EV Style Rubber Stalk Turn Signal Repair With Pictures.

[Tom H]

My turn signal stalks on my EVT have begun to fall apart. The rubber stalk is failing. I read about some solutions, but couldn't see how to make them work for me with what I had on hand. I decided to have a go at it this way.

If you have one that looks like this, just toss it and buy a new one. But, if it has a small crack, it may be saved.




DISCLAIMER!!! BEFORE YOU START!!!! Guzzi made the turn signals with a rubber stalk for some reason. On my EVT the rear turn signals are mounted in a plastic of some sort housing. The front signals are mounted in aluminum. Making the signal stalk "rigid" "could??" cause an issue with the plastic type mounting. Decide for yourself if you want to try this. And as ALWAYS, read the manual for how to remove the light and the wiring for it. Pictures of the wires CONNECTED is always helpful when putting it back together.

Once removed from the bike, you need to slide out the reflector to remove the stalk. I would remove the wires from the reflector and slide them out through the stalk.

A tip for the EVT with the nacelle style tail light. The signals are held in with a bolt and nut. If you drop the nut, it will be heck to get it out without removing the tail light nacelle. For removal carefully use a boxed end wrench catching the nut in the wrench or a mini long nosed vice grip. For installation, the long nose mini vice grip with the nut clamped at the correct angle is the way to go.




One the stalk is removed it will look like this. This picture also shows how the reflector locks in the stalk.




I used a tube that is 8mm od X 6mm id just slightly shorter than the stalk. The small end of the wires JUST fits through it when you stagger the connectors.




You can see it fit nicely until it stopped sliding through.




I then had to drill out the end with a 8mm drill bit to get the tube to slide all the way through with pressure at the drilled end. If needed a 8.5mm drill bit may be very helpful. You can see the tube is just below the rubber.




I then mixed up some 5 minute epoxy to glue the tube into the rubber. I slathered it in the stalk with a mixing stick/round candy stick and slid the tube in, again needed more pressure where I had to drill out the stalk.




I got a bit carried away with the epoxy, and it went in the tube a bit. I did expect that. I will have to clean out the tube with a file or 6mm drill.

Once dried and the tube is cleared for the wires. Put the signal back together and install it on the bike. Make sure you have the wires connected correctly before you bolt the signals on.

AGAIN......A tip for the EVT with the nacelle style tail light. The signals are held in with a bolt and nut. If you drop the nut, it will be heck to get it out without removing the tail light nacelle. For removal carefully use a boxed end wrench catching the nut in the wrench or a mini long nosed vice grip. For installation, the long nose mini vice grip with the nut clamped at the correct angle is the way to go.

Hopefully this will permanently fix a failing signal or keep a good signal from going bad. It WILL NOT stop the rubber from deteriorating. AGAIN, I hope this will not cause a problem with the tail light nacelle??? Time will tell how this holds up  

Hope this helps,
Tom

[GeorgiaGuzzi]

Thanks for posting this! 

[malik]

Prior to the rubber stalks, guzzi turn indicators, at least on Breva 750 & the V7 Classic, had brittle plastic stalks that snapped/broke with a nudge. The single throttle body versions came with the rubber-stalked indicators. The rubber stalks bend somewhat. You can safely brush up against them without breaking them. If you have a fall, these one don't tend to break immediately - if you're lucky you may only need a new lens. If you've a wine carrier behind your pannier rack, the stalks bend enough to get the bottles in & out, too. The rubber is a good idea, until it gets brittle with age & exposure & falls apart.

[Wayne Orwig]

My 04 EV had held up well. They obviously have gotten brittle over the years. One day I bump one of the rear ones really hard. It completely disintegrated at the base near the mounting plate. Using a ton of JB Weld I was able to repair it, and even fill the spots that crumbled out. Then shot it with black spray. That got me back on the road and actually does not look bad. I ordered expensive replacements that I will put on there soon. I was thinking about putting a metal pipe up through it first to reinforce the new ones.

[Lefty]

Thanks for this post, very helpful.