LEDs won't work!

I have a 78 kz400 b1 and i bought some LED turn signals that have two wires for each...black and read. Im guessing positive and negative....now when i took my stock turn signals off they worked...i put the leds on...nothing, then i plugged the stocks up and now....nothing......what do i need to get these leds working on my bike...if i plug the negative into the ground wires instead of the wires the normal signals use to complete the circuit, then they just all come on either way i turn the signals on. PLEASE HELP! thanks!!

also, on the other thread, i noticed that said something about how the ground wire had to be mounted to the rubber grummet? mine is ordereed like this...light, rubber grummet, washer, headlight mounting bracket, ground wire, nut. Should the grounding wire be touching the rubber to isolate it from the frame so the order would be signal light, ground, rubber grummet, washer, mounting bracket, nut????? im not usre what else would be the problem...i have also heard that you must buy a LED flasher relay, an electronic relay will not work. is this true? THANKS!!!

www.kzrider.com/forum/4-electrical/441268-electronic-flashers is the article about electronic turn signal flashers(relays).

Most Kawaski motorcycles have as a ground wire one marked with a Black wire with a Yellow stripe.
For any rubber isolated turn signal to work, it must make good metal to metal contact. Possibly your bike has some rust/corrosion where the pieces meet.

The rubber acts like a vibration dampner so the turn signal filaments are not shaken to death. I'd check your fuses too as I suspect one or more may be bad.

You should be able to take the new LED's and power them directly with the battery to see if they work.

I just converted to LEDs myself. First, as MFolks suggested, directly wire them to your battery to confirm the LEDs work- they most likely will. I'd bet you are still have the stock flasher unit, correct? This won't work as the LEDs draw too little current. You need an electronic, "no load" flasher unit. A few folks (myself included) on here run the CF-12 flasher from superbrightleds.com: www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/in...cs%2FCF12ANL-01.html

CF12ANL-01: LED Bulb Flasher Unit
Electronic LED Flashers have no minimum load-12VDC
Eliminates the need for load resistors, turn signals will flash at normal
rate with or without LED bulbs

Thanks so much guys....as of now those grounds are bolted between and making contact with the nut that holds the signal on and the headlight mounting bracket. I have already tested the leds, and they work. I also check my fuses constantly as i have blown three or four trying to figure this whole thing out! would the flasher relay completely prevent the led signals from turning on though? currently i am using a silver electronic flasher relay that you can buy at advanced auto. not sure if that should work or not. either way i will buy the led flasher you suggested.

i was thinking the flasher relay would just keep the signal from blinking...

OK guys so the other day i realized that i built my own custom headlight mounting brackets and remembered that i put rubber between them and the forks to keep them from sliding, which in turn would eliminate a connection from the ground that bolts to the turn signal connecting to the frame..... so i took the rubber out.... but still nothing.... i swear i have tried EVERYTHING!! i connected the grounds to the green and the gray that the negative part of the turn signals also connect to and it made all four signals blink when i turn it either left or right, but the wiring just ended up getting really hot so i took it out.

tomorrow i will post pictures and see what everyone thinks, because this is driving me insane. I hate wiring. In the meantime i will also post my wiring diagram.[img]http://http://www.kz400.com/Techh%20tips%20bilder/Wiring%20diagrams/kz400-B1us-canadianmodel2.jpg[/img]

http://http://www.kz400.com/Techh%20tips%20bilder/Wiring%20diagrams/kz400-B1us-canadianmodel2.jpg

Hello Gumby, welcome.

The front turn signals on your 400 were 2 filament, 2 wire (1 for turn and 1 for running light on with headlight). The black/yellow wire is the ground, the gray is the right turn, the green the left turn and the blue is the running light (same in both lights). The ground was thru the turn signal body and had a ground line under the mounting nut.
The rear signals only had 1 filament, 1 wire (turn signal only) and ground thru the body like the front.

For LED signals, you will need an electronic flasher (2 pin). Available at any auto parts store for under 10 dollars.
Check the LED lights at the battery, they will only work in one direction.
Assuming red is positive and black is negative/ground.
The red wire will connect to the green or gray (left or right, front and rear) and the black will connect to a black/yellow wire or grounded to the frame.
The blue wires will not be used.

On your wire diagram,
the brown wire is power in to the flasher,
the tan is from flasher to the swith.
When the switch is activated (left),
the power goes to the green wire (left turn light, and indicater bulb) and then to ground.
This current activates the flash function in the flasher at a fixed rate regardless of the amount of current draw (bulb wattage) of the lights (or LED,s).

Good luck,
Jim

i shall try this tomorrow. Ill also add that my turn signal indicator light wont work either. Everything is plugged up. All of this worked prior to disassembly....and i have been through the wiring harness 200 times for this same problem. but if your suggestions doesn't work i guess it's safe to say i have a bigger problem elsewhere. thanks again RAINMAN!

so last night i tried your logic, and all the signals would turn on either way i switched the turn signal switch. So i decided to take the tack off just to make sure the signals would work without the tach and speedo cluster, and it worked normal! i think the bulb in the turn signal indicator light was blown or something of that nature. ANYWAY, im so glad to have this issue sorted thanks again!!!

Hello Gumby,

What did you find out? i just got a custom modded kz1100, I want to convert all the taillights and turn signals to LED but i dont know enough about motorcycles yet and electrical conversions. let me know what all i would need to order, thanks

82HONDASAKI wrote: Hello Gumby,

What did you find out? i just got a custom modded kz1100, I want to convert all the taillights and turn signals to LED but i dont know enough about motorcycles yet and electrical conversions. let me know what all i would need to order, thanks

All you'll need will be the LED bulbs and an electronic flasher. In theory. :whistle: