Author Topic: Blinkers don't blink.  (Read 1134 times)

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Offline cr0issqnt

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Blinkers don't blink.
« on: August 30, 2025, 09:38:56 PM »
I'm close to done on my 1977 CB550K project that I've done over this summer and I am putting on some aftermarket indicators and I plugged them in and yet they don't blink they just stay on. my only idea is that my battery is pretty low and I was using a jump pack to test them maybe that is the issue?

Offline newday777

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2025, 11:10:27 PM »
Or more likely is the flasher relay is toast needing to be replaced.
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 1 K2, 4 K6, 1 K8, 1 F1, 1 F3
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A

Offline Deltarider

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2025, 12:11:07 AM »
What bulbs are in those indicators, what wattage? I don't know what model your bike is, but you may have a model that has front blinkers which double as running lights, meaning you need bulbs with two filaments and dito poles to connect right.
CB500K2-ED Excel black
"There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for anybody's greed."

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #3 on: August 31, 2025, 12:14:21 AM »
They are LED ones from amazon here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMQHWJDL
My bike is a 1977 CB550K
And I forgot to mention I'm pretty sure it isn't the flasher relay because the rears work but the fronts which are the new ones don't
« Last Edit: August 31, 2025, 12:17:18 AM by cr0issqnt »

Offline CycleRanger

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #4 on: August 31, 2025, 12:21:48 AM »
If you've installed LED lights you'll have to switch to a electronic flasher as the LED's don't pull enough power to operate the old bimetal flasher.
Or as deltarider mentioned you may have to switch some wires around.
Do you have a copy of the Honda Shop Manual or Parts List for your bike? Get one here:
https://www.honda4fun.com/materiale/documentazione-tecnica
CB750K5        '79 XL250s     CL350K3
CB750K3        '76 XS650      '76 CJ360T

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #5 on: August 31, 2025, 12:38:08 AM »
Ah thank you, do you happen to know what specific flasher I would need?

Offline newday777

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2025, 04:52:54 AM »
They are LED ones from amazon here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMQHWJDL
My bike is a 1977 CB550K
And I forgot to mention I'm pretty sure it isn't the flasher relay because the rears work but the fronts which are the new ones don't

Those Amazon lights look to be single filament (2wire) with a ground wire an a positive wire to hook to the turn wire(probably black being ground, the yellow being the positive). LED lights are usually very specific as which wire has to be in the proper connector so it operates. Did you try swapping the wires?
Ground on the stock harness is dark green. Turns are solid orange and solid light blue (as apposed to orange/white stripe or light blue/white stripe which are the running light filament in the stock 2 filament incandescent bulbs)


Are the rear turns on solid or are they flashing?

Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 1 K2, 4 K6, 1 K8, 1 F1, 1 F3
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A

Offline newday777

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #7 on: August 31, 2025, 04:55:06 AM »
Ah thank you, do you happen to know what specific flasher I would need?

https://a.co/d/f34bcJZ
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 1 K2, 4 K6, 1 K8, 1 F1, 1 F3
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A

Offline Deltarider

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2025, 05:16:03 AM »
I'm close to done on my 1977 CB550K project that I've done over this summer and I am putting on some aftermarket indicators [...]
If I may ask: why?
CB500K2-ED Excel black
"There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for anybody's greed."

Offline CycleRanger

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2025, 07:51:14 AM »
Ah thank you, do you happen to know what specific flasher I would need?

https://a.co/d/f34bcJZ
Yep, pretty much any two pin electronic flasher relay will work.
Do you have a copy of the Honda Shop Manual or Parts List for your bike? Get one here:
https://www.honda4fun.com/materiale/documentazione-tecnica
CB750K5        '79 XL250s     CL350K3
CB750K3        '76 XS650      '76 CJ360T

Offline Dunk

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2025, 11:18:26 AM »
I've used adjustable flashers from Amazon on all my bikes, listing no longer available but works fine with LED. Need to add diodes on the indicator of course but otherwise works where factory style does not. Different listing, the ones I got were all AUDEW brand, probably same Chinese factory for this one, looks identical color, clip, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/MGI-SpeedWare-Signal-Flasher-Adjustable/dp/B084M8QRDX

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2025, 12:04:36 PM »
If I may ask: why?
I am just going for a bit of a Stock+ look and these just looked a little more sleek a little more modern.

