my motorcyle turn signals on my 1981 yamaha 850 won't work all the time what can i do to fix them?

Answer 1

I had this same problem and found out the wire under the rear fender had been rubbing against the wheel and the wire was exposed. To repair this I cut out the damaged wire and rewired the lights.

Another thing to check would be moisture in the light bulb socket. You can buy some "Wire dryer" and spray the sockets with this. Take some steel wool and clean the rust off the medal parts of the light bulb to get better contact.

If neither of these works, try checking your wiring for any other areas showing rubbing. Look for possible breaks in the plastic coating which would cause it to short out.

Check your switch also, it may have moisture in it also, spray with wire dry.

If all else fails take it to a mechanic for diagnosis. Good luck, ride safe!!!!

Answer 2

you might have a grounding problem. trace the wires to see if any are loosely connected. also your switch may be worn out. The turn signal light assembly may need to be changed.

Answer 3

I got tired of bad connections on my XS1100 and finally cut out all the connectors and soldered everything together. Wish I'd done it 25 years ago.

Answer 4

If it has been in the weather a lot, the contacts in the switch may be dirty/corroded.

"won't work all the time" isn't very specific, more clues would help us.