The Hodaka Club Forum

Hello, I need your help I have a 1978 250sl the blinkers work slow and sometimes not at all , we have tried and replaced everything that has to do with the blinkers WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE ? thanks

First thing to check is that all grounds are clean.

Thanks we did that but we will check them

Also, it could be your flasher is getting too old. You might try a new one and see if it improves. Victor

And make sure your battery works AND is fully charged.

Flasher speed is related to the heat generated to open and close the relay in the unit. You have to have both bulbs and any indicator (idiot) lights fully in the loop.

hell, I have 6volts at the flasher and 6volts up to the switch but only 4 at the blinkers ?

6 up to the switch, the same out?

Does anybody have any other suggestions on how to get 250SL blinkers to work properly. They blink slowly and delay coming on at first, as I understand. He has a new flasher, new battery, everything cleaned and/or new.

If you try to get the stock Hodaka turn signals to work, you will be beating a dead horse. Their 6 volt system has to be 150% perfect and then they will not be dependable. I have gone to a 12 volt system for dependability. Only that way, in my opinion, will you get a nice operating system.

Mike Perrett

The 6 volt blinker system has long been a pain when it comes to Hodakas. I had the stator rewound on a SL250 I used to ride on the street in an attempt to get reliable blinkers and still was not satisfied. Would work OK at higher rpms, but sitting at light they would still blink slowly.

I recently restored a 250SL for a customer and used a 6 volt emergency light battery. It definitely blinked them brighter and faster than stock battery, but the battery had more amps and was slightly larger. He also supplied a NOS set of blinkers so everything was in perfect condition.

Check the wattage on the bulbs, and make sure they are 6 volt single filament bulbs. Should only have a single silver spot in the middle of the base. I have seen them with the center spot worn and mushed out from vibration and time to where a poor contact was made. Also be careful, 12 volt bulbs can look identical. The higher the wattage, the more power will be needed to get them bright. Keep trying, remember its supposed to be fun.

In my experience, with the original flasher my blinkers used to actually hyperflash -- when riding the 250SL at highway speeds. A new flasher slowed them down to normal.

In all cases, the flashing rate is too slow when the engine isn't running -- even with a new battery.

I don't recall 6-volt turn signal systems working properly on any make during the '70s. But they were usually bent, smashed, or broken off anyhow.

My turn signals on my Red Toad worked well with a used eBay flasher, OEM but not NOS turn signals, New 6V lamps & the original wiring harness with new bullet terminals. Also a new 6V battery which the motor kept charged. Victor