Boxerworks.com

Hey chaps,
I got an 82 R65 recently and am trying to solve some electrical issues to get it registered.
Bike starts and runs fine. the issue is with the lights/controls.
The indicators/hazard lights only work when the highbeams are 'flashed' on (not switched on).
While they are flashed on, the brake light works, but not rear parking light.
I've tested the flasher relay and works fine, and the secondary indicator relay which I'm unsure on its function is click on and off.

With the rear brake light globe out the inductors function as normal.
I've pulled the main earth off the bike off and cleaned up the corrosion of it and its mounting point.
Next is to pull back all the insulation everywhere and try find a short/broken wire but nothing visible at this point.

Any ideas or similar cases?

R65s have a issue with the front coils breaking off the frame. As they are working lose, they develop really weird electrical issues as the main system ground goes away.

bbelk wrote:R65s have a issue with the front coils breaking off the frame. As they are working lose, they develop really weird electrical issues as the main system ground goes away.

Sorry, not the '82s.

But I am at a loss to offer a suggestion.

I recommend registering on http://www.bmwr65.org/, and asking for help there.
There are enough significant differences between R65s and the rest of airhead twins that a separate forum is a good thing.

This probably isn't going to be very helpful, but when it comes to strange behavior of electrical items, I have coined a personal mantra. Suspect grounding problems. They can cause some very strange things to happen. And I'm not talking necessarily just about the two grounding points of the battery. I'm talking here about little suspected things such as corroded negative side wiring or negative terminals. Be wary of all grounding connections. Also these old motorcycles sometimes have cold soldered or fractured but touching ground paths.

I once chased my tail on my R100/7 for years trying to figure out why my R/H turn signals sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. (The problem turned out to be a cold solder joint in the wiring bundle that goes through the rear fender brace, feeding the tail light, stop light, and turn signals. That bundle had been cut in two and then re-soldered for some reason.

One of my trouble shooting techniques has become applying a jump wire from 'here to there' around a suspected grounding point.

Rust and corrosion never sleep.

The military is fond of gold plated connector terminals to stave off corrosion, but I reckon aerospace, military, and similar applications justify that kind of expense.

Ken

Ken in Oklahoma wrote:...when it comes to strange behavior of electrical items, I have coined a personal mantra. Suspect grounding problems. They can cause some very strange things to happen...

Agreed. I have no experience with the R65 specifically, & my R75/5 has no electrical gremins to speak of, but certainly bad grounds throughout the chassis were the source of many weird electrical behaviors of my 1976 BMW 02. My eventual fix (without rewiring the whole car) was to install new grounds & just abandon the old ones in-place.

What indicators and hazard lights are you talking about?
Do you have the wiring diagram? Snowbum's web site has several. I think I sent him the big colored one but I can't remember where I got it:

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/R65Schematic.htm

I bet there's some crazy diode thing going on, if it's not a bad/leaky ground.

Thanks Ed, for nudging my memory.
I noticed the reference to the "hazard lights" in the OP, but failed to remember that the BMW hazard light kit for the R65 was for the '78-'80 models only.

If a previous owner has installed a 4-way flasher kit of some sort, that should probably be removed to avoid contamination.

It is easy enough to install 4-ways on any bike (vehicle), after you have your bike straightened out:
http://www.motorcycleproject.com/text/f ... ashers.swf (jump to page 20)

The seller had mentioned that he had hazard lights installed for a registration check some years ago.
I didnt think something of this age would need it.
The hazard light button looks very factory bmw but does hang up the front above the light not installed securely anywhere.

The wiring looks all very factory and like its been there since the bike was built minus a few new cable ties and some funny looking wire routing.

There is a regular 3 pin flasher relay then a regular 4 pin relay that goes to the hazard light harness.

I've earthed the main loom earthing bunch back to the battery with no changes in result.

**Edit:
Just spoke to seller again and the hazards were on the bike when he bought it.

To post pictures on this website, you need to first upload them to a website like photobucket or something. Then, you get the URL from that website and paste it here with the [img] code surrounding it.

Make sure the image is not terribly large, or it will not show up here well.

I'm thinking we are now to the point where pictures would help.

The kit I installed on my '79 had an additional relay, as well as a very large diode. The switch itself mounted in the dash between the instruments, and had (I think) at least 9 pins on the connector.

The switch was very long, and was covered by a flexible red rubber cover which was pushed on/off.

Electrical circuits, just as in divorces and coffee, require good grounds.