the turn signals don't blink

[MuscleDad]

back when my bike was rocking that high rider chopper vibe, the previous owner chopped off the turn signals for looks, apparently.

Now I've got a shiny new set of Lucas blinkers for the front and back.

the dude snipped the wires at both ends, so I've wired in the new ones, following the shop manual's diagram to a T.

Here's where it gets weird, man. when I first hooked 'em up as the diagram said, the right rear and left front would just light up solid when I flicked the handlebar switch for a right turn, no flashing at all.

The other signals didn't even light up when I switched to the left.

So, I tried swapping the right front blinker wire to the green with red spot terminal (which should be for the left side), and now both right front and rear lights come on, but still no blinking!

I found the flasher unit (under the seat, near the backbone of the frame), and the wires seem connected correctly.

Some folks online said the flasher might not work if the voltage is low, so I even hooked up a battery charger, but still no flashy flashy.

Any ideas on what I should try next? This is driving me nuts!

 

[LieuT]

Your flasher unit might not be jiving with the new LED blinkers if that's what you've got, try swapping in an LED-compatible flasher relay and see if that fixes it

 

[Elysis1]

It sounds like a grounding issue, man. Make sure the ground wires are properly connected to a clean, bare metal spot, also check the flasher's voltage requirements, it might need a higher-capacity one

 

[slowbutfurious]

I'd put my money on a grounding issue too! Seriously, it's super important to check those ground connections, you want them nice and clean, no rust or paint. Also, don't forget to make sure that the flasher you're using is the right rating for what you've got going on. By the way, did this all start happening after you swapped out some parts or made any wiring changes?

 

[TorqueCraft]

I completely agree,having clean grounds and proper flasher ratings is really important. Nice thinking to check if any recent changes could have caused it

 

[raybi11y_]

back when my bike was rocking that high rider chopper vibe, the previous owner chopped off the turn signals for looks, apparently.

Now I've got a shiny new set of Lucas blinkers for the front and back.

the dude snipped the wires at both ends, so I've wired in the new ones, following the shop manual's diagram to a T.

Here's where it gets weird, man. when I first hooked 'em up as the diagram said, the right rear and left front would just light up solid when I flicked the handlebar switch for a right turn, no flashing at all.

The other signals didn't even light up when I switched to the left.

So, I tried swapping the right front blinker wire to the green with red spot terminal (which should be for the left side), and now both right front and rear lights come on, but still no blinking!

I found the flasher unit (under the seat, near the backbone of the frame), and the wires seem connected correctly.

Some folks online said the flasher might not work if the voltage is low, so I even hooked up a battery charger, but still no flashy flashy.

Any ideas on what I should try next? This is driving me nuts!

Have you sorted this one out?
From how you described it, my gut says that the issue is likely related to the flasher unit itself like what @LieuT suggested.
Sometimes these older units can be finicky with the load, especially with new Lucas blinkers which might draw a slightly different current than the original setup.
You might want to try a modern electronic flasher relay.
Just make sure you get one designed for the correct wattage of your new Lucas lights!

 

[JealousPear901]

Have you sorted this one out?
From how you described it, my gut says that the issue is likely related to the flasher unit itself like what @LieuT suggested.
Sometimes these older units can be finicky with the load, especially with new Lucas blinkers which might draw a slightly different current than the original setup.
You might want to try a modern electronic flasher relay.
Just make sure you get one designed for the correct wattage of your new Lucas lights!

Are there specific brands of electronic flashers you trust for older setups? And does installing one usually require rewiring or is it mostly plug-and-play? Trying not to fry anything while I learn!

 

[Objective_Tour65]

Had a similar mess on my '74 Norton Commando when I rewired the blinkers and I added Lucas units too, and ran into the same solid-light issue. We found out my flasher relay was toast and couldn't handle the load properly. Swapped it for a modern electronic flasher and everything started blinking like it should.