Topic: LED Turn Signals on 1982 CB650SC SOHC 650

[leekellerking]

I was troubleshooting Bikey's turn signals last night and I found (at least part of) the problem.  One of the wires to the front, left turn signal socket is broken at the socket and needs to be replaced.
It broke off right at the little nub that contacts the base of the light bulb.

I can get a new light bulb socket from Honda-Parts Direct for about $20.00 (with shipping) if they have one in stock.  But it occurs to me that I can "upgrade" to LED lights for not much more.  And perhaps I could then have both front AND rear running lights, as well, with less current drain.

I know some of you guys have switched to LED turn signals and running lights, but all of the previous topics were stale.  What do you think?  Any suggestions?

My bike is not a garage queen, but my daily commuter, so function is more important that keeping it "original."  However, I don't want to mess with the classic lines too much.   

What do y'all think?
Lee

[333]

To do this and keep the lines, it would probably be best to replace the socket, although you could repair it as well by soldering the wire back in place.  What you describe sounds like what has happened to me.  The wire has broken, right at the part that is the contact point at the bottom of the bulb.  The contact is pressed into a fiber disc(one contact for a single filament bulb, two contacts for a dual filament bulb), and can be pushed out.  The repair I did was to bring the wire through the hole, and fashion the wire into the shape of the button and apply solder to keep it's shape.

Then, the trick to the LED conversion is the flasher unit.  The stock one relies on current to flash, so if a bulb burns out, it doesn't flash, and you know right away if a bulb is out.  It probably wasn't designed for that, but it is handy.  The thing with LEDs is that they don't use but a fraction of the current that a bulb uses, so the standard flasher unit won't work.  You need a flasher with three wires(the extra wire needs to be a ground).  Some bikes already have a ground wire right at the flasher, like they knew you might need it someday.  Standard base LEDs are easily found online (www.superbrightleds.com is the one I remember), and these will fit inside your existing lenses, maintaining your lines.

Good luck.

[leekellerking]

I was able to obtain the part I needed to fix the old socket from a local Hyosung dealership (Brazos Cycles in Richmond, Texas), so I've decided to fix what I have. 

I love dealing with a "mom and pop" dealership.  They looked in the catalog and online, suggested several replacments, and then pulled the part off of a salvage bike they had in back.  I paid $5.00.

The socket:



Side view:



The replacement wire with connector:



Thanks,

Lee

To do this and keep the lines, it would probably be best to replace the socket, although you could repair it as well by soldering the wire back in place.  What you describe sounds like what has happened to me.  The wire has broken, right at the part that is the contact point at the bottom of the bulb.  The contact is pressed into a fiber disc(one contact for a single filament bulb, two contacts for a dual filament bulb), and can be pushed out.  The repair I did was to bring the wire through the hole, and fashion the wire into the shape of the button and apply solder to keep it's shape.

Then, the trick to the LED conversion is the flasher unit.  The stock one relies on current to flash, so if a bulb burns out, it doesn't flash, and you know right away if a bulb is out.  It probably wasn't designed for that, but it is handy.  The thing with LEDs is that they don't use but a fraction of the current that a bulb uses, so the standard flasher unit won't work.  You need a flasher with three wires(the extra wire needs to be a ground).  Some bikes already have a ground wire right at the flasher, like they knew you might need it someday.  Standard base LEDs are easily found online (www.superbrightleds.com is the one I remember), and these will fit inside your existing lenses, maintaining your lines.

Good luck.