I've read all the Turn Signal Threads and........

Still have a couple questions.

I have successfully mounted some K&S front signals and Chacal was right, these don't work on my bike. I get the much posted about solid light instead of the blinkity blink. I have read the countless threads on this so I'm pretty sure I understand the issue but want to know a couple things that I didn't find answers on.

1. Did the 82 have any running lights or was it 1156's all the way around?

I bumped up the bulb from the 1034's (12/23) that came with the signals to 1157's (12/27) but still just the solid light.

2. On an 1157 or other running/turn style build which filament is the runner and which is the blink. One is straight and longer, and the other coiled and shorter.

I was just wondering if the 1157's didn't solve the problem because I'm lighting the lower wattage of the filaments and therefore not heating the relay enought to do it's thing.

3. If I swapped the two wires around would it switch to the other filament and give me some blink? or is it not wired that way.

I if that won't work I guess my only options are to either swap the sockets out in the housings for 1156 posts or install a new 12v, two pin, electronic flasher relay. Probably less work to do the relay and it also opens up more lighting options down the road.

Any and all comments appreciated.

Thanks,

MJ

 

I would try switching the wires. If that doesn't work then you'll have to try the 1156's which is what the bike is supposed to have. I don't remember any of the 750's having running lights. The back brake light is the only thing I remember using 1157's.

 

Hey MJ....your bike would not have running lights....only the XJ1100's and XJ700's had front running lights. No XJ bike ever had rear running lights.

K&S sells a version of the incorrect turn signal that is a 3-wire design, so you can incorrectly upgrade the incorrect turn signals to a "running" light design....you'd have to run a wire from that third wire back to the brake light (running light wire---if I recall, it's the blue wire)---and splice into that.....viola, running lights.

The running lights will be the lower draw of the two filaments....8W I think? The brighter light is the 27W filament.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I switched the wires around and interestingly it didn't change a think. No blinky blink and the same straight filament is lighting up, I find this odd, but electric is the weakest of all my weak points.

Guess it's off to the Auto Parts store for now.

Chacal, I do have a set of K&S 3 wire. There round, got them when I thought my bike was an 83. Perhaps someday I'll throw those sockets in the square housings.

Is the draw of running lights (other than led) a drain on the system. I can see the benefit of having them for that in-between day to night period.

 

Well - I don't know if this will help, but I'll give you my 2¢
I've got an 81 650 that didn't come with front running lights. I found that the wiring harness was designed to have them though (found the unused connectors in the headlight shell) and so I added them by adding the dual-filament sockets to the stock front signals.
My bike came stock with 1156's all around, but now has 1156's in the rear, and 1157's in the fronts. Plus two 1157's in the brake light (upgraded from the single bulb '81 version to the dual '82 version).
The front signals should only have 2 wires - if you've got 3, one of them just needs to be grounded.
If you've not getting blinking, either your flasher has failed or you don't have have enough load - simple as that.
1157 bulbs - I can't say as I've ever seen ones like you describe. This might help:

 

. . . And yellow running lights on the rear of a motorcycle is legal in what state?

(I have seen 'em from time to time)

 

6.99 later and I have Turn Signals. Simple as plug-n-play.

Altus, thanks for the .02. Cant tell by that pic if one of those filaments is straight. On mine the outermost is and by your pictoral, I'd therefore be lighting the dim. Not sure if thats an issue when not competing with a running light or not.

My signals are two wire, just happen to have a 3 wire set laying around by accident.

I'll probably swap up to some LED's now that the relay isn't an issue, may go to the 3 wire and gain some running lights when I make the change.

Thanks to all that posted and all the previous threads that steared me down the right path.

Still puzzled why swapping the wires wouldn't switch to the higher draw filament though.