When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
This probably belongs in the technical/electrical forum, but I thought I might get an answer here. The biked is a 2011 Street Glide, and it's 100% bone stock. Occasionally, while riding the right turn signal indicator will faintly flash and might even stay on for a few seconds. It's only the indicator light; the turn signal itself doesn't flash. Both turn signals work fine, and other than being a little irritating, there don't seem to be any other problems.
The bike came with an extended service plan, but I'm reluctant to take it to the dealer for something this minor. I'm sort of reluctant to take it to the dealer period.
Check your bulbs for a bad element. Remove the bulbs from the sockets, check for any corrosion, reinstall with dielectric grease. Check for a loose ground. If all else fails, use your ESP, that's why you have it.
Well, I got some responses anyway. Bad ground was my initial thought. That's what it acts like. The curious part is that it only affects the indicator light, not the signal itself. I guess the switch housing is a good place to start looking.
To all who were kind enough to suggest that I use the ESP, I didn't buy it; the previous owner did. I suppose it provides some peace of mind for fixing big stuff, especially while on the road. But I'm totally unfamiliar with the local dealer's service department, and I'm reluctant to leave the bike overnight anyway, especially for something like a flickering turn signal indicator light.
I've been trying to figure out how a bad ground could cause this and I'd appreciate feedback to see if I'm on the right track. Someone posted last week about a similar problem and it didn't make sense then but ....
Looking at the schematics the Right front turn signal bulb is a dual element, BR for turn and Be for running light. If that bulb wasn't making a good ground would the current from the running light go through the turn element, BR wire to the ground with the least resistance which in this case looks to be through the indicator light.
Vernal, thanks for your thoughtful analysis. I think you're headed in the right direction. I've got the service manual, so I'm going to check out the innards. The turn signal is part of the passing light assembly which I installed a couple of years ago. I'll start looking there. I'm a believer in going back to the last thing you did, but two years seems like a long time ago. Still... .
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
TS Indicator; involuntary flashing
