Turn signal, headlight questions

[GTGS]

Was the 81' GS550L wired so the front turn signals light up when the headlight is turned on?

I bought the bike last fall and realized that they had double filament bulbs but one of the filaments on the bulbs were burnt out. I replaced them with new bulbs and they lit up and signaled with the headlight on. I took the bike out today with the headlight on and when I went to signal the indicator on the dash came on but wasn't blinking. When I got home I turned the headlight off and the signals worked fine. With the light on they would dim but wouldn't blink.

I did start the bike and check the output at the battery when I turned the light on and it stayed about 13.8 volts. No drop off when the signal was activated but it wouldn't blink. Any ideas?

[Steve]

Not sure if the 550L had front marker lights or not, but previous owners are known to do strange things. I know that I put some dual-filament lights on an '82 650L, so anything's possible.

A non-blinking signal quite often is trying to tell you that its mate is not working. If you see the front one come on and stay on, check the rear.

Another thing to check, just because I am not sure about the factory installation of front marker lights, make sure the sockets for the front signals are dual-filament. If they are, take the headlight out, follow the signal and marker light wires into the headlight bucket, make sure they are connected properly. Also check the ground wire. It has a large ring terminal around the mounting stem on the headlight ear, and a wire that goes into the headlight bucket, to a connector.

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[GTGS]

To answer your questions. Yes they are dual filament sockets and they all work correctly when the headlight is off. When the headlight is on, the front marker lights light up and when you signal the one you activate tries to blink on both ends of the bike but gets "stuck" . I tried something a few minutes ago. With everything on and a signal activated, I rapped the relay with my knuckles and it blinked once. I did it again and it blinked again. Does this point to a bad relay? It works with the headlight off so I'm confused. Is there any way to test the relay with a meter?

[DanTheMan]

Are you doing this with a charger on the battery or with the bike running? If not, there may not be enough power to trigger the relay. Otherwise, remove the turn signal relay and replace it with a two pole relay from the auto parts store. Also, make sure all wire connections and grounds are clean and good.
You have a headlight on/off switch, not just a hi/lo beam? I thought all American market bikes were sold with no headlight on/off switches. My '80 model just has hi/lo beam, no on/off switch, and the front turn signal lights on mine work as marker lights as well.

[GTGS]

With the bike running and the headlight on they still don't trigger. With the headlight off they work. Yes I have an on/off switch for the headlight.

Is there a particular relay I should get from the part store? Will any 2 pole relay work?

[Dave8338]

With the bike running and the headlight on they still don't trigger. With the headlight off they work. Yes I have an on/off switch for the headlight.

Is there a particular relay I should get from the part store? Will any 2 pole relay work?

I think that Dan may be on to something. If, in fact they work when you hit the relay, my thought is that you have a poor connection in the circuit, somewhere. That or the bulbs that are currently in place are in fact dual filliment bulbs but may be of the wrong wattage. If the wattage is too low, they will not trigger the relay to break the circuit and do its job. If there is corrosion in the circuit
wire, plug ect) the amps will be there but the volts will be low... Someone ie a PO may have the wrong relay in the bike as well, though this would not be my first thought...

[GTGS]

They did work last fall and everything seemed OK. Let me go through the grounds and check connections. If it does point to a relay do I need an OEM relay or can I use one from the auto part store? are all the 2 pole relays the same? How do I know what the wattage is on the bulbs?

[GTGS]

I checked the grounds and everything seems to be ok. I was able to remove the cover from the relay and the guts are clean. I plugged it in and hit the signal and I could watch it work. No issues till the headlight is turned on. Can I use any two pole signal relay? Someone mentioned getting one from the auto part store. I mean if it's a cheap part it may be worth picking one up to try it out. I see the Suzuki one is about $45.

[DanTheMan]

Any two pole relay will work. Some people say the more expensive electronic ones work better, but that's a matter of opinion...........

[Colin Green]

Not an answer to your problem but I am having the exact same problem occur when my battery charge gets low (think I have a knackered stator). When headlight turned on the indicators freeze when battery low. No problem if headlight turned off or battery fully charged. The voltage reading on mine drops about .2 to .3v. When ignition turned on and/or engine running, drops another .15 to .2 v when light switched on. Can rev it to 5K and the most it picks up is about .1v.

I am also having running probs (missing) when battery gets flat (which takes about half an hour of riding).

However if your bike is producing a good charge it is unlikely that it is the same problem

[GTGS]

FOUND IT..............After playing with it all day I found a bad ground. Once I got that straightened out it works fine..........Thanks you guys for the input. I am getting lessons in patience by the day.

Gregg