Swapping over indicator unit on the handle bars

[Big Chim]

I have two CBR 250's that i am swapping bits and pieces over on to make one bike. I have come across the indicators not working properly on the bike i am building. The indicators will start after a few seconds of being switched to the on position, if at all. When i plugged the unit which holds the indicators and lights of the other bike into the plugs which sit behind the head lights they worked fine which leads me to believe that the unit which holds the lights and indicators on the bike i am building to be faulty.

Three Questions;
1. Can the unit currently on the bike i am building be fixed, adjusted, or taken off the handle in any way? this will save me having to swap over. and
2. if i am to swap the handle of one bike to the other are there any dififculties in disconnecting the clutch cable from the lever I should be aware of??
3. what are the two wires coming out of the mount of the clutch lever going into the unit which holds the indicators and lights etc. do(curiosity)??

Any help will be much appreciated

Ps. I am learning as go, its a lot of fun

[bugjuice]

hey, welcome to the site ;)

Have you thought about the relay for the indicators? The one on the bike your building might be stuffed, but the one on the donor bike could be fine.. Can't remember precisely where it's kept on the CBR, but it'll be either under the seat, or under the left hand panel at the front (where it says 'fuse').. Plus, check the bulbs too. If the bulbs are over rated for the bike (check against the working lights), it could be trying to draw too much current from the bike, so it can't make them flash.

As for the switch itself, you should be able to undo the two screws underneath and the unit will come off the handlebars (if you haven't done this already). When it's off the bars, you can start to see some of the simple workings inside. Might pay to spray a bit of WD40/CRC in there, just to make sure it's all clean and contacts are going well..
If none of that's any help, just sing out what else ;)
but it's a start

[Big Chim]

Thanks bugjuice, this site rocks.

If i understand what you mean by relay, its the little unit which makes the indicator switch on and off?? (please excuse my lack of proper terminology). I have found the part which ,makes this happen which was under the left hand panel near the seat.

As for the bulbs i have swapped a couple round with no change but they worked fine when i used the inidicator unit on the handle bars from the other bike, (i have not made this change yet, just put the bikes real close together).

I could find one screw in the unit which i undid and tried to pull it apart and it wasent very forth coming so i screwed it back up and left it before i pulled it apart and bits started flying everywhere. I will have another look to see if there are any other screws in it. I think it is likly there are plastic clips on the inside of the unit on the other side.

[bugjuice]

yeah, the relay is a little black box about an inch square that clicks. If you can check the wattage on the bulbs between the bikes, just make sure they're the same (don't get them mixed up now!), and see if swapping the relay helps (should just pull straight out). If the switch gear works on the other bike you plug it into, then the switch is fine, it'll be something else in the system. I'm fairly sure what you're on about tho.

The other thing I forgot to say, is just the wires that go into the clutch. There's a circuit on there which stops the bike being started in gear and with the kickstand down. If the bike is in gear, it can be started when the kickstand is up, and with the clutch in. The two wires tell the bike when the clutch is in (switch 1), and then there's another on the kickstand (switch 2). When both switches are active, the bike will start. Else the bike will start with the kickstand down, and the clutch out, only when it's in neutral.

[Big Chim]

Cool, i found the relay and swapped them round but no change. Sorry i might have been a bit confusing in what i first posted. I used the switch(unit) from the donner bike in the one i am building and it worked fine (it worked fine in the donner bike to). One thing i havent tried is the switch on the rebuild back in the donner bike like you mentioned, i will give this a go. Having tried the donner bikes switch in the rebuild and it working fine lead me to think that the wiring in the rebuild bike is fine and the problem is in the switch.

As for the wires from the clutch, that makes sense to me now. If i was to leave everything in tact on the handle and disconnected the clutch (if possible) then this should be preserved and left un effected rather than swapping just the unit

Thanks Bugjuice

[bugjuice]

yeah, ok.. think I get it now ;)
well, just take the switch off the donor bike and stick it on the build bike.. There should just be a couple of screws underneath (you mention one, but I thought there was two). Get them both out, and then it might need a little gentle persuasion to come free. Then just unplug it, and switch them over (ha! get it? switch them over... yes, it's lame.. it's late already..). Just remember, the bike had to be built one time at least, so everything comes apart some how.. But it's making sense what you say. Just have to be persuasive.

and no worries RR, that's the point of the site ;)

[Big Chim]

Thanks for the help, I'll give it a shot

Cheers

[FROSTY]

-Id probably not bother--try spraying some contact cleaner in the rider bike and i bet all will be good

[bugjuice]

look, I got him doing it the long complicated way and everytin, before you came along.. spoilin ma fun..
but try that too RR.. may be last.. like, next week, when your just about to give up, cos nothing else will work

[Big Chim]

Contact Cleaner - like CRC? dumb question but i'm learning :o

[Big Chim]

Thanks Bugjuice and Frosty for your help. ended up finding the other screw and pulled the unit off, sprayed some CRC in there and it seems to be working sweet. I love simple solutions.

Cheers