Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: Fox on May 04, 2011, 12:51:49 am

Title: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 04, 2011, 12:51:49 am
Hey guys,

On the way home from work tonight I noticed that the right front blinker was blinked doubletime. Having seen this before, I made the correct assumption that the right rear blinker was not flashing.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just corrosion on the rear bulb. That bulb is fine - I swapped them with no change.

I poked around the wire harness, disconnecting and reconnecting a couple of wires and relays, and checking all the fuses, which were fine.

I don't have a ton of time to tear things apart; are there any suggestions of what to look at from here? The wire harness was pretty dirty, and this bike has seen some rough and tumble in the dirt / rain / streets of Philadelphia.

Rolled over 2k today.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: drbvac on May 04, 2011, 01:18:40 am
So you swapped the bulbs and the BOTH were blinking double time?

The bulb may be fine but the holder may not be allowing it to blink - usually the double is cause there is not enough resistance against the unit that makes them blink.

No problem on the other side either :"

Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 04, 2011, 01:32:13 am
The left signal works fine. I guess I could have worded it better. I swapped the L/R rear bulbs, and proved that the bulb is not the issue (since it lit up in the left side).

So the holder itself might have come loose? Would I have to take off the license plate holder and whatnot to get to whatever I need to check?   
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: gashousegorilla on May 04, 2011, 03:16:16 pm
 Look for a loose or disconnected ground wire to that blinker. I think the connections to the harness on the G-5 are in the tail light. Could also be the hot wire. I would start there, from the light to it's first connection.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Sub on May 04, 2011, 06:34:56 pm
Mine went out once and it was just the connector that is sort of under the seat and back towards the rear fender area. Its a very loose connector, mine just came apart a bit. Plug it in and it was perfect..
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 06, 2011, 12:10:47 am
Thanks for the replies. I fooled around with it today, but no joy - I see a multimeter and bits of wiring harness strewn about in my not-so-distant future.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: greggers on May 06, 2011, 01:41:25 am
I had this exact same issue, took it to the dealer and the wiring harness had come loose and gotten chewed up on the rear wheel. Was a free warranty repair but it took about 2 weeks to get the part in. Good luck!
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 06, 2011, 02:08:28 am
Hmm... well, I suppose it could have bottomed out at some point. My chain was so incredibly slack today that I was shocked. Went up 4 notches on each nautilus.

Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn't be putting this thing through the punishment that is my commute. That job is better suited to the KLR, although that bike is having issues of its own in the form of a much-needed valve adjustment.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: GreenMachine on May 06, 2011, 02:35:27 am
fox  I'm following your machines durability and maintenance intently as i always suspected that commute to work is a real workout ..
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: The Garbone on May 06, 2011, 03:03:08 am
I believe there are connectors behind the rear plate light assembly that can come loose also.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 06, 2011, 11:28:47 am
I believe there are connectors behind the rear plate light assembly that can come loose also.

Yep, they can be accessed by taking the brake light off. These weren't the issue, though.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 07, 2011, 07:24:48 pm
Well, I hate to turn this into my blog of bitching, but this is really bothering me.

I called my dealer yesterday because I forgot to mention that the fake chrome button had also fell off previously. They used the opportunity to tell me that they put in a warranty request for the heat shield that had fallen off on the highway (I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they followed up on the same day), and that it had been denied. They said that they would need to see the bike before they could resubmit it. I asked if sending pictures would suffice, and that's a no-go. Apparently whoever processed the request didn't think it's possible for the shield to fall off by vibration alone. Also, if I'd wanted the blinker issue looked at on Friday, I'd have had to be there "within the hour". It was 12:30pm when I called.

Honestly I don't know what they're looking to confirm here.

"Yep, looks like it is missing the heatshield after all. Sorry you had to use vacation time to get out here since we're only open from 8-4:30 M-F, and let us know when you'll be in again, since we still have to order everything still."

This was my #1 concern buying a daily driver bike with such limited dealer support, and it looks like it was absolutely warranted. I live 40 miles away, I work 50 or more hours a week and I cannot afford to take time off for stupid bullshit. Sorry for venting, but this is asinine.

If anyone from the warranty claims department happens to be scouting these boards, I would like to point something out: I park at 20th and Market in downtown Philly, on metered street parking. Tens of thousands of people, many of them motorcyclists and thus potential customers, walk by my bike every single day. It gets enough attention as it is while I'm on it. And it's sitting there ten hours a day just looking like crap.

So, to summarize, I am sick of having to waste time needlessly, and I am hoping with this post to catch the attention of some reasonable RE person who might be able to speak in my favor to grease the wheels of progress toward getting these bits replaced.

