My 1982 r100rt has a brand new battery and everything is working fine. When signal lights are operated the voltmeter needle swings wildly between 11 and 13 volts. An article in Snowbums mentioned this but did not offer any fix. Any ideas?
Sorry, not enough information.
When ? At idle or going down the road ? Headlamp ON or OFF ? What wattage HL bulb ?
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
My '83 RS does this, I consider it to be normal. It used to do it with the brake light as well before I replaced the incandescent with an LED. I miss being able to tell if my brake light is coming on this way. Now I have to look in the mirror and see if it reflects off of something.
Hi Wobbly
the fluctuating voltmeter happens all the time with the headlight on or off or when idling or driving down the road. I have not opened the headlight shell to determine what bulb may be in there.
thundermotive I concur, no worries,
every one of the airheads I've owned...from r60 to r100 draw down like that when signaling..
Thanks guys.
I kinda like it - i notice it more than the blinker light during the daytime!
My 88 R100Rt does this too. I use it as a reminder to turn off the signal as this is easier to see (higher on the dash) that the light in the instrument cluster. I will say that an LED headlight and brake light greatly improved the swing. When with old style lights, the swing with brakes was well below 12 volts now it is just down to about 12 even at idle and brake on. Those LED bulbs are the way to fly in those positions but for the turn signals it is way more complicated than I think worth given the limited use.
Courtney
#16121
JohnB,
You have received many replies to your request for assistance that assure you that this is a common problem and not a big concern. The voltmeter is showing you a voltage drop in the turn signal wiring. This is not a catastrophe, but it's not good either. And it will only get worse, so let's fix it. My Clymer book schematics for your bike (nice ride by the way) shows the turn signal wiring comes through a fuse on the terminal board in the headlight bucket. This fuse, where all the green wires connect, also supplies voltage to the brake light switches. I bet the voltmeter dips when the brakes are applied too. If so, my first suspicion is a bad connection at the fuse. Remove the fuse and clean the fuse socket. I like to use a ScotchBrite pad, like those used for washing dishes. Now clean the fuse contacts, carefully as these fuses are fragile. Make sure the socket holds the fuse securely. Apply a thin film of dielectric grease to the fuse and socket and reassemble. Wobbly swears by NO-OX-ID and I agree with him. All auto parts stores sell dielectric grease, and vasoline will do in a pinch. Now do the same to all of the green terminals and wire connectors on the terminal board. This part should be done one wire and terminal at a time so everything goes back to the same spot. If you are feeling adventurous, clean and grease all the terminals and wires and the other fuse, one at a time. At this point you can do a quick check to see if the voltmeter swings with the turn signals. If all is good, pat yourself on the back, button her back up, and treat yourself to a beer or equivalent for a job well done. If the voltmeter is still swinging, let us know and we will move on to step 2....
Andy
ABC15601
Thanks Murphy
I will open up the bucket this winter when I am performing PM and give everything a through cleaning.
this is a common issue and not a big concern
But, it's NOT a Problem. it IS very common WHEN in fact it's another way to learn to turn OFF the blinker when you finish a turn.
it's the second means to tell you to DO so. just as the L / R instrument lamp is also ! ! !
Advertisement
