Indicators not working on Aprilia Falco

[iansoady]

Yes, if you look at the side you will see the 5th item down which looks like a speech bubble. Click on that and it will show you your "chats". Note it doesn't get peeved if you ignore it for a while unlike some humans.......

[A_morti]

The flasher relay is looking less likely at this point, but it won't hurt to just bridge the two pins. Very easy to do, and eliminates it from enquiries.

It's alright asking for advice, if you take it

[mangocrazy]

The flasher relay is looking less likely at this point, but it won't hurt to just bridge the two pins. Very easy to do, and eliminates it from enquiries.

It's alright asking for advice, if you take it

My problem was multiple overlapping problems, with one or more problems masking other problems. I did accept and act upon suggestions/advice, but the results were inconclusive. It took someone who knew what to look for and how to test properly to find and resolve all the issues.

[iansoady]

So is it fixed and what was / were the problem(s)?

[mangocrazy]

So is it fixed and what was / were the problem(s)?

Yes, it's fixed and the indicators now work. Neil completely removed the two rear connectors and replaced them with sealed, crimped bullet connectors. He also cut back the cables to the connectors as they were badly compromised. The LH front indicator connector was also corroded and failing, so Neil cleaned that up with a nifty little tool; basically an abrasive drill bit that was small enough to fit inside a female connector pin and fitted to a cordless drill.

And lastly the flasher relay was faulty (confirmed by replacement with a known working one) and a new one is on order. This relay had worked when I swapped it over with the one fitted to my red Falco, so I had assumed it was OK. Apparently not.

I'll be seeing Neil again on Monday so will ask him how to get hold of the circuit tester he used for fault diagnosis, as the multimeter I used just didn't cut it. It doesn't put items under load when testing and gives false positives.

[iansoady]

Thanks for the update. All you need for circcuit testing is an old bulb in a bulb holder with a couple of flying leads maybe .5 metre long and crocodile clips of the ends. Another useful tool is a metre of cable with a crocodile clip each end for bypassing dodgy connectores etc.

I'm glad the bike's back on the road anyway.

[A_morti]

Thanks for the update. All you need for circcuit testing is an old bulb in a bulb holder with a couple of flying leads maybe .5 metre long and crocodile clips of the ends. Another useful tool is a metre of cable with a crocodile clip each end for bypassing dodgy connectores etc.

I'm glad the bike's back on the road anyway.

As @mangocrazy has seen now, a multimeter only works to show if the circuit you're testing has >0 continuity right at the moment you're testing it.

I have a halogen indicator and a 55w headlight bulb with holder, then you can test not only if there's continuity but also if the wires and plugs can carry 2 amps or 5 amps (ish) respectively. If the bulb lights but only dimly then you're looking not for a complete break but a rubbed or stretched wire hanging on by its last strands or a plug full of pus and probably breaking contact intermittently.

[mangocrazy]

Thanks for the update. All you need for circcuit testing is an old bulb in a bulb holder with a couple of flying leads maybe .5 metre long and crocodile clips of the ends. Another useful tool is a metre of cable with a crocodile clip each end for bypassing dodgy connectores etc.

I'm glad the bike's back on the road anyway.

As @mangocrazy has seen now, a multimeter only works to show if the circuit you're testing has >0 continuity right at the moment you're testing it.

I have a halogen indicator and a 55w headlight bulb with holder, then you can test not only if there's continuity but also if the wires and plugs can carry 2 amps or 5 amps (ish) respectively. If the bulb lights but only dimly then you're looking not for a complete break but a rubbed or stretched wire hanging on by its last strands or a plug full of pus and probably breaking contact intermittently.

Is there any way of testing with a 5A load without blinding yourself with a headlamp bulb? Resistor in the circuit perhaps? (This is just a guess - I know next door to nothing about electrics).

[A_morti]

Yes, put the bulb on a longer wire and don't look straight at it. You don't much want to be holding it in your fingers anyway, they get very hot, very quick.

[iansoady]

You don't need 55 watts, 10 watts is quite enough. Yes it won't be putting the same current through but enough to check that it's not just a phantom voltage. Not rocket science.