MattK

Are you pretty sure the #34 flasher would be the problem? I bought and installed the EP(?)36 and it didn't work. I'm not sure on the letters, but the number 36 is right. Could that be all it is?

This is a screenshot of my SBLED order. The tail/brake works fine once I jumped the CMU, but not the turns. Thanks again for helping.

Oh I know, I wasn't really being serious. I'm just frustrated with this thing.

Well I don't know if this is just a joke you all play on the new guy, but I think I have officially given up. I went and spent about $30 (more) on wire, connectors, and the flasher, on top of the $40 or so I already spent at SuperbrightLEDS.com for the turn signal portion. Hooked it all up, and??? Nothing. Not. A. Damned. Thing. No blink, just solid, like it was before I cut my wiring all to hell. Ran a ground to the wire that was formerly connected to the canceler, tried to ground it in several locations, to no avail. At this point, I think I'm done. Buh.

By God I think I understand what you mean!! Now if I can just figure out how to get my giant hands down to where the flasher is to get it out...

I'm still a little confused about how to bypass the flasher. What do you mean, you took the plug side and ran a ground wire to it?

I did that, I ran it from ground to the turn signal wire. I may just go but a new flasher and ignore it, the cancelling thing only seems to work half the time anyway, and I won't miss it.

I did change out the dash lights too, and had no problem with that. The only one I left alone is the "headlamp" one, because it was way too bright. Apparently it has a little bit of power to it all the time, and you don't really see it with an incandescent, but the LED is super bright. I did try both resistors on one side thinking if that fixed it, I would just order two more, but it didn't really make a difference. I'm sort of at a loss here.

I'm using these: https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/flashers-load-resistors/led-light-load-resistor-kit-led-turn-signal-hyper-flash-warning-fix/190/831/ they are 50w 6 ohm from Super Bright. I'll dig ou tmy meter and test them, but it seems unlikely that they would both be brand new and bad, doesn't it?

So I followed some threads here, got some bright (get it?) ideas there. Went and dropped $100 at Superbrightleds.com and got the resistors that were recommended in the thread about how to do this. Got it all hooked up and no matter what I do, those super bright LEDS just come on and stay on. Do I just need a new flasher? They work fine with the old bulbs, but just stay on....mocking me...laughing at my every turn...trying to undermine me. Yesterday I think I saw one of those S.O.B. resistors in a restaurant with MY WIFE at the outskirts of town! What can I do??

Sounds like the bike has not been ridden for a while so there could likely be some crud in the carbs that still needs to be worked out. Due to ethanol the carbs can get crudded up even when used regularly. Seafoam is good at cleaning that up. Every 3 months I like to put about 1/3 of a can in a half tank of gas, go for a short spin to get the treatment into the carbs then park it overnight. Then run it normally until it gets to the reserve. The combination of sitting/soaking and running seems to optimize the cleaning properties. Letting the treated gas work through the choke/enricher system is also a good idea so keeping it on longer than normal should keep that cleaned out as well. I just bought it a few weeks ago from a local shop. I don't know anything about the history of it, so it very well could have been sitting for a while. It fires right up and runs like a raped ape, tires are in so-so condition (new ones going in on Wednesday), oil was pretty clean when I changed it, etc. I did run a half a can of Seafoam in the gas that was in it because I didn't know how old it was. Ran it almost empty and filled it up, with the rest of the can of Seafoam. Maybe it is just working out the gunk. It really only seemed to do it that once, and then not again that I noticed. --Matt

So I finally waited long enough and paid all the money enough to be legal to ride my bike here in Oregon! Took her out for a real nice ride through the country back roads yesterday, and I have a few questions: First, does everyone use the clutch? I am a truck driver and we never really use the clutch except to start out, and the only other bike I have had, I rode the same way - match RPM and slip it from gear to gear. Question is, does this hurt anything to do this? Second, I was on a straight stretch at about 45 mph, cranked the throttle and it got about twice as loud and took off like a bat out of hell. It was like in the old days when I had a four barrel carb in a car and stomped on it. Does this bike (83 VR TDK) usually run on two carbs and open up all four on demand? --Matt

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I just realized that this bike ('83 VR) has a fuel petcock. Do I need to be shutting off the fuel every time? Looks like it hasn't been moved in a while. I found it, but the twist part on the front is smashed a bit, and I can't turn it. I found replacements online for like $20, but they just have a little nub on the front, is there a larger knob that is not shown? Should I bother replacing it?

Got them in the mail yesterday, put it in today, and the light went out! Thanks again! --Matt

I would love to trade out to a different flasher and be done with it if that's what I can do. The thing I worry about is I read somewhere on here that there is a starter relay in the flasher as well? So I'm not sure what to buy to make it work. Don't suppose you remember which one you put in do you? I don't care about the self cancelling part, I've never had a bike with it so I won't miss it.

Where exactly did you wire in the resistors? I'm still not sure I'm understanding where they go on the bike. I put mine in right before the rear turn signal under the trunk, and when that didn't do it I wired the other one inside the fairing behind the left turn signal. I'm at my wits end here. Could I just need a new flasher? They blink a little slow with the incandescents as well.

1156-A18-T: Amber in the rear, and 1157-A3X1W: Amber in the front. I copied the numbers from another (or possibly this) post where someone had put them in their bike and they seemed to work for him.

They were. They blinked a little slower than I would prefer, but they did blink. I put in 1156 in the rear and 1157 in the front, both from Super Bright LEDs.

I am also ready to give up. I put LEDs from Super Bright LEDs in the turn signals, wired in these resistors https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/flashers-load-resistors/led-light-load-resistor-kit-led-turn-signal-hyper-flash-warning-fix/190/831/ First tried one at the rear signal, turned on the switch....and it stays on solid. Wired the second one up by the front signal, figuring maybe I need four, and if it worked on the one side, I would just order two more resistors and....it blinks! Suuuuuuuppper slllooowwwwllyyy, like three timmes and then just stayed on solid. Is kicking the bike into a ditch the appropriate response here? I'm new to all this and I'm not sure how to react. Thanks in advance --Matt

How comfortable are you with basic maintenance and minor repairs? Answer: Ish? I am mechanically inclined enough, worked on cars here and there all my life, but relatively new to bikes. I'll run the Seafoam in a few days, a few days before I'm allowed to ride, and run it dry. Thanks again --Matt

Agreed. I sent you a PM.

Seriosly?? You are too kind! How do I get you my address?

First of all, you guys are awesome! In the week that I've been using this forum, I've gotten three of the four warning lights on the dash to go off, and as soon as I can get to Radio Shack to get some resistors, I'll get the last one too, so thanks! Next, I bought the bike (an '83 VR) and I don't have my endorsement until next week, so I can't really take it out on the highway yet, and it runs a little rough when cold. I understand that it's probably just cold and has older fuel in it but I'd like to level it out as much as possible before I pay for a carb rebuild. I bought a can of Seafoam, but I'm not sure when to put it in. The bike is gonna sit for another ten days or so, and I know it can benefit from Seafoam sitting in there for a few days. So here's the question: Should I put it in now and let it sit in there for ten days, or put it in 7 or 8 days from now to let it sit for two or three days? The tank is about half full, but I don't know for sure how old the fuel is (I bought it from a motorcycle shop and they took it in on trade). It fires right up, tires don't look rotten, although I'm gonna replace them anyway, and has about 45,000 miles. Arrrghhh! --Matt

So I put in LEDs in the brake light today (turn signals tomorrow!) and the brake warning light came on. Do I need a resistor for the brake/tail as well?