Also, I present to you Fox's Compendium of G5 issues:

I don't want to give the impression that I don't like the bike. I absolutely do. I just hate not being able to keep it looking nice and working nice.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Ice on May 07, 2011, 07:51:46 pm
 Br. Fox

 Kevin Mahoney monitors each and every warranty claim and is an active member of these boards. 

Have you pm'd him yet ?

 My  02ยข worth is most of those troubles should be easily remedied with a couple of parts, a bit of adjustment and some lube and Loc-Tite.

 Dealers and shops are under a tremendous amounts of pressure these days just trying to keep their shops open in our new economy,,,,the smallest bit of courtesy eases their frustrations somewhat and goes a long way.  ;)


 

 
 

Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 07, 2011, 08:42:03 pm
I have been extremely polite in all correspondence with my dealer, so I don't think they're spiting me or anything like that. I am just frustrated because I don't see what difference it would make to see it in person or see it in photos, since either way it's very clear that the heatshield and button are simply not there.

In my opinion, a difficult economy does not excuse lapses in customer service for dealers. As a customer I expect a followup on issues I bring to their attention. I should not have to hound them. If I failed to do so in my job, I wouldn't hear the end of it - and I am not even in the business of customer service. In the same vein, if I were a RE USA person, I would want to hear about a customer's frustrations.

And I agree with you - these problems are extremely minor. But I can't do anything about them when I don't have access to the parts I need, and I can't get those on my own, and it's turning into an ordeal, which led to my post.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Ice on May 07, 2011, 09:07:23 pm
I would definitely pm Kevin.

To get you by, if you like I can send you some Loc-Tite and one of those chrome plastic thingys if i can remember where I put it.
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: drbvac on May 08, 2011, 04:12:37 pm
Not much fun is it = that said - 65mph for any period of time is like when I used to drive my HD's at 100 mph - they would shake so badly parts not loctited on with regularity would tend to shake off - rear tail light assembly, chrome air cleaner cover, rear axle covers - all aftermarket - couple hundred bucks each and trashed after rolling down the road. Bars would vibrate so badly your hands would "fall asleep: mirrors useless and the bikes cost over 20 grand.

I appreciate your frustration but as some others tried to say with some tact - tighten up the nuts and bolts - loctite them on - and - not so sure this is the machine to ride on a long commute at 65MPH. 
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: GreenMachine on May 08, 2011, 04:30:25 pm
its strange..i hardly get any vibration on my stock mirrors while riding (they  r really steady) ...yes going over 60 i get a wee bit but nothing crazy..when i first got the bike , the first thousand mile or so I use to get buzzing through the handlebars but that's been gone for a long time...I did re tighten the bolts/nuts and look them over on occasion or while I'm wiping her down after her bath....i don't take her on long trips like some of u guys, as i have a 1100 for that...Most of the time she's goes on 50-60 miles at a time...100 miles would be a long trip for her and most of the time i have her in the 45 - 60 range (by the speedometer) while varying the throttle on scenic country roads with the occasional blow out the carb for 20 miles on the return..I'm over 200 lbs so maybe I'm absorbing the vibration from the machine...just guessing on that..I'm not interested in sustaining over 60 for long periods of time with the expectation that she's gonna last in the current mechanical configuration.. I'm told the c5/g5  can handle that but in the same breath, i think the weight of the bike has alot to do with long distance highway riding and vibration factor..
Title: Re: Turn signal issue
Post by: Fox on May 08, 2011, 05:19:29 pm
Yeah, I'll PM Kevin on Monday to see if he's encountered my warranty claim.

I'm pretty diligent about checking for loose things and tightening them. A couple of days prior to the liberation of the shield I had checked through the bike and nothing seemed loose. However, I put 300 miles on the clock in one go, and all of it was highway.

My normal commute never takes me above approximately 60 miles per hour, and this only briefly. The bike has only seen a few all-highway trips, and I'm trying to mix it up a bit more with backroads, since I'd rather not shake it into oblivion.

For things like the footpeg bolt, that will get some loctite love when I get home. I do have some blue; I just hadn't applied any of it. Not much that can be done to keep the chrome button in, except maybe some putty.

I'm not one to dwell - despite what the bitching in this thread may seem to indicate, I don't complain much, especially publicly, unless I'm not getting traction. I hope this will be a relatively inconsequential bump in a long and scenic road with this bike.

Yes, I'm a tough customer, and I probably ride harder than a lot of Bullet owners. But I wouldn't have bought the bike if I didn't think it would take me where I need to go - I just need the support along the way to make this happen.