Now, it might sound a bit daft, but can you check the charging voltage across the battery terminals using a multi-meter with the bike at idle and at 3000rpm and then report back.

The reason…

Although your switch appears OK, and works at idle or without the motor running, it may well be suffering from pitted contacts and arcing. What could be happening is that (at higher engine speeds) you’re switching the indicators on and the switch contacts briefly arc leaving enough of a carbon deposit to block the flow of current. Pressing cancel quickly and then re-switching effectively cleans the contact and allows the current to flow.

Why at higher engine speeds? At idle and with the motor not running, or very low engine speeds the electrical system voltage will be around about the 12.5 – 13.0V mark, which could well be low enough not to cause an arc. As soon as the revs rise and the alternator reaches full output voltage (14.0 – 14.4V) it may well develop just enough potential difference to allow an arc to develop when the contacts are initially closed.

Arcing in switches can be caused by a worn switch (contact points worn and too wide), use of silicon based grease/lubricant (which reacts to make silicon carbide which is a very hard non-conductor) or overcharging – hence asking about the charging voltage.

If the charging voltage is within spec, I would still be inclined to point a guilty finger at a worn switch - it's the only "mechanical part" in the system and is the most likely to wear out. As I mentioned it may appear OK, but unless you can inspect the contact point’s condition, you can never be sure and its behaviour will be erratic. Taking it apart and cleaning the contacts with P1000 abrasive could help in the short term, as well as giving it a good dousing in proper contact cleaner (brake cleaner is the same and will do the job). After all, a ten year old indicator switch will have done a LOT of switching in its lifetime!

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