Turn signal flasher

[JetDriver]

I'm replacing my turn signal bulbs with LED clusters.  So, I have to change the flasher to keep them from "speed flashing."  First question:  Where's the turn signal relay on our bikes?  Second question:  How do I hook it up?   According to the wiring diagram, the stock relay has 3 wires, gray, black, green.  Green is the ground.  Gray, I think, is the power, and I don't know what the black does.  The new flasher has only 2 wires, one red, the other black.  Anybody able to help?

[John Schmidt]

Probably the wrong flasher. And to get to it is a pain unless you have baby size hands with 10" fingers; it's in front of the battery. Take off the battery box cover under the seat and look down in front of the battery, it's down there. An easier method is to order a diode kit from Kuryakyn and install it in the headlight bucket. Cut a couple wires, solder a couple together and you're done.

http://www.kuryakyn.com/Products/719/Diode-Kit

[JetDriver]

I've got one of those diode kits.  I thought it just stopped the "cross talk" that made both sides flash at once.  Does that control the "speed flashing" also?

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

You can get an electronic flasher at auto parts store that will work. It is more of a timer than a flasher. It will run from 1 to 6 bulbs because it doesn't use load to make it work. If you pull the overflow tank on the leftside of the bike you can get to stock flasher.

[Colin]

The two wire one will work fine, it is what I used on my Valk.

Black is the power and gray is the feed to the bulbs on the bike wiring loom. These are the 2 wires that you need for your 2 wire flasher unit. So the red on your flasher goes to black on the Valk and black on the flasher goes to gray on the Valk.

See http://www.rattlebars.com/valkfaq/schematics/rpage03.html

[JetDriver]

Perfect!  Between all three of you, I've got what I need.  Thanks!

[rhinor61]

I tried 2 different electronic flasher and they both failed to operator over a short period of time.

I go with the resistors in-line for now on.

A while back I saw that somebody make LED bulbs with built in load resistors, what a NOVEL idea..

[Joe Hummer]

LED bulbs with load resistors

To me...this defeats the reason I put LEDs on my bike.  I put them on to reduce the load.  Load resistors fool your electrical system to make it think it still has that load by continuing to pull the same load as with a regular bulb (through added resistance equal to that of a regular filament bulb).  By replacing your stock flasher with an electronic one, you get the benefits you gained from going to LEDs on your bikes.  This is the timer I have installed on my bike...  Optronics ALEDFBP LED Flasher.

I removed my stock flasher unit, spliced the connector into the new flasher, and plugged in.  (As a side note, when I added 4-way flashers to my bike, I used this same flasher module to power them).  I have been running this one for several years now without a problem and even tow a trailer (with LEDs) from time to time. 

Joe