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2025, 12:06:13 PM »
Are the rear turns on solid or are they flashing?

The rears work but they are a different type so that might be why.

Offline newday777

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #13 on: August 31, 2025, 06:27:24 PM »
Are the rear turns on solid or are they flashing?

The rears work but they are a different type so that might be why.
In what way do they work??..
Stu
Honda Parts manager in the mid 1970s Nashua Honda
My current rides
1975 K5 Planet Blue my summer ride, it was a friend's bike I worked with at the Honda shop in 76, lots of fun to be on it again
1976 K6 Anteres Red rebuilding project, was originally my brother's that I set up from the crate, it'll breath again soon!
Project 750s, 1 K2, 4 K6, 1 K8, 1 F1, 1 F3
2008 GL1800 my daily ride and cross country runner

Prior bikes....
1972 Suzuki GT380 I had charge of it for a year in 1973 while my friend was deployed and learned to love street riding....
New CB450 K7 after my friend returned...
New CB750 K5 Planet Blue, demise by ex cousin in law at 9,000 miles...
New CB750 K6 Anteres Red, to replace the totaled K5, I sold this K6 at 45k in 1983, I had heavily modified it, many great memories on it and have missed it greatly.....
1983 GL1100A, 1999 GL1500 SE, 1999 GL1500A

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #14 on: August 31, 2025, 07:07:39 PM »
They flash how they are supposed to.

Offline Bodi

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #15 on: September 01, 2025, 04:04:27 PM »
It doesn't make sense for the fronts to be on solid while the rears flash.
Are you saying they are dark then, say you activate the left signal, the rear left flashes but the front left comes on and stays on not flashing?

The original system is a bit complicated, not certain for a 77 550 but they should be like this:
With key on, headlight on...
no signaling - rear signals off, front signals lit on dim filaments (marker lights)
Signal left - front left dim filament off & bright filament flashing, rear left flashing bright (only one filament, bright)
Signal right - same but other side.

The flashing signals are powered from a grey wire that goes from the switchpod to one pin on the flasher unit. The other pin of the flasher goes to black +12V "key on" power. Both signal filaments (front and rear) connect to the pod signal switch, activating a signal connects that flasher power wire to the signals. There is no way to have the rear flashing and the front come on solid unless you have a wiring mistake.

The left signal should be an orange wire, right light blue. The marker wires are the same colours but have (had?) a little white plastic thing (little donut) near the bullet connector. If you test one with a 9V battery you can identify which wire is positive to go to that orange or light blue wire. Wire colours from things like that from China are unpredictable and extremely unlikely to match SOHC4 colours.

Right now I can't imagine a wiring connection that would do this with reverse wiring the LEDs and getting back fed power but it may be possible?

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #16 on: September 01, 2025, 05:41:53 PM »
I am pretty sure the reason the rears work is because it is an all in one system where it is a brake light/running light/turn signals all in one housing so maybe in there there is something controlling the flashing of the rears.
I am pretty confident I have them wired up correctly and I got the flasher unit which is coming tomorrow so I will see what happens then.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2025, 05:45:10 PM by cr0issqnt »

Offline Bodi

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #17 on: September 01, 2025, 07:15:22 PM »
Ok! I've never come across this type of rear light unit. Hopefully it still works with the internal flashing system once you get its power source flashing.

Offline Deltarider

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #18 on: September 02, 2025, 12:41:11 AM »
Sixteen replies so far and this is not the first thread on the subject. It is another example to demonstrate the costs and how much labour is involved in opting for a... gadget. What's wrong with a simple bulb like Honda fitted?
A bulb which will be noticed from almost all angles and have the alerting flame up and flame down feature - like a fire. Do a test yourself in everyday traffic and see by what type of light your attention is best aroused. I know the answer for myself.
CB500K2-ED Excel black
"There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for anybody's greed."

Offline cr0issqnt

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Re: Blinkers don't blink.
« Reply #19 on: September 02, 2025, 07:56:28 PM »
The previous owner did some good maintenance but also got rid of a lot of stuff and chopped stuff off for a semi cafe racer build and then crashed it so I decided it was a good candidate for a build of my own one of the things missing were the tail light and turn signals so that is why I am replacing them. I also found that the previous owner jumped the flasher relay with a fuse so that was my problem.