NGC-I don't turn off blinkers-deadly personal problem

[drburt]

I'm a noob. I've been riding for about 18 months now.
Most of the time I forget to turn off the blinkers in a timely manner.
People tend to think I'm turning and pull out in front of me from time to time.
This is dangerous as hell and I can't figure out a way to correct this problem.
I should probably stop using them altogether and use hand signals.
Any tricks y'all have used in your formative years that have made turning off your blinkers second nature?

Help!
Thanks!

Brent - 2001 EV

[Joe A.]

Not to sound like a Richard, but hit one of those cars and you'll remember!

Seriously, with all of the distracted, angry, unskilled, etc. drivers out there, you should do everything in your power to minimize risk.

Muscle memory. make it normal as putting the key in the ignition.

Good luck out there.

[fatbob]

Get a Kisan signalminder. It self cancels the signals.

[oldbike54]

 Remind yourself that every time you fail to turn off the turn signals , all of us experienced guys are laughing and calling you a noob 

 Seriously , when turning on the signal , think of that as half of the action , in other words, On , now Off .

 Dusty

[fotoguzzi]

I still do that after 45y of riding.. back in the day they had a beeper you could add, what ever happened to that idea?
now I signal, turn and turn off but I don't sit at a stop light with it on..

[averb]

I still do that after 45y of riding.. back in the day they had a beeper you could add, what ever happened to that idea?
now I signal, turn and turn off but I don't sit at a stop light with it on..

Back in the day my 1981 SR500 had self cancelling indicators - what happened to them?

[twowings]

I coordinate turning them off with my next upshift after completing the turn...YMMV

[Chet Rugg]

I put bright  leds pointed right at my eyes. Just wired them in the front blinker wires. Finally worked my brain into  shutting them off I guess?  Istill forget to much.  Forgetting will get you killed1

[Tom H]

Not sure, but I think Harley had signals that cancelled. Not sure if it was time or you needed to turn X amount and back

Try a fleabay search, might be an easy add on to make them auto cancel??? Or like mentioned, better or added dash lights to remind you they are on.

Tom

[unclepete]

I use hand signals in the daytime ; at night it is easy to see they are on , and remember to turn them off .
I had a couple of eighties bikes with self cancelling blinkers , and am surprised to read that all bikes from this century don't . Wonder why .

[azguzzirep]

I coordinate turning them off with my next upshift after completing the turn...YMMV

I cancel mine either as I begin the turn or in the middle of the turn as they aren't necessary after that point.

Just me being me. Hope this helps.

[Dukedesmo]

Try; https://www.safer-turn.com/#home

[Nic in Western NYS]

Thanks for posting this - you may have solved your problem by outing yourself.  I would guess that you'll do it a lot less and the rest of us might benefit from the attention to this little mistake that can lead to a very bad day.

Wasn't it George Carlin who had the skit about being stuck in traffic behind the &*( who was going AROUND THE WORLD TO THE LEFT!!!!

[Zoom Zoom]

Get a Kisan Signalminder. It self cancels the signals.

This! I had one of those on my EV. It is an electronic flasher can that replaced the one on the bike. You can set the delay for the flasher to a number of seconds before it turns off. IIRC, you have to add a ground wire but that is easy. The flasher can on your bike is located under the right side cover.

John Henry

[pat80flh]

I turn them off in the middle of my turn , too, while the brain is still somewhat engaged with the action of turning.

I love the signals on my old Harley, a spring loaded button on each bar that falls naturally under your thumb. The signals stop flashing when you release the button.

[yogidozer]

Older Harley's had blinkers you had to hold down. Pretty hard to forget to let the button go.
KISS system

[Kev m]

Op, only thing I can say is to make it part of your automatic routine when turning. Once it becomes habit you'll be good.

For me it's habit to hit the button as soon as I'm upright again after the turn and to glance down to check ASAP.

Not sure, but I think Harley had signals that cancelled. Not sure if it was time or you needed to turn X amount and back

Try a fleabay search, might be an easy add on to make them auto cancel??? Or like mentioned, better or added dash lights to remind you they are on.

Tom

Harleys have used a number of Auto cancelling strategies since the 90's.

But they were all fairly well integrated into the bike so I think they'd be somewhere between difficult to not with it to try adapt.

For starters they are based around to separate momentary switches (one per handlebar).

The flashing then is module controlled by:

Time & distance for early models.
Time & distance/speed for mid years
Time, distance/speed, lean angle for later models

And for anything late model it was integrated into either:

Turn signal module
Turn signal and security system module
Turn signal and hands free security module

And on the latest the Body Control Module on the CANbus system.

That said I had Kisan Signal Minder on my Jackal (primarily for the 4-way flasher function) and I was unimpressed enough to stop using it.

