LeMans Instrument Panel Turn Signal Mod

[Stephen Hill]

The instrument panel on my 1976 LeMans didn't have a light to show whether the turn signals were blinking.
Because of the riding position, it is difficult to see the turn signals.  And the detent on the turn signal switch is a little vague.
I was often looking down to see if the turn signals were off, and not looking at the road ahead.  Dangerous!

The instrument panel has an indicator light for low fluid level in the rear master cylinder. 
The low level switch in the master cylinder  wasn't working, so I decided to make better use of the indicator light.
I disconnected the yellow/red wire from the rear master cylinder cap/switch, and connected it to the orange wire terminal on the turn signal relay. I used a splitter that attached two female connectors to a single terminal on the relay.  The other wire on the relay wasn't touched.  It took me about 30 seconds to do this, once I figured out the circuitry.

In easy view, I now have a indicator light on the instrument panel that tells me if the turn signals are on or off.
The brakes were already delinked, so I won't miss the low level indicator that didn't work anyway!

Stephen Hill

[Diploman]

Well done, Stephen!  This is an intelligent, safety-conscious mod that does not even require modification of the panel itself, just a little rewiring.  Good move.

In a similar vein,  I have an unfortunate habit of leaving turn signals on after making a turn:  Besides negating the very useful warning effect of turn indicators, leaving them flashing inappropriately sends an unwanted message to others on the road- " This rider is flashing a left turn but instead is going straight ahead - better just ignore him."

To counter this safety-compromising tendency, when constructing a new dash/instrument cluster for my V50 makeover, I included two very bright, green LED's on the dash that are impossible to ignore, even in peripheral vision.  These lights are wired to the turn indicators.  With these in-your-face reminders, I no longer forget to turn off turn indicators after making a turn.

[Stephen Hill]

Strange how Moto Guzzi didn't consider an instrument panel turn signal bulb basic equipment.  Even my primitive early 1970's English bikes came with a blinking yellow light on in the headlight.

Stephen Hill

[swooshdave]

It's a sports bike, you don't need no stinking turn signals!