self canceling flasher circuit...Mod?

[wonderdawg]

I just wanted to know if anyone has already come up with a self canceling turn signal flasher circuit mod. I would to be able to activate the turn signals and have them cancel with out my having to turn them off. So that is, they would stop either after a certain distance has been traveled or the bike has leaned over right or left. Any thoughts???

Regards,

W. D.

 

[Fred W]

Welcome to the forum.

Yeah, it has been discussed a few (too many) times.

Google: self cancelling turn-signal site:FJRForum.com

General consensus is: They are more trouble than they are worth. Just get into the habit of using your thumb. Cancelling your turn signals is just another part of riding a motorcycle.

 

[FJRay]

I am in the camp of wanting self cancelling signals purely from a safety point. I've lost two friends from having cars turn in front of them because thier signal was on. Yes it was their fault because of the signal being on but perhaps is they cancelled automaticly they would still be alive. Thats the reasoning behind having headlights on to make us a little safer with visibility so why not cancell the signals.

Yamaha has had the system for 30 years so why not use it. I think all cars have it and even Harley has a good system. I switch between the wing and the FJR so I'm having to remind myself to cancel when on the FJR and find myself doing it on the wing.

 

[ionbeam]

I don't know of any reasonable way to retrofit a quality self cancel system to the FJR.

This is one of those unfortunate topics that have a small number of zealots that tends to turn this topic to s#it PDQ.

I will post a few observations about self canceling turn signals.

First, I have had Hondas with this feature and it worked very good, they were not basic time/distance units, they had conditions that needed to be met. In ~15 years of riding with self canceling signals I can only recall two times they made a bad decision, but the situations were not normal and I was aware that the signals would cancel. If you are a manual canceler and never ever forget the signals you can still turn them off just like you always do. If you forget, the signal nanny will take care of it for you.

I often ride sweep and as such I see lots of turn signals left on. Lots, throughout the day almost every rider will miss the lights at least once. There are some serial offenders that ride all day with one or the other signal on. There are a large number of riders that I can predict when they will leave a light on(1) and a very small number of riders like Fred W that only leave a light on under extremely abnormal conditions. I'm not perfect but pretty good about turning off my signals. I have seen most riders forget the signals, with the riders making many, many more mistakes than would be made by smart self canceling signals.

I have observed traffic alter when they see a turn signal, in anticipation of the bike turning. Usually the anticipation is fine, but in some instances it has caused the traffic to make very unsafe decisions. I have seen bikes with the signal on and a car anticipating the bike to turn pass the bike and really SURPRISE the rider.

A rider that is turning without a turn signal will be observing traffic and (normally) make decisions in a way that having a turn signal on wouldn't make much difference. A rider not turning with a turn signal on continuously alerts traffic you are turning so they anticipate it. Then when you don't turn it can be a significant problem. IMO, you are probably better off not to signal (passive) than to falsely signal (active).

(1) Sometimes when cornering it becomes a busy activity due to traffic, distractions, obstacles, etc and when this happens there are large numbers of riders in the group that will leave signals on. This is the only time/way I see the reliable cancelers forget the signal and this is what gets me also.

 

[bwv]

I would go the other way and shoot for more obvious indicators....it would be easier.

 

[Fred W]

Well, even with the far bigger, and therefore more obvious, 1st gen turn indicators, it does still happen sometimes.

If there were a good aftermarket solution I'd probably go for it. Unfortunately what I've heard about those solutions that are available don't entice me to drop a hundo on one that has problems. Instead, I ride around constantly cancelling my turn signal that isn't even flashing.

Seriously, I find the time that I am most apt to forget is after sitting at a turn (light etc.) for a long time. So now, every time I begin to accelerate from a stop I find myself reflexively jabbing the cancel button with my thumb, even if I am going straight through the light.

When I was first getting into street riding I fitted my 1975 Suzuki GT550 (a sweet bike at that time) with a piezo beeper from Radio shack that would beep when the indicator was flashing. I did wear a helmet, but no ear plugs at that time (what's that?) so it worked pretty well to keep me aware of the signals being left on. It probably annoyed the crap out of people around me, but annoying people has never been a big concern of mine...

 

[bwv]

I do the same thing... I am constantly stabbing the cancel button... then I think to myself..."I'm gonna wear this out... "

I have thought of using an Arduino or similar microcontroller to make an "intellegent" self cancelling system...but haven't moved forward on it yet.

The hang up for me is... even if i make a sucessful control system, I'm going to have to figure out how to make the turn signal button momentary and add a manual cancel to it.

 

[RossKean]

The dumb aftermarket ones work on time so the signal might cancel while you are sitting to wait to turn left at an intersection. "Smart" ones use wheel turn information from the ECU plus time in some sort of algorithm so it won't cancel until you have moved some distance. I assume a greater distance before cancelling if you are moving faster. My two previous Yamaha bikes (Roadstar and Venture) both had self-cancelling turn signals that worked very well. Took me awhile to get used to having to manually cancel on the FJR - I still sometimes find myself on the highway 10 miles from the last turn with the blinker still going.

 

[HelzBelz]

(In before the lock.)

I am going to add sometime of led strip and on top of my mirrors. But it will need to look GOOD, considering I only forget my blinkers rarely.

 

[lnewlf]

plugged in a Kisan signal minder in place of the stock flasher...problem solved

I cut the wire to the hazard switch and wired the stock flasher from the battery to it- now the key and everything else does not have to be powered up to use the hazards.

I always forget to cancel when I see something like this

 

[wonderdawg]

Which model of the Kisan Signal Minder did you use? The SM-3? Were the instructions for installation any good? Would you do it again?

Regards,

W. D.

 

[CPO01]

(In before the lock.)
I am going to add sometime of led strip and on top of my mirrors. But it will need to look GOOD, considering I only forget my blinkers rarely.

I've been thinking along similar lines, and also to have the back of the mirror as a second indicator, as some bikes already have, but I can't find a lens that fits the shape. If you find something that looks good, then please let the forum know.

 

[lnewlf]

Yes, SM3...instructions are good. Simple installation involves removing stock flasher and plugging in the SignalMinder and you're done...This will cancel after @40 seconds which means you have to reset the signal at long lights. Once the signal cancels you have to push in the switch to use the signals again. Involved installation requires tapping a brake light wire and doing this will keep signals from cancelling when the brakes are on at a light.

Doing the simple installation will result in the hazards cancelling after 40 seconds if they are on....the more involved installation avoids this problem. Which is why I rewired the hazards separate from the signals -I don't like the stock hazard arrangement anyhow.

As I- beam pointed out-everyone forgets to cancel occasionally and looks like a blinking ass riding down the road . I would definitetly use this thing..

 

[Stevesez55]

I definitely see how someone good get killed. I rode a Sportster for 10 years and never had to worry about shutting off the turn signals. Maybe it just from getting old, CRS, who knows what but the second I shift into second gear the thought of shutting off the turn signals Is long gone until someone drives up beside opening and closing their hands. Seems like a good investment to me.