[yogidozer]

I'm sure a Sheldon could tap in a BEEP BEEP sound. Or you could just get in the habit of turning them off.
Speaking of habits, get into a habit of sweeping your eyes to the gauges on a regular basis.

[Lannis]

I'm sure a Sheldon could tap in a BEEP BEEP sound. Or you could just get in the habit of turning them off.
Speaking of habits, get into a habit of sweeping your eyes to the gauges on a regular basis.

I have one bike that saves my butt every time with self-cancelling blinkers.

On my Stelvio, I often forget, and it IS dangerous.   

Best retro-fit solution for me (since timers alone will turn the blinker off before you turn sometimes) is a beeper wired in series with the lights.  Ronkom has one of these, and when I'm riding with him, it reminds ME to turn mine off too .... !

Lannis

[tris]

I put bright  leds pointed right at my eyes. Just wired them in the front blinker wires. Finally worked my brain into  shutting them off I guess?  Istill forget to much.  Forgetting will get you killed1

I replaced the repeaters in the dash with LEDs for the same reason on my old Cali


Plus I thought about (but never did) this http://www.rattlebars.com/mtz/buzzer.html

[Chuck in Indiana]

I coordinate turning them off with my next upshift after completing the turn...YMMV

Me, too. Shift into second, punch the button.

[scura283]

This new system looks like it would be help full.
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/smart-turn-system-review/

[Triple Jim]

Teaching yourself to do it automatically is better than relying on devices, because it works on every motorcycle you ride for the rest of your life.

[ohiorider]

My re-entry machine in 1984 included turn signals than cancelled after the bike covered 'x' distance.  A high tech beemer?  Nope.  Lowly 1983 Yamaha Virago.

[screamday]

Any tricks y'all have used in your formative years that have made turning off your blinkers second nature?

Help!
Thanks!

Brent - 2001 EV

I do something weird and I don't remember what started it. For the 35 or so years I've been riding I've always counted down from 5 in my head after I turn a corner, then I hit the signal cancel button. After doing it so long it's automatic. You also have to be use to using your turn signals.......on your motorcycle and in you car or truck. Too many people just don't signal their intentions and leave you guessing. If you use them regularly you will get use to turning them on and off. I even turn off my signal in my truck if the turn was not enough of an angle to automatically trip the signal cancel.

[Bill Hagan]

My re-entry machine in 1984 included turn signals than cancelled after the bike covered 'x' distance.  A high tech beemer?  Nope.  Lowly 1983 Yamaha Virago.

Yo, you are supposed to be focused on writing your CB1100 seat-of-the-pants review, so get back to that.   

Break Break.

To the OP, good points from the others.

I, too, as some here, have used the downshift and roll-out as a now reflexive habit of cancelling the turn signal.

That said, I now have an ingrained and can't-stop habit of pushing the turn-signal button every time I shift!  I'm serious.  Doh.    Surely that is wearing out the switch, but so far, knock on plastic.   

Interestingly, only have that secondary habit on the EV, as with Griso and Norge I somehow "remember" (most of the time  ) to cancel when done.

Bill

[Kev m]

Teaching yourself to do it automatically is better than relying on devices, because it works on every motorcycle you ride for the rest of your life.

Though I mostly agree, on Harleys the way you manually cancel is to hit the left or right turn signal button again.

The problem is the IF the signal automatically cancelled already doing so will restart it.

So you have to make checking the indicator part of the process which does indeed work on any bike I can think of.

[Triple Jim]

Though I mostly agree, on Harleys the way you manually cancel is to hit the left or right turn signal button again.

The problem is the IF the signal automatically cancelled already doing so will restart it.

I will never have that problem.   :)

[Kiwi_Roy]

Add something like a Sonalert 458-1068-ND from Digikey
you need that and 2 small diodes, will set you back about $5

Left blinker ---->|-------to buzzer +   Buzzer - goes to chassis
Right blinker ---->|-----to buzzer +

Add an extra bright LED as well across the buzzer for extra effect

It won't stop you leaving it on but might help

http://www.mallory-sonalert.com/specifications/PK-20A35EWQ.pdf

[webmost]

The device that turns off your turn signals is right there in front of you, on the signal stalk, one side one side or the other. If it's blinking and you're done, turn it off.

Got four bikes and they all work differently. The KLR has no auto cancel. You have to slide the switch back to center. The Scout has an auto-cancel that once you go below around 5 mph and then speed up again you get 4 more blinks and then off. You can turn it off manually by pushing in the center. Don't hold it pushed in more that a second, tho, or the four way flashers will go on. The Guzzi does not auto cancel but you can shove the switch in the center to turn them off. The beemer counts off 14 seconds so long as you are moving, then goes off. Or you can turn it off by flipping up with your thumb where the horn button would be on the other side. So all idiosyncratic.

Only reliable way is to take notice of what's at the end of the turn signal stalk.