Hitchcocks Forum

Some years ago I fitted the little 21 watt conversion to my '89 350. They are,yes,brighter, but it takes a few seconds before the first flash. Curretly I also have a problem with a low flash rate. Anyone else had these problems?

Meant 23 watt.

Probably 21W



I expect you got a little relay in a can somewhere that goes ticky-tocky-ticky-tocky, which sounds like it has got old, either that or your charging battery system is not getting up to voltage.

You can pick up a modern flasher that will do 5w, 21w, or LED bulbs for £7-10. needs wiring in, but they work well.

Is your battery up to it? Does it speed up revs? Low voltage will slow the flash rate.

John,



does your bike still run its original Indian 1989 alternator? It could be struggling to keep up enough charge, especially if the magnetism of the rotor has faded. Even genuine Lucas rotors are prone to this, so unless you have already replaced it, I'd be surprised if your alternator was putting out the power it was once supposed to.



A.

Couple of odd thoughts. Even if the alternator is not quite up to the job, the battery should provide enough backup power; check you have close to 13VDC no-load at the battery ('12 Volt' batteries are at least 12.8V as new). The cheap item to change out is the flasher relay. The thing with a flasher relay is it has a delay built into it, and it sounds like you're getting the delay before the flash; is it wired up right(?). Low flash rate might indicate power load is too high; a failed bulb was indicated by the flasher tick going too fast.

Are you running a 12V 'starter' battery or the smaller type?. If the smaller type then you might want LED indicators and a solid state flasher unit because they draw less juice.