Hitchcocks Forum

Just had a service and MOT on my 2008 Electra and now this afternoon, planning a ride out, I find a problem with the indicators, left is ok, right flashes rapidly and also the headlight, ammeter and tail light flash in sequence also.So, can any of you Boffins shed some `light` on this. I suppose its either a short or Duff connection, or may be some electrical component that`s faulty. I would appreciate some ideas and hopefully rescue what`s left of the weekend.

Nick,
These problems are usually an earth related problem. Problem is only you can find it

Hi matey ----------- from my automotive days, if some of the other electrical components are flashing simultaneously as the indicator side selected then there is probally a "high" resistance in that indicator side. ie either one OR both of the actual indicator lamps are not earthing correctly and are using the next shortest route to earth. ACTION}----On both of the R/H indicator lamps, dismantle and ensure a good, clean metal-to-metal contact at all places---bulbs as well.. Also, if there is a seperate earth wire for the rear unit ensure the bullet connectors are clean, etc. The fast flashing rate is because the flasher "can" is heating up too quickly due to the high resistance, and switches on and off quicker than it normally would. ( It's usually a bi-metallic strip which heats-up with the amount of current passing through it). As it's only on the one side then it won't be the battery earth connector or related items. Imagine a flow of passengers exiting a railway platform. If you close one of the two doors available they slow down and get hot & bothered ?? Same sort of thing.

Thank you, Norm and Alan; this web page has come up trumps again, didnt expect such a quick response.
So, it looks like it will be a busy day today, but I may strike it lucky. Keep you informed.
Thanks again.

Just to give another explanation as to why an indicator flasher speeds up when there is LESS of a load (Caused by bad earth connection to bulb or one bulb has blown). The heater coil of the bi-metallic strip is in series with the bulbs. When the winkers are activated, the relay is open but the heater coil, which is quite a high resistance, sees the current flowing to the bulbs and heats up. Note: this is not a large enough current to light the bulbs. The heated coil not only causes the bi-metallic strip to bend and close the main contact to power the bulbs directly it also by-passes the heater coil. The bi-metallic strip now cools so the points open again to switch off the full power to the bulbs. This cycle is then repeated over and over.................... The reason that the circuit operates more SLOWLY when there is MORE of a load is thus. The heater coil and bi-metallic strip combined have a “thermal Inertia” which means their combined mass can store heat. If the heating current is small, the bi-metallic strip is heated just enough to separate the contacts but not enough heat is stored to keep them closed so they immediately cool and open the points. However if the initial heating current is far higher, the coil is heated much faster and to a far higher temperature in the instant before the points close again. The higher temperature of the assembly then needs more time to cool down to the lower temperature before the bi-metallic strip opens the points again. This longer period of heat cycling results in a slower rate of flashing. An analogy would be that the harder (More energy) you throw a ball upwards, the higher it goes and the longer it takes to come down before you can catch it and throw it up again. Hope this explains why flasher units operate in the opposite way to what would one would casually expect.

This is most inter... I AM NICK`S PARTNER HE HAS JUST RUN SCREAMING FROM THE HOUSE, HE HAS NOT BEEN WELL SINCE HE TURNED TO THE DARK SIDE, ROYAL ENFIELD HAS A LOT TO ANSWER FOR.!!!!

Hello ALAN R's partner here.-------------- I've given him his tablets ( the little pink ones ) and he's now gone back to the "quiet room" the Doctor recommended recently. And just when that therapy seemed to be going so well-----------------

Hello NickG's partner, if you thing that a tiny little blinker problem has sent Nick into a flat spin, wait till some real Electra problems surface.You aint seen nothing yet.

AHHHHHHHHHH-----that's better !!!.I do love those little pink ones. Now, I have just re-read the posting and seen it's a 2008 model, so here's a thought---aren't the flasher units on these electronic ?? And if so wouldn't that give a different type of symptom? I think LES H & myself cut our teeth in the day on electro-mechanical types. Seriously now NICK G, go back to the bike-----with the L/H indicators---the OK ones---- flashing remove one of the indicator bulbs and see what happens. This is equivalent to that bulb blowing. The idea is to see what that scenario would give. Just for information sake. I'm also assuming that ALL the bulbs are of the correct WATTAGE rating as per the book ?? The clue in your description is the fact that -----a)It's specific to one side only and------b) You say that BOTH the R/H lights flash, but rapidly and with the other items you mentioned as well ?? It would seem to suggest the actual flasher selection switch, maybe ?? Interesting that it got through the recent MoT OK and then suddenly develops this fault. Was any work carried out by the garage/ Mot people ?? Have you done anything yourself AT ALL since then--eg fitted some sort of electrical accessory, done any electrical repairs ?? SO-- Come back indoors---sit down with me and let's have a nice cup of tea and a chokky bikky and see what we can come up with ?? OK ??

Hi Alan. My long explanation was a follow up on your description and analogy of the working of the flasher unit...it wasn't meant to be a fault diagnosis, which was already covered by Norm and yourself earlier, so Nick could have ignored it really....hope he gets better soon. So for a diagnosis one needs to know if the sympathetic flashing of the ammeter headlight and tail light is that they are flashing on (Illuminating) or are they dimming in pulses? Taking it as read, it would seem that there is a cross connection between the indicator wiring that is shorting across to a lighting wire. This could be anywhere along it's length but quite likely in the rear number plate bracket as I think there is a connector/s some where in it. The headlight nacelle is also a strong possibility. If the lights are dimming then that is likely to be an earth fault which can easily be located by taking a flying lead from the battery earth connection and moving it around to contact the bike parts or wiring untill the problem vanishes.