The Flasher

So your turn signal/indicator relay just exited for its place in electronics heaven, and as a result you now have a distinct lack of flash about your machine. You can resort to arm waving, but I suspect most younger drivers in these parts at least would have no idea what you are trying to communicate, so adding the flash part back into the mix seems prudent. Suzuki indicator relays are still available from your friendly neighbourhood Suzuki dealer, but in Canada cost about $75 CDN each ! Cheaper options are available.

If such things matter to you, preserving the look of the original part is nice to try and do. The original Suzuki relays are housed in an aluminium can and have the Suzuki part number, specifications and OEM supplier name ink stamped on the end (just click on the image to see a larger version).

The end cap having the wire leads comes out easily and there is a yellow wire inside which is secured to the bottom of the can which can just be clipped. This releases the relay mechanism for complete removal. This specific unit is perhaps not the best example as the ground wire on the outside of the relay can is not original – the original wire was soldered to the metal ring that has the tabs on it for holding the end cap in place.

The replacement relay is a TRIDON HD12 which is readily available from just about any automotive parts supply place for between $8 and $14 CDN. It is ‘electronic’ in that the flash rate does not change with load. That doesn’t really matter for this application, but is an added bonus I suppose. The key thing is it is a two terminal unit of the correct voltage.

The entire new relay unit neatly slides into the old Suzuki relay can, and you then just fold over the securing tabs to secure the new unit in place.  The ‘X’ terminal is the power supply (so the orange wire on the old flasher relay) and the ‘L’ terminal goes to the lamp circuit which in this instance would be the light blue wire. You have the choice of soldering the leads, or using a crimped spade connector. Either method works fine, and of course later model GT750 signal relays use spade fittings anyway.

The end result looks identical to the original, and is good for another 40 years !

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